CSULB
students are anti-war
By Laurisa Franklin
On-line Forty-Niner
An
unscientific survey of 100 Cal State Long
Beach students has found that 70 percent
of the students believe the United States
should not go to war with Iraq.
Students had differing reasons why the war
is unnecessary. Some students said they
believed that the war on Iraq is just President
Bush’s revenge for his father.
“The main reason is that this is the father’s
agenda,” senior graphic design major Otim
Oloya said. “It is another chance to give
‘Daddy Bush’ another term to complete unfinished
business, and they are succeeding.”
Alexos Harpor, senior political science
major, agreed that the war is just for revenge.
“The war in Iraq is more of an attempt by
Bush to vindicate his father’s failure in
the Gulf War,” Harpor said.
Some student’s explained that they feared
for innocent people’s lives.
“There will be too many lives lost,” senior
communicative disorder major Karen Miramontes
said.
CSULB political science professor Paul Schmidt
said student’s anti-war beliefs are not
a surprise.
“Young people, possibly college students,
would have to fight,” Schmidt said. “That
would make anyone unenthusiastic about war.”
According to the National Network to End
War in Iraq, students are against war because
of money issues. The network said it believes
that war in Iraq would divert funds away
from urgently needed programs for health
and education in the United States during
this time of economic downturn.
Although the majority of students were against
the possibility of war, some students thought
that the war in Iraq was necessary to keep
peace and keep the United States safe from
terrorism.
“I am against war,” senior liberal arts
major Shannon McLean said. “But sometimes
this force is needed on a country when that
country is doing unjustifiable things.”
Some students are for war actions, but afraid
of the possibility of having to fight.
According to the Huntington Beach Army Reserves,
recruitment has not risen since the talk
of the possibility of war. While the reserves
were unable to comment, they do believe
that many issues, not just the possibility
of a war, could influence a student’s decision
not to enlist.
Some students join the armed forces for
the benefits, such as scholarships, a monthly
salary, money for books and much more are
offered to members, according the CSULB
ROTC Web site.
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