A boisterous crowd of several hundred, mostly UW-Madison students, attended an anti-war teach-in entitled \Military Budgets & Tuition Hikes: A Prelude to March 5,"" Thursday at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St.
The teach-in, sponsored by several campus and community political groups, featured speeches by three guest speakers and four students, a performance by reggae legend Devon Evans and an exhibit of portraits of Iraqi children by photo journalist Takasi Morizumi. Throughout the program, speakers implored students to strike March 5, an international day of protest, by skipping class to attend an anti-war rally at 11 a.m. on Bascom Hill.
Each speaker focused on a particular aspect of the impending war.
Danielle LeClair, a former congressional aide and a current UW-Madison graduate student, discussed her experiences visiting Iraq on a mission to examine the effects of international trade sanctions on the nation's people.
""What we saw there was really gruesome and really sad,"" she said. ""I certainly don't want to see it happen again.""
Mike Miles, of the humanitarian group Voices in the Wilderness, spoke about the emotional bonds that he and his colleagues have forged with the Iraqi people.
""What the people who are going to Iraq right now are risking is their hearts,"" he said.
Ben Manski, a member of the Green Progressive Alliance, reviewed statistics on U.S. government defense and education spending. He suggested the massive defense budget diverts funds directly from education.
""Today the U.S. ranks not only number one in per person defense expenditures,"" he said. ""It ranks number 14 out of 16 first-world countries in per pupil educational expenditures.""
Mimi Khalili, a UW-Madison student of the Muslim Students Association, who grew up in Tehran, Iran, discussed the conflict in Iraq from a middle eastern perspective. She stressed that people should not blame President Bush entirely for U.S. military involvement in the region.
""We must remember that it's not a Republican or Democrat thing, it's a U.S. foreign policy thing,"" she said.
Kareemah Berkani, a UW-Madison sophomore representing al Awda Wisconsin, appealed for direct action against the war.
""It is imperative that as politically conscious people we continue not only to be aware of this situation, but also to try to do something about it,"" she said.
Pabitra Benjamin, a UW-Madison junior of the Multicultural Student Coalition, spoke last, energizing the crowd with her impassioned words. She underscored the importance of sending a powerful message through the March 5 strike.
""The best way of demonstrating our unity against the war is to be at the strike,"" she said.
