the pendulum
PAGE 12 // WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
Opinion
Bearing witness to truth
Images of war reveal unexplored wounds trapped in
American psyche, raises questions about taste and censors ip
— . . _ ; rrnC' /Mir
Camille Demere
Guest Columnist
Operation Iraqi
Freedom is over — or at
least, the first official
steps have been taken to
bring our troops home
and withdraw from
the country for good.
As American citizens
analyze our nation’s
almost decade-long
presence in the Middle
East, we’re going to see
some things we don’t
like. But we can’t turn
away.
War isn’t as clear-
cut as we would like it
to be. It’s dangerous,
messy and heartbreaking. Bystanders lose
everything, including their lives, and sometimes
it’s impossible to know exactly who the “bad guys
are until it’s too late. Last week. The New York
Times attempted to recap what President Obama
called “the war to disarm a state (that) became a
fight against insurgency" overseas through an
online photo essay called “Drawing Down and
Moving Ahead."
Black and white images transitioned into ones
filled with the crimson blood of a tiny crying girl
in northwestern Iraq, the bullet-ridden body of a
young Iraqi man and the destruction and chaos of
war.
These are images we need to see as college-
age global citizens. And these are the images our
medfa should not shy away froni, as long ^s they
act responsibly - as the Times did - and warn
viewers of what they are about to see.
The photos are not gratuitous. And some
students might not even think they are that
iarring. The blood pooling around a soldier in
Falluja may seem less real than the violence seen in
2009’s Oscar winner, “The Hurt Locker.
Most of the images that were shockin showed a
different kind of injury — the social
implications of our time in Iraq. One Photo shows
babies napping on the outskirts of Baghdad in thei
temporary home: a tent with no floor. Others are of
buildings destroyed by insurgents bombs ana
Iraqi men laying face down in the dirt with their
hands tied behind their backs.
Most Elon students probably count themselves
among the billions of young people Obama
referenced in his Aug. 31 address to the nation.
He urges our demographic to “move beyond the
shackles of poverty and conflict." That doesn t
mean we should turn a blind eye to those terrible
things that have already occurred overseas.
As we ready ourselves to be one of the next
generations to take over positions of power in
this country, we need to see things like this
for ourselves. That way, we cannot hide behind
our ignorance when tough decisions need to be
made. We should make a promise to our global
community that we will work to learn from our
nation’s trials, and bear in mind the consequences
of our actions.
Liv Dubendorf
Columnist
Plastic bag ban melts under heat
Attempts to reverse human impact on environment
thwarted by boundaries created by California Senate
Christina Edwards
Columnist
With landfills
packed and overflowing
with trash, plus an
additional oil rig
explosion last week
that contributed to
the environmental
turmoil in the gulf,
environmental issues
have become priority
legislation for many
jurisdictions, despite
economic hard times.
In October 2009, North
Carolina joined several
other states in passing
legislation to require
the recycling of plastic
bottles.
California has been at the forefront of the
growing trend of legislation and governmental
encouragement and incentives for recycling
efforts. The California Bottle Bill, which makes
use of the state’s existing private and public
recycling resources, places a monetary value
on recyclables, which has resulted in high rates
of recycling. Local jurisdictions have varying
levels of additional environmental laws: San
Francisco has enacted a mandatory recycling
and composting ordinance. And up until last
week, California was very close to being the
first state to pass a ban on single-use plastic
bags. California Senate struck down the bill on
Tuesday, Aug. 31.
The bill was passed by the California
Assembly in June and drew praise from Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. The state has a history
of enacting similar laws at a local level: San
Francisco was the first city in the country to
pass a ban on plastic bags in 2007. And the idea
is starting to take off and gather support in
other areas: North Carolina banned single-use
plastic bags in the Outer Banks, and Washington,
D.C. began requiring grocery stores to charge
for plastic bag use. Similar legislation to the
proposed bill in California is under review in
United States unincorporated territory American
Samoa. Other countries, including Ireland, South
Africa and Bangladesh, have similar laws.
The problem with the proposed legislation, and
similar legislation in higher level jurisdictions,
may not really have anything to do with
plastic bags. Reactions and commentary over
California’s situation suggest the law has
implications that go beyond the environment and
reach into concern over what can and should be
regulated by the government.
Fox News Channel contributor and
conservative columnist Michelle Malkin
wrote on her blog after the ban failed to pass
Senate: “Finally, California shows some sense.
Lawmakers trashed an onerous, ill-timed, empty-
gesture plastic bag ban pushed by radical greens
this week."
Readers commenting on a Huffington
Post article about the ban who disagreed
with the legislation expressed concern over
the proposition of environmental laws over
other governmental concerns. One commenter
dismissed the bill as “just another special
interest mandate.”
Similarly, supporters of the ban have
expressed concern for legislators being
swayed by the monetary effects on plastic bag
manufacturers.
Much of the contention over this issue isn’t
about plastic bags. I’m sure not everyone— or
really, most people— opposing the ban are
completely dismissive of all environmental
issues. And perhaps not everyone in support of
the ban remembers to place every plastic soda
bottle in the recycling bin.
The controversy surrounding this legislation
highlights a major problem in U.S. politics right
now: there is a heavy us-versus-them divide, a
need to align ourselves and distinguish what we
aren’t. Sometimes, this overshadows the actual
issues.
And that’s just one more thing this country
can’t afford.
Where is
our Elon?
Our perfectly lined,
brick pathways have been
rerouted with yellow
construction tape and
heaping mounds of dirt.
Random bulldozers
scatter the grounds — you
can hear their engines
chugging from Alumni
Gym to the fenced-off
construction site near the
Colonnades.
Look around. Any
student, visitor, faculty
or staff member can see
that Elon university is
changing — fast. But what
does that mean for us?
Besides the obvious inconveniences of the noise
that starts at sunrise and ends at dusk, we are
around for just the beginning of the renovations.
We have to suffer through the improvements so
that the next generation of Elon students can enjoy
the new facilities being built. If not us, then who?
I’m a junior this year, which means I’ll barely be
able to enjoy the new Colonnades buildings. I won’t
see the buildings to replace Story Center, and I will
have to live through the construction of various
other buildings on campus. It seems that, for the rest
of my Elon career, I will be listening to the sound of
drilling and the beeping of large trucks in reverse.
I sat in on a meeting with President Leo Lambert
and Provost Steven House last week. Most memorably,
the two discussed what the massive plans for
construction meant for us as current Elon students.
Lambert talked of improving the value of our
diplomas, which is something 1 can appreciate. But
as Elon’s reputation increases, so too will the tuition
bill. I’m happy that is something I won’t have to
pay for. Presumably, with the Ever Elon campaign,
student scholarships will increase, making the
school more affordable, and scholarships are never a
bad thing.
And when I'm looking for a job far in the future,
I’m going to be glad for these expanding buildings,
for the famed reputation. With Elon on the rise, we
will be among the first to reap the benefits. The
money spent improving our campus and improving
our academic programs will eventually help us out.
While sitting in on this meeting, 1 got excited. I
thought about how wonderful it will be when I tell
someone that I went to Elon and have him or her
actually know where it is.
But then I took a minute to think what all this
construction means, besides the fact that we have to
put up with loud noises and closing buildings.
After all the improvements are complete, when
the campus has expanded, we'll probably need to
continue renovations on some other building. When
will Elon decide that enough is enough? How big is
too big?
Our university is on the rise, which is hard to
wrap our heads around at times. In the coming years,
we will gain new facilities for the Department of
Physical Therapy program along with the possibilities
of adding a Physician Assistant program.
What will happen to our small, liberal arts
school in the middle of North Carolina? The school
that 1 chose to attend not because it was a Harvard
University or a Yale University , but because I felt it
was my perfect fit?
What will happen to our home? I hope the massive
institution that is currently being constructed
around us won't devour our Elon, the Elon I know
and love.
And what about increasing class sizes? I
specifically didn't go to a state institution because
of their massive student populations. I like the idea
of knowing professors within my school, even if I
haven't had them in class. I like our 30-some person
classes.
As these buildings are constructed around us, I
experience a mixture of emotions. I'm happy that
Elon is growing in popularity, but worried that it
will lose its personality as it continues to extend its
borders. As students, we are left at the crossroads,
not knowing which way the university will turn. We
can only hope that, with whatever improvements that
are made to the university, it will retain the identity
that we know and love.