Loose SCruz

10/10/02

www.gdtimes.com/pages/loose_scruz.htm

IF WE RULED THE WORLD:

Speaking of which, SCruz was wondering when UC Santa Cruz students were going to wake up and smell the napalm. All this talk of war, and not a peep from our liberal leaders of tomorrow up on the hill.
But at last, on Monday, UCSC students and faculty showed up in force to protest the war-to-be. A noon walk-out brought an estimated 800 to 1,000 protestors to the McHenry Library to hear anti-war speeches and music. Besides UCSC students and faculty, the usual suspects showed up to speak out against the imminent aggression. Among them were Santa Cruz Mayor Christopher Krohn, county Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt, activist Robert Norse, City Council candidates Mike Rotkin and Thomas Leavitt, and City Councilmember Mark Primack (yes, contrary to popular belief, he’s not a right-wing war hawk).
The message du jour was that the peace movement has only just begun. Now is the time to oppose war, speakers insisted, not after it has begun. Unfortunately, that beginning may not be so far away, as anyone that heard President Bush speak that same evening can attest to. But at least Santa Cruz is doing its part. First the City Council passes a resolution opposing military action in Iraq, and now the students are raging against the war machine.
All of this has SCruz dreaming: Wouldn’t it be great if we Santa Cruzans ruled the world? Not only would war, hate and nukes be forever eradicated from the planet, but meat, marijuana prohibition, conventional farming, corporate greed and synthetic fabrics would also disappear. Someday ... perhaps.