Anti-War Lecture

Last night, I attended the 7:30 anti-war lecture at Hendricks Chapel. Since I did not attend the march that preceded it, I had no idea what these organizations were about. I have been to a few different protests and anti-war rallies before, however, so I didn't think anything would be too surprising. Upon entering, however, I was greeted by a caricature of Uncle Sam holding up anti-war signs, a blind congressman holding bags of money, and an injured veteran sitting in a wheelchair in uniform.
As I entered the chapel and sat down, the crowd, was entertained by two women playing acoustic guitars performing anti-war music. This gave me a completely different impression of what was to come than what actually did. I was worried what I had gotten myself into, thinking that this would be followed by hippie upon hippie boring me with cliches like "make love, not war." However, when Dahlia Wasfi, Jim Massey, and Scott Ritter began their speeches, I was very much relieved to discover that this would not be the case.
Dahlia Wasfi, who lived in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's rule, and Jim Massey, a weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, talked mostly about the Petreaus report. They pointed out that Iraq was better off before our occupation, and the fact that the report does not mention US occupation.
What really interested me, however, was Scott Ritter's speech. Scott Ritter, a pro-soldier, anti-war activist, as well as a veteran, was involved in the shooting of innocent Iraqi's. At the time, the order was to shoot first and ask questions later. The fact that even troops in Iraq are against the war really says something. Being a veteran, and speaking out against the war, Scott has been able to sway the thoughts of many people on the issue.
During his speech, Mr. Ritter discussed his plan for what Americans should do to help fix the situation. Although the following six points are easier said than done, the plan that he discusses sounds like the only solution for remedying the quagmire America has gotten itself into. The six point plan consists of: 1. withdrawing the troops, 2. turning over responsibility to Iraq, 3. paying for the damage we have caused, 4. recognizing the war court, and turning over all who are responsible for starting the war, 5. giving back profits corporations have made, and 6. voting out of office every congressman who supported the war. Despite some of this being pie in the sky thinking, it seemed to be the only way to effectively alleviate the situation.
The night concluded with some Q&A with the audience. Overall, I felt that the event was well done, and a good experience.