Editor,
I am a liberal.
I support many liberal ideas and concepts, though it is becoming increasingly difficult to be taken seriously because of ignorant displays such as some of the events that took place at the recent anti-war protest.
Although there were many people and speakers that were well informed, there were also many students, or possibly non-students, that were sitting in little groups smoking pot.
Whether to show their defiance to the "system" or just in plain stupidity is beside the point. The best way to have people ignore your cause is to gather en masse and couple your anti-war effort with public displays of your view on the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana use is not yet publicly accepted, so until then, help us all out by leaving it at home.
I would also like to address another event that took place, the hypocrisy of which is enough to nullify the efforts of the anti-war movement. Some UNM ROTC students in uniform were chased by an angry mob and forced to seek refuge in a nearby campus building. Now, whether ill words between the two groups were exchanged or not, does not excuse the actions of those students who participated in the event. Good job guys, way to give a peace movement validity, resort to the same violent mentality you are supposedly trying to prevent.
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You people are no better than Mr. Rumsfeld himself. Those were University ROTC students. They are not decision makers in Washington. They are soldiers doing their job. Don't spit on the soldiers. If you want to spit on someone, go spit on Heather Wilson or other representatives and policy makers.
If no one respects you, how are you ever going to be heard? Extreme rightists are bad, but so are extreme leftists. So, to all of those who decided to come to the protest red-eyed, ill informed on the issues and ready to lynch the ROTC members, do the rest of us liberals a favor, stay home.
Mario Montoya
UNM student
