By Nick Huelster & Stefan Aune

On March 20, five years will have passed since the first US bombs dropped on Baghdad in this “Second Gulf War.” We were younger then, and some of us started opposing the war that year, understanding that however corrupt Hussein’s Iraq was, it was part of our state’s doing, and to attack that nation unilaterally was illegal.What has proved true is that it was not the government of Iraq that has suffered most, but the Iraqi people. That the true benefactors are U.S. capitalist and imperialist interests. We went out into the streets to oppose the war then, and now, after five years of war, we are still actively opposing the War in Iraq.

We invite all Macalester students to participate in the upcoming demonstration Against Five Years of War in Iraq on Thurs., March 27. As the war enters its 6th year, the need to express dissent is more crucial than ever.

It is easy in our privileged position in this country, especially as students, to go about our daily lives disempowered of any ability to make a difference in ending the war. The question of practical success is often used to justify inaction: a protest will not end the war, so what’s the point?

No, one protest will not end the war. But protests, direct action and a strong anti-war movement can. Historically, colleges have been places for popular dissent to manifest itself in student movements, and Macalester has a long history of this tradition.

We as a campus should feel empowered to express dissent together and oppose the war in any and all ways. Supporting an anti-war candidate is not enough, as it is very possible that even with a troop withdrawal, US military and mercenary forces will remain in the Middle East in what may become an even dirtier war.

We can talk about the war as much as we want and intellectually agree on its injustice, but action is the manifestation of these beliefs that will affect change. Join us March 27 and together we can make Macalester’s opposition to this war clear as it enters its sixth year.

The protest will begin here in a speak-out at Macalester, and then we’ll bike, bus, and carpool to a larger march at the University of Minnesota.

Bring your signs, your voices, and your hearts to protest with us to say NO to the War in Iraq that has gone on five years too long!