2008 Woodie Awards
After Four Years, Still Against The Iraq War
Greg Pivarnik
Issue date: 4/29/08 Section: Commentary
Though I have changed personally over the last four years, there are always some things that I relied on to be consistent. At the end of August every year, I could always count on coming back to UConn. My family has always been there and so have my friends. The UConn campus hasn't changed that much either - thanks to administrative difficulties. As far as changes go, I would like to think that I have matured, at least mentally if not behaviorally, and that I have grown more independent by my experiences at UConn. However, going against the grain in regards to a last column as an undergraduate (I'm not the sappy type), I would like to explore a consistency in my life that I and many other people regret - the Iraq War.
Now before you close the paper and mumble to yourself, "stupid hippie," let me try to implore how important it is that people sit down and just take a moment to think about the war's ramifications. No matter what side of the political spectrum you stand on, the Iraq War has affected you in some say. People have been personally affected, either by participating as a soldier or by knowing a soldier. Others have experienced increased gas prices, deficit spending, an economy in recession and even general disdain for U.S. foreign policy around the world. Yet there are a vast majority of people, specifically within my age range, that rarely reflect or read about the happenings in Iraq.
March 20, 2003 - that is when it began. It was a shock when I realized the Iraq War started this long ago. I wasn't even a senior in high school, let alone a UConn student. Five years is a long time, especially considering that many students, such as myself, have entered college after the war started and will leave before it ends. At the time, I was ending my junior year at Narragansett High School in Rhode Island as war resolutions and March 20 passed unbeknownst to my own little world. I along with many other people didn't question the integrity of the decision. Terrorism and Sept. 11 dominated the airwaves, and there seemed to be no legitimate reason to not believe that our leaders had our best interests at heart.
Now before you close the paper and mumble to yourself, "stupid hippie," let me try to implore how important it is that people sit down and just take a moment to think about the war's ramifications. No matter what side of the political spectrum you stand on, the Iraq War has affected you in some say. People have been personally affected, either by participating as a soldier or by knowing a soldier. Others have experienced increased gas prices, deficit spending, an economy in recession and even general disdain for U.S. foreign policy around the world. Yet there are a vast majority of people, specifically within my age range, that rarely reflect or read about the happenings in Iraq.
March 20, 2003 - that is when it began. It was a shock when I realized the Iraq War started this long ago. I wasn't even a senior in high school, let alone a UConn student. Five years is a long time, especially considering that many students, such as myself, have entered college after the war started and will leave before it ends. At the time, I was ending my junior year at Narragansett High School in Rhode Island as war resolutions and March 20 passed unbeknownst to my own little world. I along with many other people didn't question the integrity of the decision. Terrorism and Sept. 11 dominated the airwaves, and there seemed to be no legitimate reason to not believe that our leaders had our best interests at heart.
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