Friday, September 26,1997
Editorials 3
rose Amon0 thorns
Rhonda Parker-
Guest Commentary
The most recent topic in the
news which I have been fairly upset by
is the death of Diana, Princess of Wales..
I was four years old when-C_
watched Lady Diana Spencer bec6iti^
the Princess of Wales; her charm and
beauty entranced the world then as it
does now.
For a member of the royal
family, Diana was very down-to-earth.
She mingled with the commoners, gave
her assistance to such causes as AIDS,
leprosy, and more recently, land mines
in Angola. Through it all, Diana was
constantly followed and hounded by the
press and the paparazzi.
Following a car at 120 mph
just to take a few photos of Diana=s
private life seems ridiculous, but these
photographers knew that such images
would be worth tens and hundreds of
thousands of dollars-one might specu
late that the consumers of such magas-
zines haveljlood on their hands as well.
Then there is the drunk driving contin
gent.
The driver, who had also
taken Prozac, had no business operat
ing the Princess's vehicle in his inebri
ated condition, but the legal system
cannot bring charges against a dead
man. So now the photographers in pur
suit of the car have been arrested and
are facing involuntary manslaughter
Iharges.
Something nags at the back of
my mind about the entire situation-this
accident does not seem like much of
an accident. This case is still under in
vestigation, and the pohce just may dis
cover that Diana was actually murdered
for her dabblings in politics-especially
her involvement with a worldwide ban
on land mines.
Diana had a habit of using the
media. That is true-but usually to bring
attention to a certain issue or problem.
Whereas Mother Teresa did her work
in humble surroundings, Diana used the
press to focus attention to a cause. She
knew that her celebrity status would
bringra certain amount of attention to
athe|cause. Who knows what Diana
'^^ttove accomplished in the next
or forty years?
It is shocking to realize that
the world lost two of its most beloved
humanitarians within five days of each
other. However, there should be no
debate on canonization—Mother
People need to be responsible
by Jamie Tomasello
Misconceptions. Assump
tions. These concepts are the seeds
where from hostility sprouts.
Hostility breeds gossip and
ramors. Gossip
and rumors
spread like vines ————
choking friend
ships. Friendships
die.
In
today’s society,
no one wants to
face the truth or
responsibility. No
one wants to hear
or see the
obvious. “
Someone
once said, “If you
make a person think they are think
ing, they love you.
If you make them thmk,
they hate you.” Paradoxical as it may
sound, the blunt truth is the sharpest
of all swords.
^^The blunt truth is
the sharpest of all
swords.^^
Teresa deserves it; Diana does not.
Mother Teresa was com
pletely dedicated to working with the
poor, but Diana only visited and raised
money for charities. The two women,
however, respected each other's work,
and were good friends. In fact, Diana
procession behind her casket; and I
wept as Elton John played the rewrite
of "Candle in the Wind."
I never knew how much the
death of a woman, whom I had never
met before and who was a member of
the British Royal family, could affect
was buried with the rosary given to h^ Jme so profoundly. And I was not the
by Mother Teresa. t oS^’y American that experienced such
At Diana's funeral, her brothJa/ “|rief Worldwide, people moumed the
Earl Spencer gave a moving, and some- Princess and sympathized with her
what scathing, eulogy for his sister. He
took the opportunity to comment ever
so subtly on the Royal Family, and he
promised his sister that William and
Harry would continue to be raised in
the manner which she had begun. His
speech was a moving, and fitting, trib
ute to the young woman.
William, who resembles his
mother in ever way, is the current heir
to the throne. It is believed by some in ^
Britain that the Queen will not resign
from her position, leaving Charles too
old to claim the throne and thus pass
ing it to Prince Wilham.
I was surprised to find myself
weeping quite profusely at her fimeral.
I moumed from beginning to end.
I cried even harder when her
sons, William and Harry, joined the
Princess and sympathized with
family.
The outpouring of flowers at
Kensington Palace was shocking-the
florists in London actually ran out of
flowers and had to import more. Per
haps a better tribute would have been
to take the money used on flowers and
donate it to Diana's charities. I think she
would, have appreciated that much
'-.^,.1 ^latever happened on that
wjSftj "iS^jigust night in Paris, we may
hblcTuiis thought tme-Diana may never
have become Queen of England, but
she was the Queen of People's Hearts.
The world truly lost one of its
most charismatic, most photographed,
and most beloved women. Not only did
Britain lose a princess, but the world
lost "England's Rose."
listen to and believe second-handed
hearsay than the original source. How
many times has the following
situation happen to you? You are at
odds with another person, and one of
his/her best friends decides to act as
the go-between
crony. How-
~ ever, this
friend assumes
the details
instead of
finding out the
true facts. Half-
truths are told,
and you and
your antagonist
are worse shape
than when you
- started, and you
two did not
even speak. Why
do people have to go about problems
in a round about manner? If you have
something to say to someone, vent
and get it off your chest. Do not have
your friends, cronies, or messengers
do your dirty work for you. Take
Aper»,««»ikin.tl«i „»p„Kiibilily for yo«i O'™ actions.
Just another casuality at the library.