Three anti-war activities planned for Valentine's Day

An anti-war teach-in, followed by a rally and a concert, will be held on Friday, February 14. The teach-in, sponsored by Students for Global Responsibility (SGR) and other Blair groups, will be held after school. The concert, sponsored by the Students for Peace and Justice (SPJ) , a county-wide student organization, hopes to attract students from across the county.

According to Junior Ben Austin, the teach-in will feature only anti-war opinions. It will start at 2:10 p.m. and end at approximately 4:00 p.m., to be followed by the rally. "Immediately after that at four, kids from all over the county will be rallying against war at Four Corners," said Austin. "Everyone is encouraged to come." SPJ, one of the groups sponsoring the rally, is "sort of like a countywide SGR" explains Austin.

The rally is to promote the students' views to all the drivers passing through the intersection. "The hope is to have protesters on all four street corners with signs so that all the cars in the rush hour can see from every direction," said senior Spencer Lee.

The night's events will end with a concert being held by the SPJ. A suggested donation of $4 is welcomed at the door. The concert will not only offer music, with several Blair bands performing, but the opportunity to learn more about the SPJ will also be available. "Tables will be set up with literature, and you can join them if you're interested. It's a good way to get involved," said Austin.

Senior Sam Goldman, a member of the band Third Fret, will be performing in the concert as a way to show his support of the anti-war cause. "As a person, I'm against the upcoming war for many reasons. Being in a band, there's more that I can do than just go to protests," said Goldman.

Lee is supporting Friday's activities for many of these same reasons. "Besides the fact that in general war is an awful violent thing that should be a last resort, in this administration, rather than exhausting all diplomatic options, they're just rushing to violence," said Lee. He is also concerned that the people who will actually fight this war will gain nothing from it. "This war is going to send members of the lower class even though it is being waged by the upper class and will benefit the upper class," said Lee.