News Editors:
Jan Montry, Brook Reinhard
Monday, March 17,2003
Oregon Daily Emerald —
News
Marching for peace
Eugene residents
‘celebrate life’ in
spirited protest
Aaron Shakra
Pulse Reporter
Thousands gathered in Eugene on Saturday
for the “Celebration of Life Against War” rally
to protest potential military action against
Iraq, making one thing clear for the local
peace movement: its numbers are growing.
A crowd gathered at the Erb Memorial
Union shortly before 12 p.m., when the
march was scheduled to begin. A group of
percussionists led protesters down the
streets as they spiraled through campus
and marched down East 11th Avenue.
“We had over five or six blocks of solid
people,” said Alexander Gonzalez, an
organizer with Students for Peace, one of
the groups responsible for the event.
Protesters were boisterous in their
expressions of dissent regarding a potential
war against Iraq, chanting slogans such as
“Hey hey, ho ho, George Bush has got to
go.” Oil, money and power seemed to be
the predominant themes of concern, based
on signs such as “Pure injections of oil” and
“What would Jesus bomb?”
In spite of the anti-war theme, dis
parate opinions abounded. Speakers at
the Federal Building also addressed the
USA PATRIOT Act and U.S. military inter
vention in Vietnam.
Midway through the rally, a count of
5,000 was announced onstage. Sarah
Turn to Eugene, page 20A
Portland peace
rally draws an
estimated 45,000
Aimee Rudin
City/State Politics Reporter
They came in groups of twos and threes.
They came with their children, their parents
and their brothers and sisters. They came
with strangers to make a statement about
peace and the dangers of war.
On Saturday, organizers estimated that
45,000 people met at Waterfront Park in Port
land and marched shoul
der to shoulder through
downtown, chanting,
praying and singing for
peace. The rally, organ
ized by the March 15 th
Alliance for Peace and
Justice, which is a part of
Peace and Justice Works, was one among nu
merous peace demonstrations occurring
throughout the world on Saturday.
The theme for Portland’s mobilization was
“Stop the war in Iraq and at Home: Rally for
Peace in the Middle East.”
U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., was the
INSIDE
Portland rally
Above: A variety
of people
marched from the
EMU to the
Federal Building in
Eugene this
weekend.
Adam Amato
Emerald
Left: Giant papier
mache puppets of
George W. Bush,
Dick Cheney and
Donald Rumsfeld
were centerpieces
in the peace
march in Portland
on Saturday.
Erik Bishoff
Emerald
keynote speaker at the rally. He spoke to the
crowd just before the march began.
“I say to you, all of you, everyone here to
day — by being here today you will send a
strong message to Washington and to the
world,” he said. “The people around the world
will not be inspired by our missiles, our
bombs or our guns. They will be inspired by
our ideas. We must continue to stand up and
give peace a chance.”
Lewis was one of the planners and a
keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Wash
ington. Last October, he voted to oppose the
House resolution authorizing military force
against Iraq.
“For those who argue that war is a neces
sary evil, I say you are half right,” Lewis said.
Turn to Portland, page 20A
Military
offers
perks,
service
Many University students double
as ROTC cadets or serve
in the Army National Guard
Jennifer Bear
Campus/Federal Politics Reporter
Even as the possibility of a war
between the United States and Iraq
creeps closer, a number of service
minded University students relish
their chance to serve in the U.S.
Armed Forces.
Senior history
major Ann Aliese
Stokoe is in her
second year of
Reserve Officer
Training Corps and
said she loves the
path she’s chosen
for her life. Stokoe added the Army
has held a special fascination for her
because it’s in her blood — she has
three brothers on active duty and a
father who’s retired from the Army.
Stokoe’s family discouraged her
from becoming an officer and told her
it could be a life-threatening task, but
she would not be swayed.
“They realized the danger I am
accepting by trying to be in the
Army,” she said. “And if there’s a
choice about what Stokoe to send, I
want to go in my brothers’ places.”
INSIDE
Students and
faculty speak
out on war
PACES 4A&5A
ror students who are interested in
joining the Army but want to be issu
ing commands rather than receiving
them, ROTG may be the solution. Lt.
Col. John F. Sneed, a University mil
itary science professor, said Army
ROTG is designed to prepare college
students to be leaders of soldiers. He
added there are 80 cadets enrolled in
the program this year at the
University, about 20 of whom are
female.
Stokoe said she did not want to
enlist in the Army as a regular soldier,
which is why she joined ROTG. She
added officers get a few more perks
than enlisted troops, such as a higher
pay scale and the right to complete
their education before they become a
commissioned officer. While the main
focus of students enrolled in ROTG is
to earn a degree and learn basic offi
cer and leadership skills, Stokoe said
they weren’t the driving forces
behind her decision to become an
officer.
“I got involved in the Army because
I want to serve my country,” Stokoe
Turn to Recruitment, page5A
ASUO elections
Candidates drop out
The ASUO political field has be
come a little less crowded — again.
Citing a previously unread rule in the
Green Tape Notebook, election offi
cials have determined that a student
can only run for one political position.
The news surprised student Adam
Tureott, who was running for four po
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ate Seat 15, social science, as well as a
midterm seat an the Associated Stu
dents Presidential Advisory Council,
an at-large EMU Board seat and a spot
on the Building Fee Committee.
Turcott said he’ll still run for the
senate seat but has withdrawn from
the other races. He is planning a
write-in campaign for the Building
Fee Committee, however.
“I feel I have a lot to give to the stu
dents,” he said. Tm interested in the
Read more online
A revised list of ASUO candidates
is linked to this story at
www.dailyemerald.com
buildings and the restoration of them. ”
Other hopefuls also were forced
to withdraw, including Jesse Hard
ing, Jonah Lee and Greg McNeill,
who were each running in two races.
Harding remains in the race for
EMU Board Finance Senator Seat 8
and like Turcott, dropped out of the
ASPAC contest for the midterm seat,
leaving Jonathan R. Kloor as the un
contented candidate for the position.
Lee withdrew from his run at the
Student Recreation Center Advisory
Board to concentrate on his candida
cy for Seat 16, science, which leaves
Courtney Warner as the only candi
date eligible for one of three two-year
terms on the rec center board.
McNeill will remain an Executive
candidate along with running mate
Jarrett White, but has withdrawn from
the Programs Finance Committee At
Large one-vear term, leaving opponent
Joseph Snyder unchallenged
In other campaign news, Kevin G.
Berhanu has dropped out of EMU
Board Finance Senator Seat 9, leaving
three contenders for the position. Also,
Nathan Hunt told the Emerald he is
dropping out of Athletic Department
Finance Committee Senator Seat 7,
leaving two candidates for the position.
— Brook Reiiihard