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| Reader: SGA serves no purpose |
Charles Thomas
Junior
CT49599 |
To
The Editor:
What has the Student Government Association ever
done for you? Nothing at all. I am finally convinced that SGA is
an organization that is of no use to the average student. I’m
sure the students in this organization are happy to put their membership
on graduate school and job applications.
I was more than a little upset by the zero impact the SGA had on
the tuition increase. They have now voted in a resolution against
the war in Iraq. What does this organization exist for?
I’m sure the President and the rest of the
coalition fighting Iraq will take pause when they see that Appalachian
State University’s SGA has given them the thumbs down. The
President will surely stop the bombing when he sees that this organization
of moral authority has passed a resolution against the war. What
are you people thinking? Until the SGA does something for the students
of ASU, I believe it exists only to bolster the resumes of its members.
Until the SGA does something useful or anything at all it is nothing
but a glorified suggestion box.
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| Local ‘war’ caused by
peace rally |
Corey R. Pendergrass
Freshman
CP54537 |
To
The Editor:
Like The Appalachian reported about the peace
rally (“Student rally, take stand for peace, March 20), signs
were carried reading “Peace Now,” “Thou shall not
kill and “No war in Iraq.” One sign someone carried that
you failed to mention was “What would Jesus do?” According
to another sign that this person was rallying with, he would “Buck
Fush.” Of course, this is not true and ridiculous, but that’s
the message the rally gave. The rally gave me mixed messages that
day as I looked on in confusion. The peace flag was followed by
derogatory signs toward President Bush. How peaceful is that?
To the student who said in that article, “is killing too many
innocent civilians who have done nothing wrong,” part of the
plan for the war is to liberate these innocent civilians from a
regime that does kill them. I trust Bush will do his utmost to protect
these innocent people. One sensible quote in the article by Matthew
P. Lawson said “… it’s necessary for us as students
to get more information and spread our opinions about the war and
research the facts to back it up.” I couldn’t agree more.
The bottom line: The marchers fought a war against
war, and thus, created more war within our campus. So is it peace
you really want? To express hate for Bush? Maybe a friend wanted
you to come along? Or even a reason to skip class? Obviously it’s
not the first choice, because peace certainly wasn’t demonstrated
by the rally.
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| Iraqi people deserve their own freedom |
Sean Oakley
Alumni
Oakley_146@hotmail.com
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To
The Editor:
Though one of the only constants in life is change,
it makes me a little nostalgic to read my alma mater’s newspaper
and see that Boone remains a stronghold of liberalism.
Protest the war, but don’t ignore the facts. And instead of
accusing the Bush administration of lies, which you can never prove
... probably because Big Brother is watching ... stop for a second
and ask yourselves if you aren’t the ones being brainwashed.
Just a few facts:
What other country would spend $1 million per cruise missile to
avoid civilian casualties?
Do the Iraqi people not deserve their own freedom, and safety from
the Butcher of Baghdad?
If Iraq wasn’t in material breach, how are they firing illegal
SCUDS at our troops in Kuwait?
If France is so certain Iraq doesn’t have chemical weapons,
why are they offering to help if Iraq uses chemical weapons?
How could Bush have been set on going to war all along. Could he
really have attacked Saddam had Saddam left, turned over illegal
munitions or even tried to be cooperative with inspectors?
How many times did Clinton seek UN approval before dropping bombs
on Iraq? In 1998 he fired 280 cruise missiles at Iraq, we only used
300 cruise missiles in the entire gulf war?
Lastly, what’s the use of the United Nations if it only makes
hollow threats and fails to enforce its sanctions? There was a similar
weak body supposed to save the world ... what was it called ...
oh yeah, the League of Nations. Well, we know how effective that
body was.
What are all you protestors going to do after
this war is over and the truth comes out? I guess you all will find
some other bandwagon to jump on, or another hole to place your head
in.
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| War with Iraq is necessary |
John T. Bennett
Class of 2002
Washington, D.C.
jtb01@aol.com |
To
The Editor:
It was with an expectant grimace and a disappointed
shake of the head that I examined the front page of the March 20
edition of The Appalachian. I knew it was only a matter of time
until a contingent in Boone joined the global “Axis of Appeasement.”
I make my living because of the First Amendment and am thankful
we live in a country that encourages expressions of opposition to
a government decision. (I shudder at the thought of what Saddam
Hussein would do to protesters in downtown Baghdad). But this war
is clearly necessary. Casting aside the Bush administration’s
attempts to garner support by deceitfully claiming this war is aimed
at “liberating the Iraqi people,” only two words are needed
to justify toppling the Hussein-led regime: accountability and security.
Hussein has violated 17 United Nations Security Council resolutions,
a fact even French, German and Russian leaders—the founders
of the “Axis of Appeasement”—admit. Hussein must
be held to account and punished accordingly. President Bush is right
to enforce those U.N. edicts and end Hussein’s defiant rule.
This war is also about domestic, regional and global security. If
the Middle East is to ever become a livable region for ALL its residents,
rogue regimes such as those in Baghdad and Tehran, Iran, must be
replaced. Such regimes also support terrorists’ efforts in
the U.S. and Mideast. To prevent a repeat of 9-11, and begin stabilizing
the Middle East, Bush must lead in destroying these rouge regimes.
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| Troops need America’s support |
Anna Fishel
Sophomore
AF46559 |
To
The Editor:
My dad was called up to go to Kuwait about a month
ago. He is now stationed in Ft. Benning, Ga., waiting for his orders
to go. He is ready and willing to serve his country and I am very
proud of him.
Americans need to understand our soldiers signed up to serve our
country. They are willing to die to defend her freedom. As President
Bush said in his presidential address March 19, “May God bless
America, and all who defend her.” Bush needs our support. And
our troops need our support even more. They are young and ready
to fight.
Saddam has killed many people and raped many women. Why would someone
protest against a war with such a tyrant? People, especially protestors,
say that they don’t want innocent people in Iraq killed. I
don’t either, but have you forgotten about Sept. 11, 2001 when
over 3,000 INNOCENT people were killed? Come on people. Wake up.
Who’s the tyrant? Bush for defending freedom, or Saddam for
killing innocent people. We are a free country because of war. It’s
time to bomb Saddam.
God Bless America.
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| Policies lack support is real issue |
Stephen Barker
Senior
SGA, IRA, ROTC
SB38541 |
To
The Editor:
In response to Justin Moore’s letter decrying
the absence of a fair and balanced debate, (“Reader: Debate
not fair, balanced,” March 4) I would like to say something
as the organizer of the event.
First and foremost, Dr. Dragan Stefanovic was on the four-professor
panel and he is the adviser to the College Republicans (which Justin
is a member). I’m not sure how Moore overlooked this fact when
complaining about “the lack of a conservative viewpoint on
the panel.”
The IRA does not hold the opinion that “George W. Bush is Satan
incarnate,” rather, many club members have serious issues and
well-founded criticism of the President’s foreign policy, and
still others support Bush.
The faculty, I would argue, is in fact diverse in their political
views, it’s just that when I asked the department of economics
for someone to speak from their area of expertise, everyone refused.
Therefore I asked Dr. Renee Scherlen to step in because of her background
in international political economy.
I think a lack of support for the Presidential
administration’s policies is the real issue. To explore this
more, I call on Moore to organize his own forum, purposely packed
with conservatives to discuss American foreign policy or stage a
pro-war rally, because I am infinitely curious to see who would
show up.
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| Women struggle for basic rights |
Jaime Pattengale
Junior
JP55113 |
To
The Editor:
International Women’s Day (March 8) is rooted
in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society
on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated
a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French
Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality,
fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.
This date is also commemorated by the United
Nations and is a national holiday. Women in the United States and
the world still struggle for basic rights. Bush administration’s
actions have slowed down the progress women have been making in
reproductive health choice. Among the damaging steps taken since
coming into office in early 2001, President Bush and administration
have: reinstated the Global Gag Rule which cuts off US aid to international
family planning organizations whose services included— but
did not use US funds for— informing women of legal abortion
options, providing safe and legal abortion options or lobbying for
abortion law reform; de-funded the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) by withholding $34 million in family planning aid that is
used to better the lives of women around the world; withdrew support
for Senate ratification of the International Women’s Treaty
(CEDAW) that requires nations to remove barriers of discrimination
against women in legal rights and health care; and changed federal
funding to fund ONLY abstinence-only sex education in which there
is no mention of contraceptives, and only the directive to abstain
until marriage can be taught. Remember our history, Women of App!
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| Reader: Protestors uneducated |
Hampton Newton
Hampton_Newton@yahoo.com
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To
The Editor:
It has come to my attention that a large number
of protesters believe that we are going into Iraq only to take their
oil.
This war is a war of prevention. Saddam has violated United Nation
resolutions, and failed to cooperate with the U.N. weapons inspectors.
He has chemical and biological agents that he has used to murder
his own people, specifically the Kurds in the north. What would
keep him from selling these weapons of mass destruction to Al-Qaeda,
and having them dump thousands of pounds of anthrax over our country?
What many people don’t understand is that the U.N. means nothing
if they will not enforce their own sanctions. The reason that Hitler
came to power in Germany was because the League of Nations failed
to enforce their sanctions on Germany. I don’t think anyone
believes that war is a good thing, but sometimes war is necessary.
The Iraqis that have already been liberated don’t seem to mind
us coming in. Bush won’t pull the troops out, so just stand
behind our armed forces and pray for a speedy resolution. We all
have the freedom of speech, why not let Iraqis have it also.
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| Fighting in Iraq is for peace |
Justin Thrasher
Freshman
JT53322 |
To
The Editor:
We are not at war with Iraq, the American soldiers
who are dedicating their lives and experience to the cause in Iraq
are fighting a deadly regime. A country is made up of the people,
and the United States government, along with its allies, is attempting
to free the people of Iraq of a murderous regime.
Saddam Hussein is a man who has always been referred
to as a dictator and a killer, who time and time again was offered
a diplomatic solution and chose to hide and deceive instead. Many
will protest for peace, for no war, yet the fighting in Iraq is
for peace in that land and is needed in order to bring peace to
a people with no say, whose streets are guarded by an oppressive
regime. The United States is liberating a people and has no personal
interest at hand. In the weeks to come, the terrible time bomb of
Saddam Hussein will be revealed and removed. The weapons of mass
destruction will be found, the scientists will for once be allowed
to speak, soldiers will lay down arms as they realize there participation
is no longer forced, and the people of Iraq will be free from the
tyrant that has oppressed, murdered and held a country at bay for
24 years. I am proud to be an American in this time of conflict
and choose to pray for the peace in Iraq.
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| Careless disregard of citizens’
opinions |
Sarah Chun
Junior
SC41437 |
To
The Editor:
If the United States wants to disarm a country
with weapons of mass destruction, who’s to stop us from invading
North Korea, India and Pakistan?
If the U.S. wants to punish a country for funding the 9-11 terrorist
attacks and prevent future attacks, why aren’t we bombing Saudi
Arabia, Syria and Sudan?
If the U.S. wants to liberate a country from
a leader with careless disregard for the opinions and well-being
of its citizens, why are Kim, Castro and Bush still in office?
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