In light of the protests, the vigil on Allen Street and the general controversy over our government's actions in Iraq, there are a few things to keep in mind. Our generation is one of high ideals. Too many people seem to be enveloping themselves in this idealism though, forgetting the harsh realities of life. It's hard to argue a case for war, and I'm not doing that. War is wrong.

That which has been in the making for years, ever-increasing, can't be reversed in a few months. A person driving a car in fourth gear can't just shift to reverse; he must downshift, brake, stop, and then shift into reverse. So it is with the war in Iraq. War is business, big business, encompassing a large portion of our economy, of our manpower. That is a reality. The war-based economy will have to be converted, defense industry production curbed, job openings increased to accommodate the thousands of G.I.s. Those are just a few of the realities. There is more to Iraq than just the moral aspects, more to it than our ideals. There is reality. Let's not forget that through the vigils.