To the editor,
As a leader of UB’s Anti-War Action group, it was with some surprise that I found out my group was having a protest this past Monday. According to a Managing Editor, Justin Haag, of The Spectrum, there was, “a protest scheduled for September 11.” This was apparently to be a disgusting display of disrespect for the Americans who lost their lives on the eleventh of September 2001.
You see, the Anti-War Action group was meeting on the eleventh—not for anything even remotely resembling a protest. The flyer Mr. Haag would’ve noticed that incensed him so would have read, “General Meeting,” not “Protest”—Oops, Mr. Haag! Our general meeting took place at 7 p.m. this past Monday—a significant date, I’ll admit, primarily for the purpose of emphasizing the message September 11 sent to all American citizens—the necessity for peace.
I have a hard time believing that Mr. Haag and I are so very different. We both love our country, we’ve both devoted our careers to justice, and we both want peace (I may be reaching on this assertion) in America and the rest of the world. That’s why his assumption that members of the Anti-War Action group are all crazy radicals who recite bogus statistics is so laughable. Isn’t our dedication to being active citizens a source of pride for you, Mr. Haag, as a serviceman for this nation? Isn’t the fact that our members are liberal, conservative, socialist, and beyond a beautiful thing to see? Aren’t the veterans who fight alongside us against war a living example of the Democracy in these United States of America?
Honestly, the only thing we disagree on is how to go about achieving peace and justice in the world—I believe that revenge and civilian deaths are unnecessary, and you believe that “strategic military actions” (the quotations here should be indicative of my disbelief in that particular tactic) are indeed necessary. That, and, of course, your fabricated assertion that the majority of Americans support the war in Iraq—that has been statistically and unarguably untrue since the fourth month of the Occupation.
I sincerely hope that you, Mr. Haag, open your mind from pre-conceived notions and actually listen to what the opposing viewpoint has to say before jumping to the defensive (though how the war in Iraq, American freedom, and September 11 are related, I cannot tell). You did claim to strive to be the bigger man and not come argue with our group’s alleged “protest”—but you were actively mimicking anyone reading the Anti-War Action flyers around The Spectrum’s office on the day of the meeting. Our group’s message is not to hate on those who have lost their lives fighting, but to educate our community and get our devoted servicemen and women back home safely. Why should any more civilians, anywhere in the world, suffer for the mistakes of their governments? I encourage you, Mr. Haag, to come to our next meeting and actually HEAR what we’re about. I guarantee that you will be surprised, and may perhaps appreciate why so many veterans are allying with Anti-War Action on this campus.
Sophia Azeb
UB Anti-War Action leader & UB undergraduate
Miss Azeb,
I’m afraid you’ve sent this to the wrong address.This is Generation, home of the brave. I believe you’re looking for The Spectrum, 132 Student Union. We’ve tried to get as far away from their office as possible this year, they’re a bad influence.
Why are you getting so worked up about this guy, Soph? Why aren’t you guys going out and setting fire to cars or something? Better yet, why not throw a steaming bag of shit onto the hood of Haag’s car? That’s the way to get things done. I’ve got big plans and a lot of crazy friends to follow them through. If you want to protest, I guess you’ve got to just not give a shit who watches.
Peter L. Scheck
Boyfriend to many
