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S 2598 Willamette St.
s Eugene, OR • 342-4041 M-F: 10-7, Sat: 9-6, Sun: 10-5
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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
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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;
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