University of Alabama Officials: Drop the Charges! Apologize Now!
By now I expect that most of you know about the simulated raid in Tuscaloosa by members of Students for a Democratic Society and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Following is a quote from the Crimson White online:
'Dean of Students Tim Hebson, called the protest "disruptive," "alarming" and "mimicking a true emergency."'
What an absolute joke he is. Dean Hebson, I have this to say to you and your kind, the fact that you are not treating the war in Iraq as "disruptive," "alarming" and "[a true emergency.]" makes you complicit in the genocide of ~2,000,000 Iraqis.
In a message sent to University of Alabama students, Dean of Students Tim Hebson said the protesters "exhibited extremely irresponsible behavior."
Besides facing criminal charges, Hebson said the students participating in the protest have also been referred to UA's judicial affairs office.
"The University of Alabama strongly supports the right to free speech and welcomes expressions of opinion," Hebson said. "However, we cannot condone and will not tolerate behavior that mimics a true emergency on our campus."
Dean Hebson and other University of Alabama officials should know that there is an emergency on their campus every time military recruiters arrive seeking fresh recruits to throw into a war of greed that serves the interests of the few and has brought death to so many. There is, at this time, a global emergency which is centered in Iraq. How can the administration of the University of Alabama speak of irresponsible behavior when they impede attempts to stop the war in Iraq? What could they possibly be thinking when they employ coercion against those who seek to show the students they are responsible for the potential consequences of enlistment in the military? They do not have a leg to stand on. Only a public apology and complete amnesty for the protest participants will redeem them now.
University of Alabama officials are advocating criminal charges as well as University sanctions against the protesters. They must stop this at once. People will remember what they do now for some time to come. They should think clearly. How much Iraqi blood on their hands is acceptable?
---Sign the petition to drop the charges against the protesters: http://www.petitiononline.com/tusc2612/petition.html
-- Michael Graham