Think back seven years ago. In March 2003, the Bush administration
sold the war in Iraq.All throughout the halls of Congress and in Washington, DC, policy makers gave the American people guarantees, certainties, and promises.
Looking back, it’s amazing how far off course our foreign policy has drifted. The outright ignorance, exaggerations, and lies given by the Bush administration to justify war was nothing short of disgraceful. Now, Obama has doubled-down on the same failed policies, vowing to police the world and reshape the Middle East.
A sensible foreign policy must return to America. Our national debt has increased by trillions; our civil liberties are under assault; and most importantly, more than 6,400 Americans have lost their lives in foreign lands and another 40,000 have been wounded.
If you believe ObamaCare is scary, please look at our foreign policy since September 11, 2001. Our government is out of control.
Needless to say, our freedoms and our future depend on an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We can no longer afford it.
YAL members and chapters recognize these ongoing dangers, and
more than 20 YAL chapters took to their campuses to “Petition to End the War” last month.Students passed out educational materials, raised awareness on campus, and collected petitions to send to their representatives.
Young people are waking up and realizing there was no change from Bush to Obama. For the first time, many liberal students are starting to understand a pro-free market, pro-small government message is the only path to peace.
Petition to End the War Contest
Throughout March, YAL chapters competed among themselves to collect petition signatures and raise awareness on campus. Chapters were encouraged to record videos, take pictures, and write a report summerizing their event. Pictured above are the university logos of all participating chapters.
Today, we are announcing the contest winners!
Their activism blew us away! I believe you will be impressed with their efforts.
First Place: YAL @ University of California-San Diego
On March 31st, YAL at the University of California-San Diego held their “End the War” petition drive. Their chapter honored our fallen troops with a war memorial, and students flocked to their display. Pages of petitions were signed to put an end to the wars.Their list of signatures, all-day commitment, and high-quality video earned them FIRST prize! They earned a signed poster by Congressman Ron Paul, Judge Napolitano, and Tom Woods along with 3 YAL t-shirts.
Please take a moment to watch their winning submission:
Second Place: YAL @ University of Central Florida
On March 31, young liberty activists from the University of Central Florida came together to raise awareness about our never changing Foreign Policy and the need to return to non-Interventionism. A memorial was erected to honor all of the American casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a strong case was made to shift U.S. foreign policy.For second prize, they will receive pro-peace t-shirts, a picture signed by Ron Paul, and assorted bumper stickers.
Here is their very powerful video:
Third Place (tie): YAL @ St. Cloud State and Wake Forest University
After the school administration tried to shut them down, the YAL chapter at St. Cloud State University fought for their right to free speech and hosted one of the most successful events. Their chapter managed to collect more than 250 signatures in support of H.R. 248 – to present to our Representative, Michele Bachmann – and increased their membership by 50% in a single day!
On March 20,
YAL @ Wake Forest University honored the troops we have lost these past seven years. Their activism gave students an opportunity to witness the impact of war on our generation — 6,420 American troops, many our age, have lost their lives in the Middle East wars.Watch as they informed and recruited young students to our message of peace:
For third prize, each chapter will receive a signed Ron Paul photo and assorted bumper stickers.
Summary of all YAL chapters
Here are the highlights and reports from other participating chapters in this month’s national activism event. These YAL chapters are, by far, the most active groups on their campuses and should be commended for their efforts and dedication. All of their events were impressive. Here are some notable mentions:
Pictures from campuses across the country:
Thank you to every YAL chapter that participated this month and the generous donors that made their events possible.Many of these chapters received Activism Grants to purchase their supplies and materials for campus projects. Your support provided this vital funding — thank you. Please continue to strengthen these chapters with a
$250, $100, or $50 donation.
It is your contribution that directly assists YAL chapters and builds this growing youth movement.
Our commitment to freedom, peace, and prosperity never yields.
For liberty,
Jeff Frazee
Executive Director, YAL
P.S. — Here are a few quotes to remember from Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and George Bush that lead us into the war.
“[The War in Iraq] could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.” – Donald Rumsfeld, in Feb. 2003.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these are not assertions. These are facts, corroborated by many sources, some of them sources of the intelligence services of other countries.” – Colin Powell, testifying about Iraq’s chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons capabilities before the United Nations Security Council, Feb. 5, 2003.
“It’s a slam-dunk case!” – CIA Director George Tenet, discussing WMD and the case for war during a meeting in the Oval Office, Dec. 21, 2002
“Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production.” – President Bush, 2003 State of the Union Address.
“I think they’re in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.” — Dick Cheney, on the Iraq insurgency, June 20, 2005.
Seven years have passed and look how little has changed. Please support YAL with a $250, $100, or $50 donation to ensure REAL change for future generations.
Joan d’Arc is HunterGatheress. She is the co-publisher of PARANOIA The Conspiracy Reader, founded in 1992 in Providence, Rhode Island (www.paranoiamagazine.com). She is the founder of the now splintered group, The Providence Conspiracy League, the defunct Providence book store, Newspeak, and the past publisher of Newspeak magazine. She is the author of Space Travelers and the Genesis of the Human Form, and Phenomenal World, both published by The Book Tree (www.thebooktree.com). She is the editor of the 1996 book Paranoid Women Collect Their Thoughts and the Chief Resident of the Paranoid Women Institute. She is also the co-editor of The Conspiracy Reader and The New Conspiracy Reader (Kensington Press), which has been translated to Japanese and Romanian. She has been published in several compilations including Wake Up Down There, The Universal Seduction, and the French Fortean journal, La Gazette Forteenne. She has written for Namaste Magazine – published in Charles Darwin’s birth home of Shrewsbury, England – in a major coup against Darwinian Fundamentalism. And she has written for Hellraiser Homemaker – the Gonzo Domestic Survival Guide written for bad girls by bad girls – in a major coup against good taste. And she’s an authentic unmitigated conspiracy geek.
