As the nation marked the beginning of its leader's second term Thursday, some Saint Mary's faculty members, staff and students used the day as an opportunity to bring political issues to light.
The Saint Mary's Peace Not War group gathered Thursday afternoon at Dalloway's Clubhouse on campus for an Anti-Bush Inauguration demonstration. The event took place at the exact time Bush was being inaugurated.
"The Peace Not War group was formed just before Christmas by SMC faculty members who were concerned about the ongoing war in Iraq," Sister Elena Maltis said. The group currently has 74 faculty, staff and student members.
"We are a single-issue group with many different values and beliefs feeding into it. We agree that we are against the war and that the troops should be sent home," said Professor Zae Munn, a Peace Not War member.
The demonstration lasted just over an hour as faculty members shared their thoughts, poems, stories and experiences with the group.
"I believe that instead of being inaugurated, Bush should go before the tribunals for the slaughter of thousands and thousands of innocent victims," philosophy professor Ann Clark said in her speech.
Psychology professor Joseph Miller talked about and blamed "highly informative" media such as Fox and Clear Channel, for falsifying and putting spins on stories.
Munn shared her experience of protesting on street corners with her 'Honk for Peace' sign around her neck. "Lots of people do honk, and it's a wonderful thing," she said.
Each individual present at the demonstration wore a white ribbon to symbolize those who have died in the war. They then performed the Din of the Dead, which consisted of everyone simultaneously reading sheets of names of those who have died. There were over 6,000 Iraqi and American names.
"It's hard to be anti-Bush and mobilize on this campus because we are the minority," said Lyndsey Bergen, Saint Mary's College Democrats acting president. "I think it was really great to have this, especially with all the faculty members."
