Author discourages war in Iraq

The editor of the San Francisco newspaper War Times rallied Bloomington peace activists on Wednesday with a speech titled "Why War?"\nMax Elbaum, author of the book "Revolution in the Air," said a preemptive strike against Iraq threatens peace and justice for the entire world.\nThe speech was attended by the Bloomington Peace Action Network, the Progressive Faculty council, No Sweat and members of the Green Party.\nElbaum urged the Bloomington crowd to speak up against war.\n"There is a new generation coming to the fore," he said. "You are the people that will have to forge a new path."\nHe warned that the Iraqi engagement would be "extremely difficult and incredibly bloody." \n"Many, many lives will be lost in the street fighting in Baghdad," he said. "And some have even mentioned that Iraqis might be killed, too."\nSenior Megan Hise, a member of No Sweat, is opposed to a preemptive strike on Iraq because she said it would be disastrous for the common Iraqi civilian. \n"The Gulf War is a precedent on how a campaign like this will affect the people of Iraq," she said. "Our definition of a military target is pretty shady."\nSophomore Tom Pellman sat in the back row at Wednesday's speech. He said he thinks the U.S. must consult its allies first. The situation is growing urgent. \n"We should consider all our possibilities before a rash decision is made about an attack," Pellman said.