Political prowess: war in Iraq
By Jessica Mae, Behind the Scenes Staff Writer
April 27, 2007 | 8:37 p.m.
The passage of the four-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad prompted many politicians on Capital Hill to once again re-evaluate the US’s occupation in Iraq. Here on campus students express their opinions through artwork, demonstrations and partisan activism.
Express yourself
In a survey of 62 Ohio University students, 17 supported the war in Iraq and 45 did not support the war. However, students all around campus find ways to express themselves and become involved in one of the biggest controversies of our day.
Graduate student Winter Reiser expresses her views on the war in Iraq through an art exhibition entitled Collectively. The piece Counting…3324 was started in 2004 to pay tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives serving in Iraq. The piece consists of paper pulp attached to ball chain (the same used for dog tags) in groupings of 100. These groupings are then attached to a fiberglass flag pole. The paper pulp attached to the ball chain is representative of each soldier that lost his or her life. Reiser hopes that viewers will comprehend the weight of our nation’s actions.
The show is on display at Seigfred Hall until Saturday with viewing hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Service to the Country
Junior Troy Weber spent seven months with the Marines where most OU students can’t even dream about: Iraq. His service during 2005 resulted in an experience he’ll never forget.
"I don’t regret it and it was a good experience, but I don’t think I want to go back," Weber said.
Weber was stationed in Northern Iraq and, for the most part, observed Iraqis who were pleased to see the soldiers and often cheered along the road as he and the rest of his company drove past.
Despite his serving in the Marines, Weber has his doubts concerning the war. He does, however, stress the necessity of the US’s presence to ensure that the Iraqi people and government will not be left to fall apart.
"We shouldn’t force democracy on them, but we need to train the Army and make sure we don’t leave them before they're ready to be on their own," Weber said.
Weber commented that he would like people opposed to the war—especially OU students—to realize a soldier’s position.
"Soldiers serve because it’s what we’re told to do whether or not we agree with it," Weber said.
Donkey or Elephant?
One of the most popular forms of partisan activism at OU is participation in the OU Democrats or OU Republicans.
OU Democrats’ President Rob Dorans leads the OU Dems members with a different approach when it comes to protesting the war in Iraq.
"Instead of organizing some mass protest that’s not necessarily going to get things done, our approach is to elect people who can get things done,”"Dorans commented.
The OU Dems focus on supporting candidates who do not support the war and contributing to their campaigns.
"The government lied to the American people. They told us we were going for weapons of mass destruction, and then it turns out they were never there. Democratic members of Congress are saying ‘enough is enough’ and we need a plan to get the troops out," Dorans said.
Doran also comes to the defense of all those who are accused of not supporting the troops.
"Although I don’t support the war, I definitely support the troops, which is why I want them safe, and to do that, we need to get out of Iraq and bring them home," Dorans remarked.
With the exception of the support of the troops, Ohio University Republicans’ President Jordan Carr disagrees with the Democrats’ view of the war.
"In my mind it’s unrealistic to believe that in four years there could be a vibrant, flourishing, working democracy. It takes a long time to establish that, especially in a country that has only seen dictators," Carr said.
Carr remarked that the US is building a democracy out of nothing, and it’s natural to a certain extent for people to resist such drastic change.
"We’ve destroyed a lot of stuff, but we’ve also rebuilt a lot of it including schools, power grids and hospitals. We owe it to the Iraqi people that we are going to stay with our goals and promises to them," Carr commented.
Carr also disagrees with the proposed plan to bring the troops home by spring 2008.
"What if they aren’t ready? We can’t leave when we’re ready, we’ll leave when their government is stable and ready to take over. We need to stay the course," Carr said.
Takin’ it to the Streets
Students for a Democratic Society member Dylan McGuffey opposes all war and at the onset of the war in Iraq, boldly proclaimed “fuck war.”
Since coming to OU and taking more in-depth political science courses, his opinion on the war has changed as the war progressed.
"At first I was against the war. Then after talking to my professors I thought the war was necessary to help free the people. Now the US has made a mess, and we should get out," McGuffey said.
McGuffey does make a distinction, though, within his support of the troops.
"I support the troops as in they are my fellow comrades, but I don’t support what they do at all, and to me, they’re fighting a war I don’t agree with, so why would I support them?" McGuffey asked.
Despite his more radical views, McGuffey is an informed citizen who actually read The Iraq Report.
”I really didn’t know a lot about the war and Iraq, but after reading that book I learned a lot about their culture and society, which changed my opinion a lot,” McGuffey commented.
He still is active in peace and anti-war rallies at OU and throughout the state of Ohio.
It is clear that some of your peers have made informed, intelligent decisions concerning this war and are also passionate about their opinions. The war, for the most part, is out of OU’s reach, but that is no excuse for not having an opinion and doing something about it.
--
The next article will examine abortion and again feature commentary from both the OU Democrats' and Repubublicans’ presidents.