S!R5sas
■ OUR OPINION: Many
sludenis apparenify don'!
car© about bigger issues
Whew What a wacky
term this one tunnel out to
be
Most of us survived the
wind storms, ice-storms. the
big flood of ttMMi and win*
ti*r‘* {wiling shot with the
late snow fall in February.
Often, the issues and top
ical covered by our editorial
staff and columnists over
the last three months were
as varied and as unpre
dictable as Mother Nature
herself.
Despite our Journalistic
commitment to cover a wide
range of concerns, the timer
old has had to routinely bat
ten down its hatches to
weather accusations of not
only being mediocre and
boring, hut of failing to com
rnent on serious issues. And
when we do cover the seri
ous issues, which is often,
then something strange hap
pens.
Nothing.
That’s right. Throughout
this |>ast term, our editorial
desk and columnisis wrote
about everything from
national politic* to assisted
suicide. Usually, feed bat k
was light to non-existent.
In trying to d«-< ipher the
reason for this apathy, the
editorial board recently
came up with two conclu
sions; either people agree
with our slant on any given
topic, or they flat out don’t
can* one way or the other
Don't get us wrong We
sincerely welcome the feed
back we do get Without it.
there would be no healthy
dialogue or debate It’s just
that sometimes we are per
plexed by the issues that do
press the campus communi
ty's hut buttons.
1-1*i week, when we pro
posed that creationism (a#
well as evolution) be taught
to school children a* amah
ei theory that attempts to
explain the origin* of life,
the glove* came off, and we
worn buried alive with
response*.
When we suggested late
last term dial it might (re a
good idea for people to wear
jH'cwmal locator device*
when hiking or climbing
(after two t ini varsity stu
dents disappeared in the
Sisters), people went nuts
and aggressively opposed
the Idea We even got salut
ed in one lettwr-lo-thm-editor
with the angry letter writer's
middle finger
Immature and petty, ye*,
hut feedback nonetheless.
But when our op ed writ
ers delved into issues like
the peace process in Israel
and genocide in Bosnia, the
silence was deafening.
One of our columnists.
Songt Sherwood, wrote
about Israel. Ireland and
China, at well as many aca
demic-related issues, hut the
campus had no response
She got responses to only
two of her columns: her tar
t astic unveiling of lan Firm
mg s Bond Giro netted one
letter, and her tongue-in
cheek look at the struggles
between car drivers and
bicyclists (she drive* a
Buick) harvested a letter so
vicious and mean that we
decided tug to print U.
When we editorialized
about racism on campus, we
only received four letters,
legalizing prostitution
brought in about the same
number of response*.
Despite the unpredictable
meet urn*, we will continue
to try and bring up issues
we feel have an impact on
the lives of students at this
university.
Emerald ]
'*• ***** Wt'*wa«******* w«(ai iMat — <•* »<«'m. m
>tai4» .fcrwg — ■*»«*• M. — Ontm (Mt t t*M *<—«» c« Mi an* mwm a
*«*•»"* :*mgu> * MM* a *» tmmrnm taw a* iwa «m w-a-iMt a aa i—** «#•
•a** a t<* MM a a* tit Mwiimmu ink
^ «—m ra— a» <*■» a aa (mu— «a—na i—w mt— aaaa ■»■■■« aa —a—>
>M twrar a mmm r—at »*• <mimm «n«* « «m a naan « man k, mu
laaada :*•«la»
Mummb«M—roan***-* —u—*hm— taw.
•mi*** ttantaat
r.mmm*r tMrtMaaai aa— Malawi** MMm*u*mm UawMMm
lataa tman c»*t im* aaav a—a aw— *tm *mm a**. imi
WmtWnK 4*#*«8t** .artmUrn iftm m&&& fc—a * ---am- ^—-—»
■ ■ ' „ — ■ ■ ■ - ^w a*T vau—^ > aa^
tank laaian, Mu *«m»Savauat mummmm— aa**—. a— fowim—
fnaama —1» maw Mu* <a—
Mama bateWMlMtaa. a—i «a% ———an
"aaa*j *«—* umaaa m» iji.uiMii m*h*wm
(«m Sum «*M»a ** mm «—■ *—w *a—Mt MaaMtinaaa >wv#ua
**"**»' ■»*! M—wuMMa aa— Wm—mm t* Mr i—at t— Oat* —auaa
Oaoammaaa
»■— tenaftat —mm
>— M——■ jJ»M
**—«> —»»M*«<** law— tom a— WmuCtM* aa—ta— «—•— —mm»
*a»a— '*»— ’—M—waat t-a-w—a l—
t—uMiaHam Mkmm—m. aanaa* ****** MMM— t—ute —MCmmmmm—i
law* tew* k<a«»nimM la*»<«** Mat mcmu cm, ham* **—■*■.
urn* Zmrn* Mfamaw JMtCmt*
m jmihwh, **+ uw>. hum •***
I M»MI1
MMH
CNMttAffft !m» "ifliirthrM-i «
■ tMW 'MW
*w I»iwm mint
m—w mwm .„. m»«m»
^ts'rtKsn & wjgi w —1 ..
!
. —
Stopt'
yOuftf ‘
Friendship brings foreign violence home
Han international conflict* threaten
th* life of Mimmme we know, thow
«(inflict* »uddert I y be* am* paraon
at
Last rrtday. Taiwanese student* staged a
demonstration in the EMU Courtyard, calling
attention to mainland China'* war games in the
water* around Taiwan
Those "games" are so threatening, so deliber
ate. that many of those student* are talking
about returning to Taiwan to help defend it
again*! an invasion by China If thorn it an inva
*ion. many will probably bo killed.
The students were asking people to sign a
petition begging the U S government to per
suade China to stirp its aggression They were
not asking fur military intervention because they
know that if a war doe* start, there will be no
winners, only survivor*, and not many of them
They were asking the United State* to help
prevent a war. to help present Taiwan from
being swallowed up by Chin*, and to help pre
vent a genocide similar to the one that took
place in Tibet
Three aspects of the demonstration are espe
cially noteworthy
The firs! was the earnestness and intensity of
the demonstrators They were asking for help in
defending ihor country , their home* form
destruction They were asking for help in keep
ing Taiwan safe and free,"
The second aspect was their consideration for
the students and people of mainland China In
America, we usually demonize real and poten
tial enemies, but the demonstrator* emphasized
that their enemy is not the people of China: it is
the Communist gov ernment of China. 'The peo
ple of China .to- like brothers and sisters to u»
We do not want to fight them, we just want to
live in peace and freedom "
The last aspect wa* the reaction of petrple
passing by the demonstration Many of them
look the time to stop and listen Many took the
time to road and sign ihe petition
Others seemed to pass by without even giant
ing toward the demonstrators
I suppose that this is fairly normal, and I
know that getting to classes, the EMU computer
lab. or where* or can seem to be the most impor
tant thing at the moment But it bothered me
that st> many ignored the pleas of the Taiwanese
students
l must admit that I am biased on this subject.
You see, one of the demonstrators is a friend He
is one of the most positive, cheerful. Intelligent
and talented people I have met at the Universe
tv, and the thought that he will probably he
killed If a peaceful solution it not found makes
this conflict personal for roe
Like most people, I feel 4 sympathy and a sad
ness for the victims of the many war* that
plague our planet.
When l hear of the death tolls and atrocities in
Bosnia. Rwanda. Mexic o. El Salvador and East
Timor Ito name just a few}, it adds to the
depressing weight that comes from seeing
repeated examples of mankind's ability to dam
age and destroy almost everything and every
CZZIZI]
one. our mwe examples
remain almost abstractions,
and they bring a dull pain, like
fatigue or exhaustion.
A good friend may die
because of this conflict, and
that makes it more than an
abstraction.
The thought of so many
more people dying brings the
pain of fatigue The thought of
rum Doing Kilted because l Ju
ne's leaders need to shore up their sagging pres
tige and power tiring* a pain as sharp as a hard
blow to the chest Perhaps that is what it takes
to motivate people to take action against inju*
tie*.
China's aggression against Taiwan Is as unjust
a* its invasion of Tibet Taiwan declared its
independence from China in 1M«. and for the
last 47 year* it has operated as a self-governing,
sovereign state.
How Tong does a country have to be self-gov
erning lie (tire the world recognizes it as a sover
eign nation?
If Taiwan sat on an ocean of oil like Kuwait,
the United States. Europe and Japan would be
lining up to ensure its independence from Chi
na. ! ’nfortunatelv. *u < ess to China * enormous
consumer market is a much more powerful lure
than supporting the moral right of Taiwan to
govern itself.
To their c redit. House Republicans passed a
non-binding resolution that says. “U S military
forte* should defend Taiwan in the event of
invasion, missile attack or blockade by the Peo
ple's Republic of (3dna." One li.S. carrier is
already in the area and another is on its wav
Like the Taiwanese students. I would rather
see a non-military solution to this situation To
that end I offer the following suggestion. Slop
buying product* made in China Cert on the
Internet and organize a world-wide, popular
boycott.
I know this sounds simplistic, and I can
already hear the objections: “It won't work." "It
only hurts the workers '' "American business u
a positive influence in China."
But consider this: One way to get someone *
attention is to stap him in the face — the mill
tary “solution.” It doesn't take much to imagine
what happens if China decides to "slap” bach
An alternative is to say. "Look, no one U
going to buy your goods until you stop threaten
ing your neighbors " If such a boycott is only
partially successful. China may decide that the
conquest of Taiwan is not worth the costs
It may he a long-shot, but it's a lot better than
the face-to-face confrontation between two mili
tary super powers that is building right now
And maybe my friend won't be killed.
Ijtrry Ha ft l. senior majoring in journalism, is a
columnist for the Emerald