Ask Her to Oppose Funding
PSC Brings War Home to Clinton

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Several dozen City University of New York Professors delivered thousands of signatures to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's Manhattan office last week asking her to vote against funding for the war in Iraq.

HILLARY CLINTON: Gets lecture from Professors.

Chanting, "Not another nickel, not another dime, Senator Clinton, now's the time," the Professors picketed outside her office on the day of the Senate vote on the supplemental war-funding bill.

Economics and Morality

"We're public workers," said Nancy Romer, a Professor of psychology at Brooklyn College and a member of Professional Staff Congress's executive council. "What's possible in the public sphere depends on how the budget is used."

The protesters emphasized that they were also marching for moral and social justice reasons and that they hoped their visibility would sway the Senator.

"Her position has actually improved with public pressure," said Ms. Romer. "She only functions under public pressure."

Ms. Clinton was one of 14 Senators later that day to cast a vote against the spending bill.

A representative from the Senator's office came downstairs to receive the petitions. "We are requesting that Senator Clinton represent us as her constituents and the people of New York and de-fund the war," PSC President Barbara Bowen told him. "She cannot tell people she opposes the war and then vote for it."

'Thanks for Sharing'

Senator Clinton's Assistant State Director for Government and Community Relations, Cleon Edwards, responded to the PSC officers' comments: "We appreciate you bringing down the petitions, and all of this will be shared with the Senator," he said.

PSC officials noted that Queensborough Community College student Pfc. Brian Ritzberg Jr., killed in April, was the sixth CUNY student to die in Iraq.

When asked why other unions hadn't joined the protest, which was sponsored by the PSC and United States Labor Against War, some Professors said they thought outreach had not been vigorous enough, while others noted that, regardless of turnout, most major unions had taken a position against the war. Some mused that offending the person leading in the polls for the Democratic nomination for President might not be a top priority for labor leaders.

"The labor movement has a long tradition of speaking out and representing the interests of working people," said Ms. Bowen, "and this is a war that is negatively affecting working people."