The war in Iraq has dangerous consequences in a variety of different arenas, from foreign policy precedents to domestic spending, Penn State history faculty, said last night in an anti-war speech at the Forum Building.

A dozen Penn State historians spoke their minds about the war and the issues surrounding it. The teach-in was held by Historians Against the War, whose mission statement has been signed by more than 1,900 historians nationwide.

Penn State associate professor William Blair, the first speaker, began by raising his concern over the shift in foreign policy the United States has made by attacking Iraq preemptively. Blair said there has been no convincing evidence that would be cause to start the war. He said the war will escalate tension in the Middle East and southeast Asia. "Even if it is certain that we will win the war, it's not certain that we will win peace," he said.

Joan Landes, Penn State professor, said the United States has crossed the line into unacceptable behavior by violating international law and the role of the United Nations in collective security. "The pattern of U.S. unilateralism was not started during the Bush regime, but it is now accelerated and escalating to a dangerous extent," she said.

People who are involved in the anti-war movement need to continue to voice their opinions, Landes said.

"We need to be vigorous, we need to pay attention, we need to seek out new sources of information, and we need to participate in the political process ... ," she said. "The governments that we hear being denounced over and over for not backing the U.S.'s unilateral decision to make war on Iraq are those governments that were listening to their citizenry."

Shifting to the domestic effects of the war, Penn State assistant professor Robyn Spencer said Americans should realize the nation is suffering from cuts in government programs in favor of defense. "We have to be very cognizant of the very real inequalities that exist around us," she said. Another problem is the war on terrorism is called a "war," Penn State associate professor Sophie de Schaepdrijver said. "The war on terrorism is not a war and fighting it as one has made it worse," she said.

An advertisement for the Operation Iraqi Freedom teddy bears was an example of the merchandising and trivialization of the war, Meredith Lair(graduate-American history) said. The idea that the war is acceptable as long as Americans support their troops is permeating society and the media, Lair said.

"The accusation that people within the anti-war movement don't support the troops is designed to undermine us and avert our message," she said.

After the historians' presentations, an enthusiastic audience of about 120 people shared experiences and opinions, and debated issues surrounding the war. "War's terrible. I'll agree to that. But there comes a time when you have to stand up for what is right," J.D. Mitchell (senior-political science) said.

Andrew Reeve (freshman-political science and history) said he supported the war and trusted the troops are doing their best. "It's impossible to fight a war without civilian deaths," he said. "I have a lot of faith in our military and what they're doing."

The lively discussion was interrupted by a fire on a bulletin board in the hallway behind the Forum lecture hall where the event was held. Audience members put the fire out before police arrived, Penn State Police Services officer Dirk T. Clouse said. "It's just a guess that [the fire] was probably [started by] someone on the opposing side of the war issue," he said. Clouse said there are no suspects.