There wasn’t an enormous turnout, but it didn’t matter, according Alex Musto.
Musto, a U freshman, organized a rally, titled “Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home NOW!” in the Union patio area on Thursday to a crowd of about 30 supporters, including U students, faculty, community members and bystanders.
“We’re small [in number], but we’re here,” Musto said.
One of the reasons for the rally, hosted by University Not In Our Name, was to “refocus on the [Bush] administration’s explicit reasons for being engaged in [the war with Iraq],” said Mark Nelson, a labor union organizer in Salt Lake City and member of the Committee for Peace in the Middle East, which is hosting an all-day conference in the Union today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
According to Nelson, there is “overwhelming evidence” against the U.S. claim of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.
“That’s very concerning,” he said.
While many believe, after the fall of Baghdad, the war is over, there’s still reason for concern with U.S. involvement in the region, Musto says.
“What we’re here for is to get our troops out of [Iraq],” Musto said.
The ‘Support the Troops’ motto that some war supporters have adopted is a myth, according to peace activist Diana Hirschi.
“What the hell does that mean?…I think it means don’t question the government,” she said.
Hirschi says soldiers are soldiers because they have a job and they are paid for what they do.
However, according to Hirschi, many people join the armed forces under the notion they will “see the world and get and education…and that’s bulls***.”
The government doesn’t tell potential soldiers to “come and join us and kill a lot of people,” something Hirschi says is the reality.
Even after military efforts in Iraq are complete, Nelson questions the ability of the United States to produce the humanitarian aid the Bush administration has promised.
According to Nelson, there are 41 million Americans without health care.
“We’re going to bring that to Iraq?…I’d like a little of that here at home,” he said.
Furthermore, although many agreed on the necessity of ousting Saddam Hussein from Iraq, it doesn’t mean Iraqi civilians “want to be ruled by the U.S. Army,” said Bonnie Tyler, U professor of civil engineering.
In order to make an impact, however, organization is essential, Nelson says.
“We can all be against the war. But until we get organized, it’s not going to end,” he said.
Organization, like Thursday’s rally, is achievable regardless of numbers, according to Hirschi.
“Even if there’s only one of us…we have to keep doing it,” she said.