Many of you may have noticed the anti-war protest, called the Die In, that took place on campus yesterday. You may have also noticed the College Republicans protesting the protesters.

Both groups deserved to be there and both groups have a right to have their voices heard. Some of the College Republicans, though, acted inappropriately.

Members of the group accused protesters of being terrorists and anti-American. They said the people laying down were representing the terrorists who died on Sept. 11.

That is not fair. Being opposed to war obviously doesn’t make one a terrorist, and not agreeing with our government does not make one anti-American.

While there may be valid reasons to support a war against Iraq, they were overshadowed by the “Pacifists suck” signs. The College Republicans ruined their credibility by resorting to insulting the pacifists. No one is going to listen to what you have to say when all you do is attack the other side.

The leaders of this world cannot even agree on whether or not we should attack Iraq, so what makes you so absolutely sure you are right?

Some of the protesters didn’t act appropriately either. There were flyers passed around that said “F*** War.” There are more mature ways to get your point across.

Some people accused the protesters of not knowing the facts, and that they were just protesting for attention. They were called hippie wannabes. Hopefully, that is not the case. People are entitled to their stands on the issue, but they should know what’s going on first.

There are arguments to support going to war, and there are arguments against it. People need to educate themselves and take a stand one way or the other. This is a very important issue that is going to affect us all.

There are many students on campus who still don’t know what is going on or just don’t care. That is unacceptable.

The protesters and College Republicans both need to be commended for caring enough about the issue to go out and say something about it.

Maybe next time, if they cut the insults, their points could be heard, and they could persuade more people. But when they put down the other side and refuse to respect their views, they are just making themselves look bad. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and to their views. Respecting freedom of speech is truly patriotic.