Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Sept. 27, 2001, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 Editorial Parents Weekend answers the question of what happens when two dijferent worlds collide Going home is, for most of us, like entering a different world. Cur fews, real dinnei^, laundry without quarters, explaining where you’re going, who you’re going with and what time you’ll be home. To many of us, home is where the adoles cence is. It always will be. We will always have to answer to mom, sit down for meals and keep our el bows oif the table, Elon, on the other hand, is our tree house. We make our own rules, eat what we want and never tell mom how late we stayed out the night before. We become our own guardians, chefs and consciences. And every October, they come. They come for three days of family fun, togetherness and Wal-mart trips. Our parents descend upon us. It is family weekend. The merging of these two worlds, our Elon and our parents, can be stressful and weird at times. Do we show off our independent, grown-up behaviors, or do we give in to mom’s kisses, groceries and requeste to talk to our professors to make sure we’re doing our homework? It’s a balance, really. There is an in-between we must capture and Opinions cling to when our families take over our campus. We stop cussing, start shaving and wash our dishes. We become the adults our parents have always wanted us to be while re maining their little angels. And while we stress over Mom or Dad finding out about our deepest, darkest, dmnkest secrets, we some how manage to enjoy their company. Maybe it’s because they bring home- baked cookies. Maybe it’s because Dad changes the oil in the car. Maybe it’s because we canrelax, have some one take care of us and remember what it is like to be children. Or maybe it’s because we know that in a few short days, they will kiss us goodbye, and we will return to our independent, grown up, parent-free lives. Only this time, with clean laun dry and a casserole in the fridge. Sept. 27, 2001 The views and ideas expressed in Opinions are not necessarily those of The Pendidum, its staff or Elon University. The frightening creation of national identification cards may be probable An informed mother is a happy mother. Want to keep your mom happy? Buy her a subscription to The Pendulum. Mail name, address and check or money order for $30 per subscription to: The Pendulum, Campus Box 7012, Elon, NC 27244 THE PENDULUM tBlBtmiei, 10* tsan UriUnriiSfy tommuRSiy Taresa LaRock, Editor in Chief Jennifer Guarino, Managing Editor Elizabeth Sudduth, News Editor josh Davis, Opinions Editor jason Chick, A & E Editor Katie Bonebrake, Focus Editor Justin Mazzola, Sports Editor Jessica Vitak, Chief Copy Editor Lauren Vilis, Business Manager 7012 Campus Box Elon, NC 27244 Newsroom: 278-7247 Fax: 278-7246 E-mail: pendulum@elon.edu The Pendulum is published each Thurs day of the academic year. The adver tising and editorial copy deadline is 5 p.m. the Monday before publication. Letters to the editor and guest col umns are welcome and should be typed, double-spaced,signed and in clude and telephone number for veri fication. Submissions are also accepted as Word documents on disk or by e- mail. The Pendulum reserves the right to edit obscene or potentially libelous ma terial. Lengthy letters or columns may have to be trimmed to fit. All submis sions become the property of The Pen dulum and will not be returned. Cameron Dejong Columnist Many of us have read or watched “1984”, an Orwellian clas sic that depicts a one world order wher^ we are all drones of the state (Big Brother). Many have argued over the past several years that his insights into the future have been coming true. While I will not approach any truth in those arguments, I will sug gest that we are coming danger ously close when a Republican ad ministration is considering imple menting a national identification system, A White House aid, when asked about the subject of the National ID, said that “we must consider all options.” Democratic leader Rich ard Gephardt believes that Con gress should soon begin debate on security measures such as a Na tional ID. The CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison, told government officials that his company would donate the technology and equipment neces sary to put a national identification system into place. Ellison sug gested that we have a National ID with our “photograph and thumb print digitized and embedded in the ID card.” In Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair has approved “identity cards”, which will initially be dis tributed on a voluntary basis. Given the history of governments, there are not many programs that remain voluntary. Of course the support in Britain is there for the id cards. 85% of Brits surveyed support the promotion and implementation of a system. A study by the Pew Research Center reveals that seven in ten Americans favor some form of na tional identification system, with strong support coming from women. In another survey, 49% of Americans believe that all Arab- Americans and Americans of Arab descent should be required to carry “special identification.” It is my belief that many Ameri cans are unfortunately losing touch with the freedoms that we will soon have to say “we once had.” Ameri cans are too willing to give up lib erty for security and to paraphrase Ben Franklin, if you’re willing to give up liberty for security, you de serve neither. In closing, it may only take a quote from a prominent Nazi to get those at the university who are in favor of national identification to think twice. “We are recording the individual characteristics of every single member of the nation onto a little card... we are proud to be able to contribute to such a task, a task that makes available to the physician of our German body-social the material for his examination, so that our physician may determine whether, from the standpoint of the health of the nation, the results calculated in this manner stand in harmonious, healthy relation to one an other, or whether unhealthy conditions must be cured by cor rective interventions... we have firm trust in our physician and will follow his orders blindly, because we know he will lead our nation towards a great future.” Willy Heidlnger, 1934 President of Dehopiag Industries speak ing about production of the HoUeriths, the world’s first popula tion control & surveillance computer in Berlin, Nazi Germany,
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