Letter to College Students

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24566

Letter to College Students
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2007-07-11 23:32. Activism

Dear Antiwar Students,

Are you part of or interested in starting a student group that organizes against the war? Since its founding in January, 2003 the goal of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) has been to amplify the student voice within the antiwar movement by building a nation-wide network of high school and college student organizations working against the Iraq War. While some chapters of CAN additionally work for other social justice causes, many just focus on the occupation of Iraq. What unites us all is the understanding that regular people, organized into a movement, will force the hands of the politicians to bring the troops home.

Most antiwar student organizations have little or no contact with groups just like them at other schools. Despite this isolation, more and more students are drawing the same conclusion that what we do in our little corner of the globe matters. In the face of Congress's refusal to cut off funding for the war, revived antiwar activism among students and recently returning veterans sustains our expectations for an end to the occupation.

What ended the Vietnam War was a mass movement of soldiers, veterans and students in solidarity with the people of Southeast Asia. Over 4 million students went on strike to shut down more than 400 American campuses in 1970 to stop Nixon?s expansion of the war to Cambodia. Simultaneously, mutinies among soldiers in the 4th and 8th Infantry, refusing to board their helicopters, successfully contained the expansion of the war. Such impressive resistance to the government?s war efforts gives us a model, which we set out to rebuild today.

Short of shutting down hundreds of campuses, networking student organizations has proved crucial to sustaining our movement against the Iraq War. In 2005, the movement to counter military recruiters on our campuses provoked disciplinary action from administrators at Kent State University and the University of Wisconsin. Thousands of phone calls, faxes and e-mails from CAN members and supporters into the administrations? offices defended students facing expulsion. In the face of such heat, the administrators backed off and the value of such a network became clear.

This September, as school gets back in session, Congress reconvenes to debate further funding the occupation. Students at dozens of schools around the country will take part in CAN's week of protest against the occupation, from September 15 ? 22. The actions will vary, but the message will be the same from coast to coast: BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW! In keeping with CAN?s strategy of embarrassing pro-war politicians and exposing school administrators? compliance with the occupation, we offer the following protest themes: ?No Money for Occupation? & ?End Campus Complicity with the War!? Some chapters may organize student walkouts or occupy the offices of war-funding politicians. Others may picket Halliburton, military or CIA recruiters or call a press conference against weapons research on campus. Tell us about what you?re planning. We?ll publicize your event on www.campusantiwar.net and through CAN?s Newsletter, College Not Combat. News of any campus protest helps students everywhere understand that they are not alone.

Finally, you?re invited to take part in CAN's national conference, October 19 - 21, at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Everyone?students or otherwise?is invited to attend the educational and activist-training workshops and panels Friday and Saturday of the conference. On Sunday, we will turn the discussions of the weekend into a nation-wide student action plan to end the war. All are welcome to join the discussion and each school?s antiwar organization is invited to elect two voting delegates. Join us as we plan for united actions and develop an organizational strategy for strengthening the growing student movement.

Start building for your September action today and plan fundraising in order to bring the most students from your school to the October conference. E-mail [e-mail] to let us know what you?re planning at your school, to suggest ways the national network can help and to contribute content to CAN?s website and newsletter, College Not Combat. Think about what you want the future of the student movement to look like, and make it happen this fall! We'll see you in Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

The student-activists of the Campus Antiwar Network

[ben_meyers]

1. Hell no! We won't go!!

There ain't no draft so you don't have to.

Okay! See ya down on Mill tonight.