Students
express views on possible war
By Ramon Torres and Yoshinori Okada
On-line Forty-Niner
A
group of students spoke out to share their
views about the current U.S. policy on Iraq
Thursday at the Southwest Terrace at Cal
State Long Beach.
“We just want everyone to be aware of the
problem,” said Mary Gligorov, junior political
science major. “People can come and voice
their opinion, say whatever they want, talking
about just what’s going on today, tomorrow
and yesterday.”
Three speakers expressed their views on
the possible effects of the U.S. entering
the war against Iraq in a discussion that
lasted for more than an hour.
“I want students to actually understand
that we don’t have to go to war with Iraq,”
said one of the main speakers, Shawn Strobel,
a political science major. “It is not necessary
and it’s not politically expedient to the
rest of the world.”
Kathleen Neal, a business major, agreed.
“I’m against going to war with Iraq. I just
believe that if we go to war with Iraq it
is just going to cause more [panic], I mean
is like being in a game where you attack
us we are going to attack you again.
“I wish we would be able to sit down and
talk things out, not demanding that you
do it our way but rather coming to a compromise.”
Among the majority opinions criticizing
the possible war on Iraq, Peter Ellis, a
graduate speech language pathology student,
had a different view. Ellis said he supported
Bush’s policies, as he interrupted one of
the speakers on his way to class.
“Nobody wants to be the victim, we do not
want to be the victim of other terrorist
attacks and Iraq don’t want to be the victim,
shall we say, of us going to war against
them,” Ellis said. “Think about all the
innocent children and all individuals that
will be hurt again if we don’t do something.
And we’ve got to send a message to the world
saying we aren’t going to sit by and not
do anything.”
Gligorov said she is expecting more people
to join the open forums in the near future.
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