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Page 2
The Lance
O F T N T O N
The
Editor's
Desk
Jennifer Woodward
War is Not the
Answer
"These are the times that try men’s souls." Never has this quote by John
F, Kennedy truer that it is today. The world is at war, and we as Americans,
arc in the middle.
I don't believe in war. I despise the level of commitment the United State
has exerted in the Middle East crisis. Like many people, I am not in complete
support of the reasons why we are at war -1 still have many questions that
have been left unanswered.
However, thebottom line is simply that we are at war. It's too late to take
back the things we've said and done. It's too late to return all the lost lives
(Americans and Iraqis) to loved ones and to recover the damages.
War is now a reality and we must deal with it - not ignore it. Sure, when
war was threatening and it finally erupted, people were glued to their
television sets, attending peace rallies, and reciting daily prayers.
But what about now? What has happened to the concern, the fear? Have
we once again become a cold and ignorant nation. Are we already forgetting
the soldiers we have over there defending their country by risking their lives?
We must remember that the soldiers who are fighting could very well be
ourselves. For all we know, we could be in a foreign land six months from
now fighting against an enemy. Or perhaps, be attacked on our own
homeland and have to fight just to survive.
We must remember that these soldiers are the very people we grew up
with, hung out with, sat beside during geometry, or cheered for during the
final seconds of a basketball game.
These are human beings. They laugh at the same jokes as we do, watch
the Simpsons, and sing the same songs on the radio. They have the same fears
and desires as we do. Who at this very moment are missing their loved ones
and are scared of dying.
War is a terrible thing^^U is not a video game, a television show - it's real
life and real people are dying. , . • y ..
'
-jlw
Guest Editorial
Abe Walston III
We’re sorry, Bush. We’re sorry
we called you a wimp back in ’88.
We had no idea you’d take it like this.
We didn’t mean to call you a wimp.
You’re not a wimp. Can you bring
the troops back now, PLEASE?
Ask yourself whether a country
with failing banks and healthcare,
widespread poverty, drug addiction,
and institutionalized beliefs based
upon racism, sexism and other forms
of intolerance, and (insert your
favorite national crisis here) is doing
in someone else’s part of the world
trying to restore “their” way of life.
Put down the guns, Bush, pick up a
broom and start cleaning your own
house. This should be obvious to
anyone regardless of how they feel
about Saddam Hussein.
The comparison of Hussein to
Hitler is an extremely effective
soundbite, used to prick up our ears
and to get the hatred stirring in our
loins. Too bad no one ever thought to
use the comparison on Jesse Helms.
How can Bush call Hussein Hitler
and still hobnob with the like of the
Tiennamen Butchers in China and
General Pinsochet in Chile?
Kuwait is not a democracy. The
Emir was not elected. He is a dictator,
with his own list of human rights
abuses. If Hussein is HiUer, then we
are “liberating” Mussolini’s Italy.
Those among us who use the most
oil will hardly be the ones who will
be called on to defend it. Next time
you are out driving look at the people
driving the biggest cars. Then try to
picture them in a uniform. Oh, and
slow down while you’re at it. It saves
gas.
Turn off the T.V. Aren’t you tired
of the Gulf Bowl yet? The people at
the Pentagon already took out all the
good parts anyway.
The whole war reeks of censor
ship. All news that comes out of the
Middle East must be approved first
by the government. How can we
assign any objectivity to facts about
a war when they are provided by
those who are directly involved?
“America - love it or leave it.”
The anti-war movement, the
conscientious objections of American
citizens, usually in the name bringing
our troops back ALIVE, is seen by
many as a treasonous act. The most
effective type of censorship faced by
this movement is from the govem-
ment/media, who won’t even give it
a voice.
Best Quote On The Wall: LAURA
IS A McCarthyite, someone
needs to go back to high school
English and reread Arthur Miller’s
The Crucible before they pick up a ,
can of spray paint and embarass
themselves again.
Even the most conscientious of us
like to say that we “support the
troops.” Yet these are the same troops
that are dropping bombs upon
crowded cities, killing thousands
while losing comparatively few of
their own. How can I support these
people (one of whom is my own
father)? They have been stripped of
their individuality by the
dehumanizing process that is the
armed forces. I support the human .
beings they once were and hopefully
will be again.
Whatever the answer is, it is not
war. Has war ever really been an
answer or end to anything besides
human lives?
I remember sitting in SAGE class
discussing Machiavellian thought, as
if it was a type of thinking that was
obsolete, even primitive. Apparently
this is not so. It is disheartening to
attend college and be exposed to the
highest dimensions of human thought
and accomplishment, and then to look
out into the world and see that we
cannot solve our problem
Letters to the editor
The Lance
Editor
Jennifer Woodward
Assistant Editor
Sharon Frain
StMf
Joy Berry Eric Digons
Tina Carter Heather Lyn Gupton
John Cohen Jane Karpenske
Sarah Cooper Jason King
Abe VanWingerden
Photographers
Rooney Coffman
Josh Foote
Heather Jenkins
Raylene Kaufman
Jane Karpenske
Business Manager
Adam Whitehead
Graphics Design
Garreth Griffith
The Lance is published bi-weekly at St. Andrews Presbyterian Col
lege, 1700 Dogwood Mile, Laurinburg, NC 28352-5593, telephone
(919)276-3652, ext. 300. Opinions expressed in The Lance are those
of individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the
college administration. This publication is free to its recipients.
To the editor;
I sincerely belive that my letter
reflects the thoughts of many of the
St. Andrews community that have
immediate family over in the Middle
East.
My first thought to the flagburning
is that this individual must not have
a relative in the Middle East. My
next thought is that if you do have a
relative in the Middle East, you must
have very little or no respect for this
person.
Your actions infuriate me. Your
selfishness, tactlessness, and ruth
lessness in not taking others feelings
and emotions into consideration is
intolerable.
I would impress upon you to
reflect on what it must feel like for
those of us who have immediate
family in the Middle East... Mothers,
Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Sons,
Daughters. We are scared to death.
We live each moment waiting to see
if someone is going to knock at our
door with the dreaded news. None of
us want war, but it is here and it’s not
going away. You don’t have to agree
with the ideology, but we need your
support for ourselves and for our
loved ones ... OUR FAMILIES.
Do you have any idea what it feels
life to sit and wait to see if someone
in a dress blue uniform is going to
knock at the door? Picture it
happening to your suitemate or a
facutly/staff member you think highly
of. Put yourself in our shoes!
Don’t misunderstand me, I believe
in freedom of expression. However,
there is a line to be drawn when
freedom of expression invades other
people’s space. The way you chose
to express yourself was an insensi
tive one. There are other ways to
express your disapproval towards
political actions/conflicts.
While burning a flag was your
way of expressing your discontent
toward the situation, the flag repre
sents something totally different to
those of us with loved ones in the
Middle East. Each of us has a special,
personal meaning associated with the
flag and their loved one.
For me, it is one of the few tangible
ways in which to remember my
brother should he die fighting for
freedom/defending freedom/
defending freedom (it’s not just an
oil issue contrary to popular belief).
You see its the last tangible “objects”
that will have contact with him.
“SEMPER FIDELIS”
Sincerely,
Lisa Wheeler, MS ED, ATC
Head Athletic Trainer
P.S. Semper Fidelis - Latin for
“always faithful”
To the editor:
Yesterday evening (January 16),
this statement was read in the pres
ence of the burning of an American
flag:
“I support every person who must
fight this war and everyone who loves
them. But I do not support the Heads
of State who pushed it into being. I
am burning this flag, because I want
to stress the importance of human
hves and express my disapproval of
the way the United States’
government has, under this symbol,
dominated and repressed the world
community and its own country’s
people. I support the community that
lives both within and outside this
country ’ s borders, but I will not stand
up for those officials who have
twisted the values of economic and
political freedom into tools for
destruction and dominance.”
The act was not a burning of
America. It was not in support of
Saddam Hussein and his violent ac
tions. Nor was it an ego-trip, intended
to draw attention merely to ourselves.
THIS EXTREME AND CALLOUS
ACTION WAS INTENDED TO
LEND MEANING TO THE VIO
LENT NATURE OF THE WAR. It
was performed to jolt attention away
from patriotic rhetoric and direct it
back toward the actual event occur
ring in the Persian Gulf.
We would all like to see our country
prosper. We have all, at one time or
another looked at the American flag
and felt stability, support, and com
fort. Most have never previously
dreamed of questioning it.
But when all the wonderful people
and qualities that make up America
cannot be dissociated from this flag,
this image which has come to lead
and justify violent militarism,
something is wrong.
Burning this symbol was an ex
tremely difficult, serious act for us to
undertake. It was downright scary.
But we were willing to shed the com
fortable cloak of patriotism to express
our horror at the violence of war the
United States’ government has thrust
not only on Hussein, but also the
innocent civilians of Iraq, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, Israel, and very
importantiy, on our own people.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Stark
Laura A. Rose