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Tuesday, February 18,2003
i j '* V y
--OregonDailyEmerald
Commentary
Editor in Chief:
Michael J. Kleckner
Managing Editor
Jessica Richelderfer
Editorial Editor
Pat Payne
Editorial
Speak up while
you still can,
before bombs
begin to drop
Scenario No. 1: After 18 months of inspections, all
seems to have returned to normal in Iraq, and terror
ists, acting under the auspices of Saddam Hussein,
unleash biological attacks on cities in America,
Britain, Turkey and Australia. People are running in
the streets, skin peeling from their dying bodies. May
hem ensues, as retaliatory attacks ensure a global
outbreak of warfare.
Scenario No. 2: America invades Iraq in late
March, acting with only a few allies, as the rest of the
world has become increasingly hostile to U.S. impe
rialism. Muslim allies rush to Iraq’s aid, and Iraq fires
missiles at Israel. As violence spirals into mass war
fare, al-Qaida terrorists have easier access into
America, and attacks at home and abroad on U.S.
targets increase. People are running in the streets,
comforting the bloody bodies of their loved ones as
U.S. soldiers die in the Middle East.
Scenario No. 3: With all of the hubbub about Iraq,
toward the end of the year North Korea gets increas
ingly desperate and launches a nuclear missile at an
undisclosed location on the West Coast. The sudden,
jarring violence galvanizes Americans into supporting
a full-on war that soon grows to include much of Asia.
People are sick in the streets from the fallout and
suddenly Iraq isn’t so important.
None of these scenarios are that far from possible,
and the ideas in them are not mutually exclusive.
Our intent isn’t to frighten, but people should be
afraid — afraid of foreign policy, afraid of an interna
tional response to worldwide events that ends up cre
ating more crises.
Weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and tyran
ny are real threats in today’s global picture, and the
way America and the international community
choose to respond to those threats will determine the
way people, countries and religions interact with each
other for the rest of the century.
So just sit back in class and turn the page. Read some
thing else, something harmless, something non-threat
ening. Worry about parties on the weekend and
midterms and getting a new car. Worry about the Oscars.
The teachable moment that exists for the world in
how humans treat one another, in how humans deal
with threats — it’s not your business. The leaders will
make decisions without you. No one needs you out in
the streets, protesting, or counterprotesting, or count
er-counterprotesting. Let someone else set the agen
da. Our leaders know what they’re doing, after all,
and they have only our best interests in mind. Leave
it to the professionals.
Was that sarcastic enough? We’ll try it again, this
time without the sarcasm.
No matter how you feel about war, or Iraq, or al
Qaida, or imperialism; no matter how you think the
problems the world faces should be handled — the
time to join the conversation is now. Stand up and
say what’s right. Demand that your voice be counted
when the decisions are made. Do it now, while you
still can.
Consistency in the Middle East
With too many troops deployed in
the Middle East to back out now, the
Bush administration has no choice but
to attack Iraq in order to save face.
However, it is high time we returned to
a high-profile in
ternational debate
that has recently
been denied the
public limelight it
consumed not too
long ago.
The Israeli-Pales
tinian conflict has
largely taken the
journalistic back
burner, but last
week’s occurrences
should have infuri
ated those who could tear their eyes
away from the mainstream media’s con
tinual regurgitation of political allega
tions, smoke signals and half-truths.
Last week was the four-day holiday
celebrated by Muslims called Eid
al-Adha, the end of the annual pilgrim
age to Mecca. On Feb. 11, President
Bush issued this statement: “The
Quran teaches that the sacred feast of
Eid al-Adha is a time for Muslims to join
family and friends in thanking the
Almighty for His many blessings and to
reflect on the great sacrifice and devo
tion of Abraham.” How sweet.
A day later, The New York Times re
ported that an eight-year-old Palestin
ian boy was shot dead on the same day
as Bush’s statement when “security
Meghann
Farnsworth
Just think about it
forces” opened fire on a group of people
throwing stones at them in the West
Bank city of Qalqilya. The Israel Com
mittee Against House Demolitions said
in June of last year that “if Palestinians
are to be held accountable for their ter
rorist actions, then Israel must be held
accountable for the structural violence
inherent in its occupation.” We cannot
condemn one act of terrorism and sup
port another.
I am not anti-Israel — I believe
that the Jewish people deserve their
own state. It’s unfortunate, however,
that this state happens to be on land
previously occupied by others. Bush
gives continual lip service to Muslims
around the world and then turns the
other cheek when Israel commits
atrocities against Muslims and breaks
U.N. resolutions — which is a big
complaint against Iraq.
Israel has more than 40 U.N. resolu
tions against it — more than Saddam
Hussein — including U.N. resolutions
242 and 338 that call for Israel’s with
drawal from the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, lands occupied by Israel since
1967. More recently, the U.N. General
Assembly attempted to pass a resolution
that called for Israel to “stop encroach
ing” on Palestinian lands. There were
185 nations to vote in favor of this reso
lution, with only the United States, Is
rael and Micronesia voting against it.
In addition to violating numerous
U.N. resolutions, Israel is in violation
of the Fourth Geneva Convention, reg
ulating occupying powers. Article 49 of
the Convention states that “individual
or mass forcible transfers, as well as
deportations of protected persons from
occupied territory to the territory of '
the occupying power or to that of any
other country, occupied or not, are
prohibited, regardless of their motive.”
In addition, Article 49 states that “the
occupying power shall not deport or
transfer parts of its own civilian popu
lation into the territory jt occupies.”
These two resolutions apply to the
post-1967 occupation of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip.
Finally, the U.S. government violates
its own policy by financing Israel. Arti
cle 2 of “The Foreign Assistance Act of
1961” forbids the United States from
giving military aid to any government
that engages in human rights violations.
Israel has been accused of human rights
abuses by international human rights
organizations including Amnesty Inter
national. The Christian Science Moni
tor in December of 2002 stated that
“since 1973, Israel has cost the United
States about $1.6 trillion. If divided by
today’s population, that is more than
$5,700 per person.”
The United States cannot afford to be
inconsistent in its foreign policy and
should apply pressure in all areas where
oppression is taking place.
Contact the columnist
atmeghannfarnsworth@dailyemerald.com.
Her views do not necessarily represent
those of the Emerald.
Letters to the editor
Iraq resolution would
become shallow rhetoric
I respect the faculty for their knowl
edge and their pursuit for action, truth
and peace. But all of these pursuits will
be set back if they bring the institution
into the Iraq debate. I’m afraid that if
the resolution passes, the validity of
the University and those who fall under
the umbrella of the University will be
diminished. Why is this the moment
the faculty has chosen to come togeth
er to speak as one voice?
Why has there not been a position by
the University that more aid should be
given to the African people, who are be
ing slowly eradicated by the AIDS epi
demic that is ravaging that continent?
Was there any unity to scold the United
Nations and the United States when
they sat complacently, watching
400,000 die in Rwanda? Was there any
unity of the faculty against America giv
ing China Most-Favored-Nation status?
Was there any call for the United Na
tions to save the million Iraqis who died
in the past 12 years because a tyrant
blamed sanctions for starvation while
he built palace after palace?
Let the faculty and the students on
campus rise together with millions
across the world going to the street
saying ‘not in our name.’ Do not let
this just cause of peace erode into po
litical, shallow rhetoric. We need a
peaceful resolution as soon as possi
ble. I don’t want to see another Front
line special of a woman being decapi
tated, her head displayed on a
storefront showing that Saddam Hus
sein loves his people.
Jason Payton
sophomore
economics
“Short” people need
affirmative action
I can certainly agree with Jason Blei’s
letter ‘White privilege allows no con
cern for other races” (ODE, Feb. 12),
regarding white privilege. As a person
who is below average height — 5-foot
3-inches — who is oppressed by soci
ety’s ingrained ideas of tallocratic
height supremacy, I understand the
need for special programs to create
equality and help oppressed groups.
Tall people have privilege in this so
ciety that “short” people do not:
They’re more respected, aren’t
ridiculed on television shows, aren’t
judged negatively because of their
stature, are not as often victims of im
perialist ventures by first world nations
and can reach the top shelf.
Given these and other manifestations
of sizeist oppression, I ask that the sys
tem extend the hand of affirmative ac
tion to us to make up for the millennia
of oppression that they’ve inflicted on
us through their bigotry, dominance and
violent ways.
Lucas Szabo
sophomore
political science