Opinion _____________ L
WedNEsdAy, NovEMbER 14, 2001
Tir e CT ac I camas P rint
Embrace America’s diversity
ince the Declaration of In cussions of these actions. Mus
dependence was penned, lims are not the culprits, not any
people have looked to the more than Caucasians, Hispan
United States for liberty and free
ics, or African-Americans. Have
dom, but since
the terrorist at
tacks of Sept. 11,
the people of the
United States
have been find
ing new av
Salena De La Cruz
enues for their
Opinion Editor
rage. People of
different colors
who appear to be of Muslim ori we not learned from our previ
gin have been openly harassed ous mistakes such as the Salem
and attacked for the color of their Witch Trials, where so many
skin and the obscure possibility were wrongly accused.
that they had something to do
I pity the people who are ha
with these attacks.
rassing and attacking people
We need to stop the hate. who just wanted a chance at free
Granted, the people that flew the dom and liberty. These are our
planes killing thousands of brothers and sisters. How dare
people and injuring so many were you make yourself judge, jury
filled with hatred, though they and executioner for people that
believed it to be for a greater have not been found guilty by a
good or God. I am sorry so many court of our great nation.
lives were lost and so many more
I have heard so many reported
affected. But to place blame attacks that I shudder at the
where it does not belong only thought. I am of Mexican de
fans the flames of further reper scent and my skin is brown in
S
Say It Loud
&
Proud!
color. Will I be subject to such
attacks next? Though I was
born and raised in Oregon, I
sometimes wonder. When will
I or someone I love be ha
rassed or hurt because of their
skin color? When will it all
end? The only way I ever see
this happening is when
people realize that you cut us
open we’d all bleed the same.
My friend’s sister mar
ried a French-Arab and he is
Muslim. Her grandmother
called her dad after the attacks
and said if she didn’t leave her
husband they would basically
disown her. Family is suppose
to be there for you and if they
won’t, then who will? It’s that
kind of bigotry that is fanning
these flames.
I pray that my American brothers
and sisters will unite against this
hatred and demand it to stop. I am
only one voice, but one voice with a
cause. One voice can turn so many
others by just opening their ears. If
you see someone being harassed or
attacked, speak out. You could be
the one voice that is heard.
Belief: an idea worth fighting for
JOELSHEMPERT
an American destroyer. We are
unwilling to accept or under
Contributing Writer
stand war on the behalf of
It is a commonly held dictum anyone’s beliefs—except our
that ideologies and dogmas are own.
the cause of wars, oppression
It is perhaps the veil of secu
and suffering in general. To be rity (recently shattered), the long
lieve in something,
years of
particularly some
shelter
thing religious, is in
from many
creasingly associated
life-and-
"Belief is a posi-
with cruelty and evil,
death d iffi-
tive thing, some
until belief itself is
c u 11 i e s,
suspect.
that make
thing to go to
Our nation is even
us
ask,
ward..."
now waging war on a
“why
Joel Shempert
people whose beliefs
would
Contributing Writer
stand in stark con
people
trast to the majority of
kill?” The
ours. There seems to
late
be very little effort in
songwriter
the general public to understand Rich Mullins once wrote, “I
these people. A national agnos wasn’t too sold on the idea that
ticism instead reigns: “Why disbelief in war would bring
would anyone want to harm about peace...I could easily
America?” is the baffled, shoul imagine wanting to fight another
der-shrugging slogan of our human being. I could imagine
leaders and their parrots in the hunger and I could imagine (or,
more honestly, I would remem
media and populace.
The label of fanatic or madman ber) greed. I could imagine rage
rolls easily off our lips, while we over injustice and I could imag
forget that our national history, ine honest (even if mistaken)
beginning with its founding, is fear...I can imagine, remember
predicated upon that very power and even presently see a lot of
of human conviction. But we are things that would make someone
not charitable enough to extend want to fight another person.
that right to others. Leave aside And worse, I suspect that a
for a moment the despicability of world emptied of these things
slaying civilians on commercial would be no more peaceful—it
aircraft; we have no tolerance or would just be more dead.”
If a thing is worth having, then
understanding for even purely
military acts of resistance, such it is worth fighting for, even at
as last year’s “terrorist” attack on times dying for. This may be the
yi 77
- -
basis of war but is also the foun
dation for the best things that
have been established in this or
any civilization. It may also one
day be the pavement on the road
to long sought-after peace.
Mullins continues, “The person
who doesn’t believe in gravity is
no more apt to fly than the per
son who does believe in it.
Chances are, the person who be
lieves in gravity...is more likely
to discover the secret of flight
than the one who denies the re
ality of weight.”
Belief in a positive thing, some
thing to go toward, is worth
more than the most powerful of
denials and refutations. Once a
foundation of belief is secure, the
greatest of waves may not batter
it down.
We as a culture, however, do
not understand this force of con
viction. Our “beliefs” are heart
felt, even vehement, but they are
shadowy and even malleable.
We do not understand the cur
rent of ideas, or the viewpoints
of others, especially not of oth
ers overseas, in lands vilified by
the press and warred against by
the state. We do not understand
the Muslim religiously or the
Middle-Easterner politically—do
not even understand him enough
to disagree.
We once took up arms, once
gave up our lives, for an ideal.
Until we understand this convic
tion in others, we will never be at
peace, with them, or with our
selves.
7
All you want and more...
The CI ac I camas P rint
T error T racking
11/12/01
NEW YORK-A plane crashes into
a suburban area with more than 260
people on board. Terrorism has not
been ruled out. Investigations con
tinue.
11/10/01
WASHINGTON-Airline passen
gers welcome troops, but hope for
more security at airports.
NEW YORK-Charges to be
dropped against firefighters in
volved in clash with police at
Ground Zero.
WASHINGTON-Polls: Support for
military action remains high; few
want suspension of military action
during Ramadan.
WASHINGTON-Veterans groups
ride wave of patriotism in wake of
terrorist attacks to boost member
ship. - ,
AFGHANISTAN-Bin Laden claims
to have nuclear weapons in inter
view with Pakistani newspaper.
FRANCE-French agents detain
five in anti-terrorist sweep.
AFGHANISTAN-Taliban acknowl
edge they lost key city of Mazar-e-
Sharif to opposition.
AFGHANISTAN-The Taliban ac
knowledged Saturday that they
lost the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and
an opposition commander said an
attack on the capital, Kabul, would
start within days.
WASHINGTON-Secretary 6f State
Powell suggests turning Kabul
into an "open city."
AFGHANISTAN-Northern Alli
ance is able to oust the ruling mili
tia from Kabul, Secretary of State
Colin Powell said.
NEW YORK-Woman charged with
helping hijackers establish resi
dency pleads guilty to unrelated
charge.
NEW YORK-Czech Prime Minis
ter says terrorist Atta contacted
Iraqi agent about a bomb plot in
Europe.
NEW YORK-Official count of dead
and missing from terrorist attacks
confirmed.
NEW YORK-Judge orders tests at
post office, but refuses to close
nearby distribution center.
NEW YORK-A federal judge or
dered anthrax testing-at a huge
Manhattan post office.
NEW YORK-New Jersey finds an
thrax at four more post offices
linked to Hamilton processing
center.
NEW YORK-Four New Jersey
post offices were closed for clean
ing after tests found traces of an
thrax in mail-sorting areas of the
buildings.
Information compiled from KATU sources as well as The
Oregonian.
Do you want to go head to
head with one of our
writers?
Bring it on!
Send your
xcprint@clackamas.cc.or.h
^^^^£gvords or s\
104 with it saved o