“Why do actors – people whose main talent is faking emotions – think that their opinions should be directing the course of political events in the real world? Yet it is

a mistake that they have been making as far back as John Wilkes Booth.” -Thomas Sowell

After spring break, Loyola University is going to have the honor of hosting well-known actor Danny Glover at the annual Father Carter Lecture series.

The program title, “A Conversation with Danny Glover,” seems innocuous enough, and hopefully it will be.

However, the event description labels Glover, in addition to being an actor, as a political activist.

Students should be cautioned that if the lecture is indeed a forum for political opinion, a much better use of time would be renting “Lethal Weapon” and staying home.

Glover is one of the celebrities who has thrown in his two cents on conflict in Iraq. Echoing the lines of every other anti-war marcher, Glover said at a San Francisco rally, “We’re all here to let our voice be heard, to say we are against this illegal, unilateral war against the people of Iraq.” He continued, “It’s not just about Saddam Hussein, it’s about the women and the children, it’s about the people.”

I sincerely hope anti-war protests have nothing to do with Saddam Hussein.

I hope that at this stage of the game there exist no questions concerning his right, or more exactly his lack thereof, to rule.

But Glover’s comments are shocking. In the statement, “It’s not just about Saddam Hussein,” there should be no “just” about it.

Or do Glover’s motivations show some concern for the “Butcher of Baghdad” who has executed 100,000 Iraqis in a murderous 30 year reign?

Instead Glover lashes out at America.

At a rally this past February, Glover condemned George Bush and what he calls “his administration of liars and murderers.”

Noticeably absent from his address is any critique of Saddam.

In addition, Glover is a signer of the “Not in Our Name” movement which aside from opposing war on Iraq, expresses opposition to our country’s military action in Afghanistan.

When Glover put his name on such a document did he honestly feel that Afghanistan was better off with the Taliban?

Is it such a terrible thing that women can go to school, show their faces and be treated as something more than property?

The greatest insult that Mr. Glover agrees with in the “Not in Our Name” statement is the apparent lack of reverence towards Sept. 11.

The statement says that while the buildings burned, the signers’ minds were drawn to the “carnage” of American military action in Iraq and other places.

Osama Bin-Laden may indeed have a special place in Glover’s heart.

Part of Glover’s activism is also as a death penalty abolitionist.

At a talk at Princeton University two months after 9/11, Glover stated that no one should be executed, including Bin-Laden.

He responded “Yes-Yes!” in favor of sparing the Saudi terrorist’s life.

The question is, would we listen to such opinions if they weren’t coming from a celebrity’s mouth?

Glover is a household name because he is an accomplished actor. We know him for the movies, not the activism.

So, if Glover is coming to talk about his work behind the scenes of “Operation Dumbo Drop,” that’s fine – he is a gifted actor entitled to discuss his craft.

However, if Danny Glover the activist shows up, stay home.

When it comes to politics, he’s nothing more than a hack.

Pat McDermott is a communications sophomore from South Orange, New Jersey.