Heartening to see students care

‘Our goal is to engage students in debate about the war. We want

people to know that students care about this issue and we’re willing

to show it.”

So said Laguna Beach High senior Evelyn Wiese during a student

walk out March 25 to protest the war and support troops in Iraq.

Nice sentiment and we agree. But even if no one else knows the

students care, there is still plenty of good taking place. One of the

positive aspects of the student protest was achieved as soon as the

kids started thinking about it.

While we don’t condone walking out of school -- the message could

lose some of its impact if it can be viewed simply as an act of

defiance -- we are heartened by the students’ desire to take action.

We have enough of those who refuse to think -- people who don’t

give a thought to anything, from the environment, to the most

effective way to raise their kids.

But standing up, or walking out for a protest, doesn’t necessarily

mean participants are thinking for themselves.

Hopefully, and there’s no reason to think any different, these

students speaking out weren’t just following the crowd. We want to

believe they came up with their own ideas, not just from their

parents, nor, heaven forbid, just from what they’ve seen on TV. Those

are good places to start, especially discussing issues with parents,

but there’s also plenty to be gained from researching the history of

the region, U.S. policy, specific leaders in the cabinet and other

examples of occupations.

It’s easy to ignore an issue, or even reiterate the beliefs of

friends and family, what takes effort, education and time is learning

the facts and coming up with ideas of your own.

Let’s hope that one positive outcome of this war is a young

generation thrust into self education.