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History lesson: war is sometimes necessary
Sean Oakley
For those who use history as a reason for opposing U.S.
military reaction to the terrorist attacks Sept. 11:
• March 7, 1936 – German troops occupy the Rhineland. Adolf
Hitler assures the world that he is only trying to unite the German
race.
• Oct. 15, 1938 – German troops occupy the Sudetenland.
• March 15-16, 1939 – Germany invades and conquers Czechoslovakia.
Hitler assures the world he only wants to unite German race.
• Aug. 23,1939 – Germany and the Soviet Union sign a pact
of non-aggression, a very costly mistake for the Soviet Union.
• Sept. 1,1939 – Germany invades Poland.
• Sept. 3,1939 – Great Britain and France declare war on Germany.
• June 22,1941— After conquering most of Western Europe, Germany
turns its sights to the east and invades the Soviet Union.
If nothing else, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin understood how powerful
Hitler was and decided that keeping out of the war would be the best
idea.
Maybe Stalin even trusted Hitler when he signed the non-aggression pact.
Not until February 1943 did Stalin and the Soviet Union push the Germans
back from Stalingrad. It would take them two more years to reach Berlin.
The war cost the U.S.S.R. 20.6 million casualties – 7 million of
which were civilians.
For those unfamiliar with this area of history, the Eastern Front of
World War II was one of the worst examples of warfare in history.
Had Stalin joined France and Britain in their declaration of war in
1939, at the very least Stalin would have created a two-front war much
earlier, deprived the Nazis of many early victories and probably stopped
Hitler from ever reaching so
far into the Soviet Union.
Had the world stopped Hitler before his military mobilization or stepped
in while Hitler was easily acquiring borderland between Germany and
France, maybe things would have been different.
At least the Germans would not have caught everyone by surprise.
But why was it such a surprise?
Didn’t the world see the truth?
Nazi Germany’s oppression was very apparent throughout the late
1930s. Hitler’s intentions had to have been pretty clear, though
not declared.
The problem was idealism.
Nobody wanted another war and no one thought it would happen. Everyone
thought after The Great War people would not want to wage war ever again.
So before anyone took any actions to stop Hitler, the world allowed
him to completely militarize and conquer new lands, placing Germany
far ahead of any other European power in regards to military preparedness.
Because of idealism, by the time Britain, France and the Soviet Union
declared war against Germany, they were fighting a defensive war against
an overwhelmingly powerful Blietzkrig.
We must learn from history.
The same idealism plagues us now, though not in such a prominent fashion.
People around campus will tell you that we just need to get out of the
Middle East, and then terrorists will leave us alone.
Without getting into Middle Eastern politics, this rationale just isn’t
true.
A leader of a terrorist group was shown on CNN a few nights ago saying
in a 1998 interview,
“Islam must rule the world.
“Until Islam rules the world we will continue our actions,”
he said.
Everything else aside, with people like that in the world, we are not
safe.
What is done is done. We cannot go back and change our policies in the
Middle East.
All we can do is learn from history, take an active role in the history
unfolding as we speak and choose whether or not we want to make the
same flaws European nations did before World War II.
Our subsequent actions are not revenge or retaliation – they are
defense.
It’s not a holy war.
It’s not West versus East.
Stop taking things out of context and perverting the truth.
What will it take for idealists to realize the world is not just a wholesome,
loving place? Next time it could be chemical, biological or nuclear
warfare.
These terrorists are evil.
I would rather fight them on their lands than idly sit back and watch
them bomb and burn more of America.
Nobody wants war.
But war is sometimes necessary.
If you don’t believe that it is, then you should read up on history.
Vol.
76 No. 11September
25, 2001
Our Perspective ...
Student protests
Demonstrations a cornerstone of free speech, but university policy
is sound
In the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,
the founders of this nation ensured all Americans a number of freedoms.
Included are three liberties which makes America unique when compared
to nations so frequently featured on television news reports, and in newspaper
and magazine articles since the events of Sept. 11 – the right to
free speech, and the ability to peaceably assemble and petition the federal
government for a redress of grievances.
With the United States military already beginning to move into position
for a strike on those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, college students
across the nation are exercising their respective Constitutionally-mandated
right to speak out against further violence.
A recent USA Today article described a trend strikingly similar to the
peace movement of the 1960s, highlighting anti-war activities held Friday
on 150 college campuses in 36 states. A student group at Appalachian State
University was ahead of this national effort, holding a peaceful demonstration
on Sanford Mall last week to voice its opposition to United States foreign
policy in the Middle East.
We feel it was a refreshing scene to see students at Appalachian
State finally shed the apathy so often associated with our generation.
The group members, unaware of a university policy requiring such protests
be cleared by Dean of Students Dr. Barbara Daye, opted to end the demonstration
when notified of the rule.
Students can avoid this process by holding future protests in the university-designated
‘free-speech area,’ the amphitheatre outside Plemmons Student
Union.
As tensions on both sides of the debate over how the Bush Administration
should respond to the terrorist attacks, we agree a policy regarding on-campus
protests is needed due to its aim of allowing university officials ample
time to arrange for the protection of those involved in such protests.
It is our right as Americans to engage in practices of free speech. But,
it is our responsibility as students to abide by university policies and
state laws when organizing protests.
We would also like to advise future protestors to avoid a key mistake
made by members of the Front for Liberation from American Indoctrination
(FLAI) during the group’s Sept. 17 protest. The nine-member group
donned masks during its demonstration.
Under state statute 14-12.8, it is illegal for any person over 16 years
of age to wear a mask on any property owned by the state of North Carolina.
FLAI members told The Appalachian the masks were not an attempt to hide
their respective identities but was a move to create solidarity. We fail
to see the benefit of this questionable tactic.
In this free nation, there is no need for any citizen’s viewpoints
to by hidden behind a mask while exercising rights guaranteed to every
American.
Life is about relationships with others
Kristina Egger
If the horrific events that unfolded Sept. 11 taught us
nothing else, I hope people realize that what is precious and what is
permanent is not always the same.
We can argue all we want about whose fault this
whole thing is, but arguing is not going to bring back the more than 6,300
people that are missing and presumed dead.
I am so sick of hearing people in my classes and on this campus squabble
about who did what to whom.
Obviously these people didn’t lose anyone in the attacks if they
have the time to argue about such a tragic thing.
This is a time for us to pull together as a nation and support all of
the people that lost their friends and loved ones.
This is not the time to argue about the presence of Americans in the Middle
East.
After the first plane hit the World Trade Center-soon followed by the
second-I remember watching my roommate burst into tears.
At that time, officials knew nothing about the plane except that it had
left from Boston that morning.
My roommate’s mother was supposed to be on a flight leaving from
Boston.
Phone lines were tied up all morning and my roommate couldn’t get
in touch with of anyone to hear that her mother was all right until late
in the afternoon.
Perhaps instead of arguing amongst ourselves we should realize how blessed
we are to be alive.
We should take the opportunity to tell the people in our lives we care
about them and we love them.
An incident like this makes you realize you can never be sure when it
is going to be the last time you see someone.
We are not invincible.
BellSouth asked customers only to use the phone in case of emergency on
Sept. 11 because so many people were trying to contact family members.
The phone company was worried the entire system might crash.
Well, if you didn’t call your loved ones then – please call
them now.
Call your parents.
Call your siblings.
Make amends with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
I was talking to my mother the other day and she is right: Life is not
about the kind of car you drive or the amount of money in your bank account.
Life is about the relationships you form with others while you are fortunate
enough to be here.
Love is a universal feeling.
In our fight against terrorism, it is inevitable that even more innocent
lives will be lost.
A person who dies will be someone’s father, brother, sister and friend.
You can only pray they are not your own.
Instead of being critical of one another, we need think about what all
of this really means in correlation to our lives.
Our generation has been spoiled because we have never had to deal with
the harsh realities of war.
We have listened to our parents and grandparents talk about Vietnam and
World War II, but we don’t know anything about what it’s like
for our country to be in a state of wartime.
We don’t know what it’s like to watch loved ones get drafted
to go off to war only to never see them again.
I think these are the things we need to be talking about right now.
What’s done is done and it is impossible for us to bring back those
who have passed.
We need to stop fighting amongst ourselves.
We need to support those in need.
We need to come together as a nation.
Regardless of our economic status, regardless of the size of our army,
America will not continue to be a truly great nation until we are big
enough to say “I love you” and “I’m sorry.”
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