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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2002)
Buy, Trade, and Consign NEW AND USED Sports and Exercise Equipment • Skateboards • Bicycles • Snowboards • Roller Blades • Fitness Equipment • Golf • Soccer S 2598 Willamette St. s Eugene, OR • 342-4041 M-F: 10-7, Sat: 9-6, Sun: 10-5 FTD Eugene’s Flower Home The University Florist Get Ready for the Class of2002 Graduation! ■00^ Beautiful flowers say *Congratulations” “Good Luck” “I Love You ” Roses by the stem or dozen Hand tied hunches $5.99 “Aloha” orchid leis order $22.50 485-3655 610 E. 13 th @ Patterson eugenesflowerhome.com Owners U of 0 Alums! Delivery worldwide Since 1922 24 hr order service NEED CASH ? We buy used texts and other good books throughout the year 768 East 1 3th 525 Willamette (541) 345-1651 (541) 343-4717 one block from U of O near the Post Office www.smithfamilybookstore.com We can learn and change from remembering events of Sept. 11 Nine months ago today, America was a pretty normal place. A plane could fly overhead with out any concerns. People looked out the windows of the country’s tallest skyscrapers with the only thing on their minds being the beautiful view. Of course, what happened the next day changed our lives forever. It is difficult for many of us to fully understand what happened on Sept. 11. The closest a majority of the country ever came to the World Trade Center was through our television sets. Although many people have tried, I can’t even begin to imagine how the lives of those directly affected by the tragedy have changed. Since Sept. 11, the country has risen up in a patriotic storm. You can’t drive around anymore without seeing a “God Bless Letter ?^r Head did_ Written Home Lately?? ■ Cards & Stationery ■ Journals ■ Wrapping Paper ■ Photo Albums ■ Wedding Invitations 1801 Willamette Street 343^374 America” bumper sticker on a minivan. But why couldn’t we have cared a little bit about our country before the terrorists at tacked us? It was our su perficial urge to boost our stock portfo lios, eat our fast food and turn on our satellite tele visions that made the ter rorists do what they did. As a country, we had lost touch with the basic freedoms we enjoy. It is pathetic for people to think that by put ting a bumper sticker on their car, somehow they understand and everything will be all right. It is also pathetic that it took such a tragedy to bring the Unit ed States to this level of patriot ism, even if it is a false one. For me and my fellow graduates from the University, life has gone on since Sept. 11. Unless we boarded an airplane or crossed the border, our everyday lives consist ed of the same regimen that exist ed before the hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As our generation enters the world, though, we will carry the impact of Sept. 11 with us. Like our grandparents who lived through World War II, our generation will be more intent on funding the military. We will also take a greater interest in what our government is doing, Oliver Columnist not only domestically, but also around the world. For most of our lives, political leaders have slipped through the cracks of responsibility. Now, every little move they make will be watched. At the same time, though, we will trust our leaders more than ever before. We were a self-interested coun try before Sept. 11. Many of us ig nored any news of what was hap pening in other parts of the world. Now we understand that we live in a culture that is dependent on the world as a whole. We are grad uating at the height of the infor mation age, so there is no excuse to not pay attention. Wherever you end up after leav ing Eugene, wake up every morn ing and read the newspaper, and watch the news before you go to bed every night. In between, use the endless supply of sources through the Internet and read from newspapers around the world. In all things, remain criti cal, and if you have questions, then find the answers. Sept. 11 was a wake-up call to the United States that knocked us off our high horse, and with much respect to the families of those who lost their lives, it was good for us. We’re never going to forget what happened on Sept. 11, but as the future leaders of our country, is it our responsibility to learn from it. We should be thinking not only about how to prepare if it ever happens again, but also about what we can do so nobody ever thinks of doing it again. E-mail columnist Jeff Oliver at jeffoliver@dailyemerald.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Emerald. MM; 707 WILLAMETTE ST. • 683-5160 Our Mistake, YOUR PRICE BREAK!” WE ARE QUEEN SET *259°° 10-Year Warranty KING SET $459°° 10-Year Warranty Bring in this ad for FREE DELIVERY KBU O/IO OCnft Mon - Sat 9-6. Sun 11 ^5 ».4075 W. .11 th • 040"^DyU
