Dear Friends and Fellow Students:

The great Martin Luther King, Jr. once affirmed the urgency of the deed under special circumstances in this manner, and we quote:

We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is the time for vigorous and positive action.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., and in the spirit of the powerful anti-Vietnam and Civil Rights struggles that shook the whole world during the '60s and '70s, an entire new generation has awakened to a new epoch, a world engulfed in fire and sword, from the world-transforming conflagrations deep in the hills of Colombia to the lofty mountains of the Himalayas and to the fertile lands of ancient Mesopotamia.

According to various estimates amongst established media sources, it has been estimated that some 100 thousand Iraqis have been exterminated by the non-defensive foreign policies of our current war-driven administration.

Our incumbent President has managed to garner but little more than 25 percent of the electorate, despite running one of the most deceitful and slanderous campaigns in modern history.  And with this so-called newly acquired political capital, which he arrogantly brandies, he has haughtily announced his intention of consolidating U.S. geopolitical hegemony; with sweet promises of "spreading freedom" in one hand and a bayonet in the other, President George W. Bush bellicosely threatens any nation which disagrees with him and his unilateral policies.

With U.S. troops overstretched and bogged down in Fallujah, Najaf, Bogota, Kabul, and elsewhere, a war with Iran or North Korea would be a disastrous conflict requiring millions of young people to be conscripted as cannon fodder.  As much as they would like to ignore or play down the pink elephant in the White House, sooner or later reality will assert itself amongst the bureaucrats in Washington D.C. and the dark specter of the military draft will raise its ugly head with every Bush utterance.

Our generation must stand together and denounce the psychological-social warfare campaign concocted deep within the dark lavatories of the Central Intelligence Agency and its counter-insurgency "experts" who continue to slander all the courageous peoples who are fighting for self-determination in their respective countries as "terrorists."  A few outrageous acts committed by a handful of renegades and thugs cannot serve to delegitimize the just national liberation aspirations of the brave Iraqi, Afghani, and Arab peoples, just to name a few.

We must, on the other hand, oppose the unfettered growth of the Executive, which has grown exponentially within the last 30 years.  We must denounce the Patriot Acts and any other legislation giving more and more power to the Executive Branch in the name of liberty and national security.

The time has come for us to stand up to the unjust policies this administration has been implementing here in the U.S. and abroad and extend our hands to those who have come under attack by our government.  On January 20th, the day of W. Bush's sinister inauguration, we call on all students, whether in middle school, high school, or college, to walk out as an act of defiance and in solidarity with the overwhelming people of the world who do not accept the legitimacy of this administration and its unjust policies.

Say no to the militarization of our youth!

Denounce the policies of "preemption" and occupation!

U.S. troops out of Iraq now!

Down with "Patriot" Act legislation!