9 Comments Add your own

• 1. mirage1  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 5:43 pm

  completely meaningless. going further, this could mean that over half of the students there SUPPORT the Bush plan, and just didnt participate in your waste of time, lame, and completely non scientific poll.

  maybe those other students at Grinnell are in colege actually attempting to further their education and firmly deciding not participating in worthless, meaningless, and non productive attack resolutions on a war on terror.

  i strongly suggest you approach our politicians with solutions, and a willingness to work together in the future.

• 2. Alec  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm

  Throwing 21,500 more American troops into a cauldron — with no timetable for withdrawal, no clear definition of “victory,” and no benchmarks by which to measure success or failure — is not a productive solution.

• 3. Chase Martyn  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 5:55 pm

  Mirage1,

  First, of the words you could have misspelled in that last post, “college” was perhaps the worst.

  But more generally, the resolution passed by the guidelines set forth by the student government elections board, making it an official reflection of the student body. If you argued that everyone who didn’t vote in 2004 disliked Bush, you could similarly prove that the majority of the country did not want him to be reelected.

  If you know anything about Grinnell College, you know that the vast majority of students are left-leaning and apathetic. A general poll of the student body would probably find that far more students oppose Bush’s surge than the election results might indicate. (Probably the majority of the “no” votes came from folks who thought the initiative was meaningless, not from folks who actually disagree with the surge.)

  Regardless of whether or not you think it will matter, though, it is a clear statement of our opinion that we can easily show to our representatives. Whether or not our representatives will care, I don’t know (although I like to think someone in their offices will at least think about us for a minute when they hear the news). But we have done something to send a message, and that can’t do any harm.

• 4. mirage1  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 6:26 pm

  again i ask chase and alex, what is your school doing about real solutions, and not just “sending a message” as you put it?

  what are YOUR solutions to the war on terror? to radical islam? to an aggressive north korea and iran? where are the resolutions there? we see nothing on this from either the students at Grinnell OR the democratic candidates.

  my point is you are beating a dead horse with these meaningless resolutions that berate, instead of lift and provide solutions. feel good resolutions beating up the other side of the apathetic left do little in either effect, or reputation.

• 5. Alec  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 6:52 pm

  How about a timetable for the withdrawal of most or all combat forces so we can send a signal to Iraqi leadership that a political solution must be found, now, to the sectarian conflict. How about clearly defining what our goal is in Iraq—a country than can defend itself? A liberal democracy? How about creating a set of goals so that we can evaluate and track the progress of the war in order to find out if, say, six months from now, we are anywhere closer to an acceptable solution. How about listening to the Baker-Hamilton commission and seriously pursuing diplomatic solutions to the region’s woes?

  Some or all of those solutions could be more effective than the Bush strategy—a much lauded bipartisan panel seems to think at least a few of them are.

  Maybe Grinnell will get to North Korea next week. For now, a few of us have some homework.

• 6. mirage1  |  February 22nd, 2007 at 7:25 pm

  please dont be naive.

  a timetable as you know only gives a date certain to our enemies…and that is why no one seriously takes that as an option.

  and democracy has never been an option in iraq. nor has that reallly been the option pursued so far. ..representative government..maybe..that HAS been the option pursued..

  why not an option used in the far north..that is working well? one only needs to look at the kurds and see how self governance has worked….

  diplomatic solutiions?….laughable. to talk again to those that don’t listen and have their goals set in some cases to eradicate israel (iran) or disrupt and take down elected governments (lebanon). even mrs. clinton had enough of “diplomatic solutions” and voted to take significant measures and authorize going to war.

  your own process here in the original post (in your own words)is “our student campaign against Bush’s plan”. that is frankly immature…and bush league, as is the resolution.

  as i have stated, if you wish to be taken seriously, spend your time more wisely with productive ideas that futher progress. be a part of the solution and quit fanning the flames of divisiveness.

• 7. CR  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 12:31 am

  I recommend reading this column by Lt. Gen. William Odom (ret.).

  (You may need to register.)

• 8. Nate  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 3:05 am

  CR,

  Excellent article. Other activities are also ongoing at other Iowa higher ed. institutions:
  -Here at Simpson College, we recently collected 500 signatures (1/3 of campus) declaring direct opposition to the escalation.
  -The University of Iowa student government narrowly defeated the resolution (in what I’m heard to have been a controversial vote procedure by the Republicans in the body) and has restarted efforts on generating petition signatures.
  -Other Iowa college senates, county central committees, city councils and county boards are also involved in demonstrating support for a resolution opposing the Iraq War escalation.

  Mirage1’s suggestion, therefore, seems to be that our County Boards of Supervisors and Iowa’s city councils “do little in either effect, or reputation” when considering resolutions pertaining to the sons and daughters that reside in their constituencies and fight for our country. Well, I disagree.

• 9. CR  |  February 23rd, 2007 at 8:37 am

  Story County residents birddogged Grassley about Iraq and Iran at a recent town hall meeting.

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