N-G photo by John Dixon
By MIKE MONSON
© 2001 THE NEWS-GAZETTE
Published Online September 27, 2001
URBANA
The United States should avoid a violent military response to the recent terrorist attacks, several anti-war speakers urged Wednesday afternoon.
A crowd of about 200 people attended the noon rally on the
University of Illinois Quad, sponsored by the Progressive Resource/Action
Cooperative.
The crowd, patrolled by members of the cooperative wearing yellow
ribbons on their arms, appeared largely supportive, though an
audience member yelled out "Go Bush!" at one point.
Laura Haber of Urbana, a UI employee and Urbana school board member
who is a former leader of the Committee Against the War in the
gulf, said Americans must understand that their foreign policy
breeds terrorism.
"How can we reconcile our ideals with the fact that the U.S.
is the biggest arms dealer in the world?" she asked. "How
can we reconcile our
ideals with the guns, money and training that the U.S. has provided
to dictators all over the world?
"If we ask the question 'How could this happen?,' we must
be prepared for painful answers," she said. "And we
must realize that we are no
longer exempt from the anger and violence that we have helped
to foster in the rest of the world."
Kirk Hilgendorf, a UI senior from Pontiac, said U.S. citizens
should avoid scapegoating Arabs and Muslims and resist attempts
to curtail civil liberties.
"If this was an attack on freedom, why are our civil liberties
being cut back?" he asked.
Hilgendorf said the United States must avoid the temptation to
kill innocent people "in the name of infinite justice."
UI student Sarah Jayne Dipert told the audience "peace is
not attainable if the cycle of violence is not broken."
"Terrorism is bred in a certain social and political environment,"
she said.
Terrorists "appear to be inspired by U.S. exploitation and
domination," Dipert said.
Joe Miller, a national coordinator of Vietnam Veterans Against
The War, said the United States must act in concert with other
nations in its response, instead of unilaterally. He also said
that American citizens need to see the evidence of culpability
against accused terrorists, instead of just taking the government's
word for it.
"We need to hear what the evidence is," he said. "We're
paying $30 billion a year for an intelligence operation that apparently
doesn't work very well."
Some in attendance said they don't agree with the anti-war movement.
"I'm not supportive of their cause," said Gaylen Lecher
of Danville. "I feel to stand back and do nothing in a sense
supports the terrorists."
Lecher called the protesters "pretty naive." "It's
how you learn, I guess," he said.
N-G photo by John Dixon
University of Illinois students Cassie Conner, left, and Eric Chow hold a banner at an anti-war rally on the UI Quad on Wednesday. About 200 people gathered to listen to speakers at the event, which was sponsored by the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative