The anti-war speaking tour “War and Resistance: Another World Is Possible” visited the University of Massachusetts on Thursday. Sponsored by the International Socialist Review, lectures were given by a panel of notable speakers representing many organizations. While each speaker had his own issues to discuss, all were united under the same anti-war cause.
“It is important to expose the story that isn’t covered in the media,” Adam Meringolo, a sophomore Social Thought and Political Economy (STPEC) major and member of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) said before the lecture began. “Students need to be educated to get new perspectives, because the world’s current system of capitalism is headed for destruction.”
The lecture commenced with speaker David Bates, a Chicago criminal justice activist. Bates, who is now exonerated, spent ten years in jail for a crime he did not commit after being allegedly tortured by police for a false confession. He believes the U.S. government cannot properly monitor its own affairs, rendering it unable to intervene in other nations.
“Why do they hate us?” Bates asked, in reference to the rest of the world. He then provided an analogy that likened the United States to a bully.
“The class bully wakes up and thinks of who he can exploit that day. If you look around the world, we [the United States] are bullies. We have resources. Are they ours? No, we took them.”
The highlight of Bates’ lecture was a New York study conducted between 1988 and 1999. According to this study, legislative spending for prisons was 700 million dollars, while only 600 million dollars was allocated for schools. In California, 21 prisons were built, while only one school was constructed. In Washington, D.C., more inmates were taking courses in jail than free people.
With this study, Bates pointed out that more money is spent on jailing people than on educating them. He claimed that money spent on prisons was essentially being taken away from schools and also remarked that the money being spent on the war was a leading cause of the UMass budget crises.
Bates ended his speech by praising the recently approved Resident Assistant union and the participants of the Save UMass rally on Thursday for “organizing and fighting for what you believe in.”
“Because you’ve experienced this, you will have sympathy in the future for people who are suffering, because you’ve been there. You recognize the need to organize and for that you are the leaders of tomorrow.”
The next speaker, Colleen Kelly, was a representative of Peaceful Tomorrows, a group of people who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Kelly, whose brother died in the Trade Center, suffered much anguish trying to learn to forgive the men who carried out the attacks.
Kelly gained a new perspective when four families from her organization visited Afghanistan. They stayed with Afghan families who had lost loved ones in U.S. bombings, and talked about their similar plight. Kelly now advocates that Americans need to be forgiven as well for their part in the Afghanistan situation, and is appalled that Bush’s war on terror is justified in the names of people like her brother.
“We all need forgiveness in this country for how we act towards the rest of the world.” Kelly said. She then talked about the need for peace in the world, and quoted Albert Einstein: “You cannot simultaneously prepare for war and peace.”
“America is not ready for peace. War is the priority. Until we end this war, there will be no peace,” Kelly finished.
The lecture continued with speaker Rima Anabtawi, the founding member of Al-Awda: the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, who read a statement that illustrated Al-Awda beliefs.
“We declare solidarity with our brothers in Palestine and support them in their struggle for independence under a brutal Zionistic Regime … we call on the US to stop the transfer of weapons to Israel.” The phrase “brutal Zionistic regime” was later challenged during an open discussion forum, when an Israeli student and former refugee brought up the suffering she underwent in Iraq.
The next speaker was Michaelann Bewsee, a Springfield community activist with Arise for Social Justice. Bewsee described Arise as “an anti-oppression organization that specializes in the rights of low income groups.”
She is concerned with informing people about policies the government carries out at their expense.
“In this country, people have gone from people to consumers to commodities,” Bewsee stated. She claimed that the government counts on public support for the war because it translates to economic support. Bewsee believes that money spent on the war detracts from employment and social welfare programs. Her mission is to encourage people to talk about government policies they oppose without feeling unsafe.
“People have to learn how to think, and they don’t make it easy to think in this country.” Bewsee concluded.
The last speaker was Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq Under Siege. Arnove explained his beliefs that American civil liberties are being compromised for the economy, not safety, and that the United States is only interested in Iraq because of its oil.
“The U.S. empire depends on controlling Iraqi resources and is using military force to do so.” Arnove stated. He then proposed a “worldwide repeat of Vietnam,” as “Bush’s war targets spread from Afghanistan to Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, and finally Iraq.
“The agenda isn’t about self defense or democracy,” Arnove continued. “It is about settling scores, building an empire, and gaining economic and military control – money for war will come from welfare, healthcare, and education.” Arnove found some support from the audience.
“The war on terrorism has extended into the Philippines,” said Rebbeca Sablo, a senior STPEC major and member of ISO. Sablo summed up the spirit of the anti-war lecture by saying,
“The amount of money we are spending on defense is increasing. We as citizens need to ask politicians where our money is going.”
