RESOLUTION AGAINST THE WAR

["Alewitz, Mike (Dept. of Art)" <ALEWITZM@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Department of Art
Central Connecticut State University

Adopted 2.7.3


RESOLUTION AGAINST THE WAR


As artists, art historians and educators, we encourage our students to use 
their talents to further human progress and understanding.  We urge them to be 
critical thinkers and express the greatest aspirations of humanity.  

We therefore cannot remain silent as the Bush administration prepares to launch 
a war, in our name, that will have disastrous consequences for the people of 
Iraq, the US and the rest of the world.  

Most countries, including key U.S. allies and Iraq's surrounding neighbors, do 
not support an invasion.  The Iraqi threat is questionable. The Bush 
Administration has presented little compelling evidence of Iraqi motion towards 
making nuclear weapons or using chemical weapons.  In fact, it is the US 
government that has begun to openly speak of using it's own nuclear arsenal.

Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians have already died as a result 
of the US embargo.  Most who perish from bombing campaigns will probably be 
civilians.  The wealthy rulers of Iraq will suffer the least.  Nor will it be 
the sons and daughters of the wealthy in this country who will be sent to die 
in a foreign land.  Historically, that undertaking has always been reserved for 
the poor.

A war will enrich arms makers at the expense of working people. The hundreds of 
billions of dollars wasted on war abroad is money spent at the expense of 
much-needed educational and social services at home. The massive shift of our 
resources to the war machine will result in cutbacks in education, larger 
classes, fewer teachers and higher tuition for already overburdened students. 

Aside from the enormous human costs, it must be noted that every bomb that is 
dropped on this ancient land will likely destroy priceless archeological 
treasures that can never be replaced.

We oppose a U.S. invasion of Iraq.  We support our students in their struggle 
to stop the war and any possible draft.  We support our sons and daughters and 
our brothers and sisters who are in military service, and we want them to know 
that while we oppose war, we do not oppose them.

We urge our colleagues to bring discussions of the war into the classroom.  We 
call on our unions and academic bodies to join with the growing international 
movement of the religious, labor and artistic communities to demand peace.  We 
encourage everyone to join in mass legal, peaceful protests against the war.

Artists and educators have a special responsibility to envision a better world. 
We intend to use our talents to help replace the madness of war with the great 
creative act of peace and human solidarity.




_____________________________________

MIKE ALEWITZ

Art Department
Central Connecticut State University
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT  06050

860.832.2359



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