I remember vividly how important it was
during the Vietnam War that students all over the country spoke up
boldly calling for the United States to withdraw from Vietnam, even
when neither the media nor the Congress had come to that position. But
what the students did was to put withdrawal on the agenda, compel the
rest of the country to consider it, and as the truth about the war
became more and more clear others joined, the movement spread, and
policy changed.
Today, there is a similar crisis, and the
removal of the Bush administration from power, putting impeachment on
the agenda, putting withdrawal on the agenda, is a matter of saving
lives, American and Iraqi lives. In this developing situation, students
can play a critical role, as they have at other times in history. My
hope is that students will join the actions taking place around the
State of the Union, to demonstrate that the state of the union is
perilous with this administration in charge, and the Bush cabal which
has taken power must be compelled to step down. As the Declaration of
Independence said so forcefully, when governments no longer fulfill
their requirement to safeguard life, liberty, the pursuit of
happinessd, they have lost their legitimacy and must be removed from
power.