Rabble, rabble, rabble!

I just read about the hunger strike currently being held by 18 UC Berkeley students and union workers which has been going on since Monday. The strike is in response to the controversial Arizona immigration legislation, and the strikers say they're going to keep it up until they get to talk to the chancellor in person. Somewhat understandably, the main thing they want is for the chancellor to denounce the immigration law which, for the record, he said he's ready to do. Don't get me wrong; I think the legislation is racist and absurdly discriminatory. But the strikers have also built up a list of other interesting demands...

Here's the rundown:

1. Asking the chancellor to publicly denounce Arizona's immigration law.
Sure. It's a horrible law, so why not stand up and speak out against it?

2. Make UC Berkeley a sanctuary campus and provide extended protections for undocumented students.
I see the connection. While I don't know how much I necessarily agree with it, this demand makes sense against the backdrop of protesting the immigration law.

3. Drop all student conduct charges against student activists.
Uh... okay? Is this Arizona related?

4. Stop cuts to low-wage employees.
I mean, yeah, that's a good idea. And how can you be against that... but again, we're starting to get away from Arizona...

5. Suspend conduct procedures and initiate a democratic, student-led process to review the code.
So you want to suspend the current conduct code, and then have the students review and create new conduct procedures with no oversight from university authorities? Yeah, I can totally see how that's a really good idea. Also... Arizona? Remember?

6. Commit to using nonviolent means of ensuring safety at student demonstrations in the future.
"Don't tase me, bro!"

7. Crack down on stupid Berkeley pedestrians who think they can walk wherever they want, whenever they want.
Okay, I made that last one up. But if there was ever a protest against idiot pedestrians, I'd be on the front lines ready for the tear gas.

Anyway, my point in all of this is that these strikers seem to be well-intentioned in wanting to make a statement against the Arizona law, but they then seem to be extending their demonstration to change policies that have nothing to do with Arizona at all. In fact, more than anything else, they appear to be trying to cover their own backs so that whenever they decide to protest in the future, they can do so without consequences. It seems as though the strikers have now reached the point where they've forgotten what it was they were fighting for in the first place.

In other words... another successful Berkeley protest.