War Abroad Means War at Home
Hunter community gets together to rally about the war
Milleska Contreras
Issue date: 5/14/08 Section: News
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The rally and teach-in, initiated by the Hunter Chapter of the Professional Staff Congress, the union that represents CUNY's faculty and staff, was part of an historic event. That same day was the first worker's strike against the war; the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the union that represents the workers who load an unload ports on the west coasts, shut down all 29 ports on the west coast for eight hours to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to an LA Times article on the ILWU strike, the workers' actions, "idled ships and cranes, stranded thousands of big rigs and halted movement of about 10,000 containers during the eight-hour day shift."
Without a speaker system to support their voices, because the police department did not grant the organizers a sound permit, participants in the rally and teach-in raised issues affecting not only this country's citizens in general, but also issues affecting the community here at Hunter, and throughout CUNY. People spoke out about the perceived gradual degradation of civil rights. Various groups, such as Students for a Democratic Society and the Campus Antiwar Network, were present and prepared speeches, poems and declarations for the event. Personal statements and opinions were also encouraged from the crowd.
One memorable speech that enticed the crowd came from Luz Schreiber, a student-parent at Hunter. Schreiber has been an active member of the Hunter community as President of the Hunter Parent Union. Loudly, she stated, "War at home affects everyone: women, immigrants, children, as well as racial ethnicities." In her declaration she pointed out that the war in Irag and Afghanistan is being fought mostly by minorities. This is a war that is affecting the members of the working class, she added.
Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Ben Siegel
posted 5/14/08 @ 1:14 PM EST
I'm certainly not in favor of armed conflict in general, but I get annoyed when people make statements like:
"...the war in Irag and Afghanistan is being fought mostly by minorities. (Continued…)
alex
alex
posted 5/14/08 @ 6:52 PM EST
Umm, relax. The writer is clearly talking about the American soldiers, saying that they are by and large members of minority groups in the United States (I can't say whether or not this is true, but, as it is paraphrased from a statement made by a person mentioned in the article, not a statement made by the writer based on research, that is not really an issue). (Continued…)
Ben Siegel
posted 5/15/08 @ 3:34 AM EST
Your suggestion is duly noted, and I'll thank you to be polite by saving your advice for someone who asks for it. Don't lecture me on manners; I find it distasteful. (Continued…)
alex
posted 5/15/08 @ 8:46 AM EST
Message boards aren't about manners, and neither was my comment, really. The point was that your comment was snotty and designed entirely to illustrate how smart and involved you are, but if you'd actually paid attention to what the article said you wouldn't have felt the need to pontificate like that in the first place. (Continued…)
Ben Siegel
posted 5/15/08 @ 11:18 AM EST
You're quite good at presuming intentions. Go ahead and think you're right. I hope it feels good.
alex
posted 5/15/08 @ 11:59 AM EST
Thank you for the compliment! It has inspired me to make another presumption: I presume that you picked out the part about the war being fought by minorities because the original statement was made by Luz Schreiber, the same woman you accuse of slandering you name in the comments section of "In Support of Ben Siegel. (Continued…)
Ben Siegel
posted 5/15/08 @ 1:32 PM EST
That's not a presumption, but rather an inference.
alex
posted 5/15/08 @ 4:14 PM EST
Actually, if you look at the definition of the word "presume," I think you'll agree that it covers what I wrote. I made a certain presumption, then inferred as much when I posted my comment. (Continued…)
Maria Ostridge
posted 3/21/09 @ 2:04 PM EST
I thank you for the opportunity to share a portion of my moments in time with future generations.
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