War vigil draws few protestors

The 14 protesters, who stood expressionless with hands folded for 90 minutes, were observed by three open expression monitors, two University police officers, and two troop-supporting Operation Homefront members. Since the start of the war, which saw almost 300 protesters take to the streets, participation in such anti-war events has dwindled precipitously. The group of activists attracted little, if any, attention from the hundreds of students who passed by on their way to class. The two University police officers watched the demonstration from a distance because of two incidents at protests over the weekend. On Saturday night, anti-war protesters entered Van Pelt Library and laid down in Rosengarten Reading Room in a "die-in" and were later the targets of an egg-throwing incident on Superblock. Although most of the protesters maintained their silence, graduate student Brian Teaman said, "We got together to show some presence of opposition to the war." College of General Studies student and Vietnam veteran Joseph Parsio added that "since the war began, there's been a vigil here every day to call people's attention to the war." The dozen protesters left quietly at 1:30 p.m. without incident. Open Expression Monitor Christopher Dennis said monitors are "called out anytime we are aware of a protest." There were no incidents during the protest, and while the troop supporters and anti-war students faced each other, they did not exchange words. The two troop supporting students carried signs calling for a "Free Kuwait" and American flags. "Those people whose hearts weep for baby seals, why don't they weep for Kuwaiti or Jewish babies?" College freshman Mark Liberman asked. In a second, and apparently unrelated event, anti-war protesters hung a blue flag with a peace symbol on the pole atop Houston Hall. Several University Life officials said yesterday they were unaware of the flag and said they would have the flag removed either last night or today.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.