[Peace-discuss] DIE-IN video

[Shara Esbenshade]

Hi!

Thanks to everyone for helping with the Die-In Saturday! I think it was a
huge success. Video of the Die In has been uploaded to youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_a_c8S_No4 and to the Independent Media
Center's website: http://www.ucimc.org/node/1326/play

I sent the following letter to the editor to the News Gazette. Hopefully
they will publish it!

I hope we can do more of these Die-Ins next fall. Thanks again, we could
not have done this without all the help AWARE members gave us.

Shara

Letter to the editor:

Last Saturday, May the 26th, a group of concerned high school students
took dramatic action to address American complacency and political
inaction with regards to the war in Iraq. In a visual form of protest
meant to bring home the reality of the death and destruction 15 youth fell
to the ground in unison at the intersection of Green St. and Wright St. in
front of the Alma Mater. They repeated this “die-in” every time the cars
stopped for the red light from 12 to 1.30 pm. Several passersby stopped
and joined them. The frustration Americans are feeling nationally with the
recent passage of the war funding bill was apparent on Saturday both among
the devoted student protesters and among those who cheered them on. You
can view video of the Die-In on the Independent Media Center’s website at
http://www.ucimc.org/node/1326/play.
	With this protest the students demanded that our congressional
representative Timothy Johnson and senators Barack Obama and Richard
Durbin vote anti-war. Letters were sent to Johnson, Obama, & Durbin and
they were invited to attend. This war has killed too many, and it is past
time our politicians do their part in ending it, not as “anti-war
politicians,” not as Democrats, nor as Republicans, but as responsible
citizens of this world who should, out of compassion for others, work for
peace.
	This action was a powerful display of a fact that mainstream media has
been shamelessly overlooking: that the youth have not yet succumbed to
apathy.