"World Can't Wait"

Even though George Bush is no longer in office, activists from the anti-war organization World Can't Wait say there is still much to be accomplished to achieve justice for humanity in regards to the Iraq War, ending torture and military recruitment on high school and college campuses.

Kevin Gosztola and Ashley Parada, students at Columbia College Chicago and members of World Can't Wait, spoke to a journalism class at Columbia on Monday. Both are dedicated to raising awareness about the war in Iraq, army recruitment centers and other issues.

World Can't Wait, founded in 2005, is eager to "bring reality to people" by protesting the war and presenting demonstrations of torture techniques used at Guantánamo Bay, Gosztola said.

He said President Barack Obama is going to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and that only 48 percent of Americans believe Obama will make progress there, according to a recent poll in Newsweek magazine.

"We have to act because we know what war means for these innocent women and children," said Gosztola.

The group believes that the war in Iraq is unconstitutional. Members "oppose war for empire," he said. The diverse group, ranging in age and gender, plans to create a society in which people can stand publicly against war.

“We are an independent political action group trying to create a climate to take action without voting or lobbying,” said Gosztola.

World Can't Wait also opposes the Military Commissions Act, which grants the government the legal right to interrogate Guantánamo Bay detainees.

The group believes that speaking out in public about these issues is key to getting people to understand and hear members’ opinions.

Many members of World Can’t Wait are war veterans and often speak of their discomfort with the war in Iraq. Parada and Gosztola showed a video of an army sergeant who refused to return to Iraq to fulfill another term of service.

Chiroux said he supports GI resistance, in which soldiers refuse to fight. A video featuring A demonstration of waterboarding, a torture technique used to interrogate prisoners, was also shown.

World Can’t Wait also believes army recruitment centers on campuses are giving young people the wrong impression. The organization feels as though the recruiters manipulate young people into joining the army, perhaps not telling the “whole truth,” said Parada.

“They are tricking young people to serve in illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Parada.

Not all service members agree with World Can’t Wait.


“If you're obligated to duty then you have to fulfill it,” said Patrick Walker, who serves IN the United States Navy. Walker was interviewed by phone last week.


“It is our strength, technology that keeps us free and keeps our enemies at bay,” said Andrew Michnowski, a 60-year-old Vietnam veteran who was also interviewed by phone.

Michnowski said that even though the organization’s freedom of speech stands, they are standing against something they do not have complete grasp on.

“I do not think what they're doing is right,” said Michnowski. “I also believe based on past experience that some of them are being manipulated by outside interest groups.”

World Can’t Wait went to the Democratic National Convention in August and continues to protest the war in Iraq. They will protest the Iraq war in major cities on March 21, the sixth anniversary of U.S. invasion of Iraq.