Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 2002)
5 Opinion The CI ac I< amas P rint WedNEsdAy, FEbRUARy 27, 20 02 Airport security is not just black and white Over the winter breakjmademy way back to Missouri for Christmas, mark ing the first and only time I have flown since Sept 11.1 encountered manynew experiences as I traveled through four different cities, due to increased secu rity at the nation’s airports—including the random selection of individuals for searches as they boarded. I took planes in Portland, Salt Lake City, St. Louis and Phoenix, and each time three people were chosen to step out of line for inspection before board ing. This meant I witnessed 12 indi viduals asked to consent to a search, and out of that dozen, only four were white. Whether it was a Hispanic family or a person of Asian decent, the vast.ma- jority of those I witnessed searched were people of a different race and/or nationality than myself, a white Ameri can. It even became a game that I would play as I waited in line to take my seat on the airplane. I would look over all those who were sharing my flight and decide who the airline’s security personnel would grab for a search. My eyes would scan the throngs of people, first selecting those who were not white, then judging them by their appearance. I gave spe cial credence to die likelihood of a search of any who seemed to have a Middle Eastern appearance, and I am ashamed to admit that I was hardly wrong. I watched in Salt Lake City as a middle-aged African-American male and his daughter were “randomly” selected out of the crowd and then pulled aside to have their carry-on luggage rummaged through in front of all who waited in line. In St Louis, an entire Hispanic family was pulled aside and searched, as was a man of Asian appearance (theonly minority on the flight) in Phoenix. While I was pleased to see the in creased security at the airports, I was ashamed at the manner in which people were picked for the extra search. Finally, I began to try and catch the attention of the employees by acting slightly nervous or “shady,” all to no avail at getting stopped before I boarded. My little experiment says two things: One; my acting was perhaps fair, to say the least But more importantly, a white individual waiting in line for a seat on an airplane could more than likely breeze by the last security checkpoint, more so than a person of color. The more I have thought of my ex perience over the holidays, the more I believe the majority of white people in the United States feel that their race is perfect and therefore not a threat to na tional security. The case of the Taliban fighter and white American, John Walker, reiter ates my point. I think the reason our nation wants to punish, in the most severe manner allowed by law, this “traitor” is because he causes a good number of Americans to feel uncom fortable about their race. After all, Walker is as white as a fro zen turkey and benefited from an up per-middle-class background, yet he ended up fighting for a terrorist regime. His actions raise questions that most people in this country choose not to . answer, or even acknowledge: Walker causes us to feel insecure about our race, because it forces us to not only blame a certain race or nationality, but our American way of life. How easy it is for us American’s to blame those who “look” like they are Keepin’ it real. Nick Barron Business Manager Muslim, rather than think that perhaps it is the individual, not the race, who should be held responsible for the ter rorists actions. Sure, the government of the United States has officially stated its belief that Muslims should not be held responsible for Osama bin Laden’s actions. But is it any different if we kidnap and hold captive an entire nationality, as we did in World War II, than to force them to give up first choice of a seat on an airplane? Having to take an aisle seat over the one by the window is perhaps better than being forced to live in an area surrounded by fences, and it appeared to me that most of those who were ra cially profiled by airline employ ees were more than happy to be searched. But considering they were in a nation that forced an entire race to feed its infant economy by picking its cotton and feeding its mouths, I guess they knew it could be much worse. The point is people of color shouldn’t be expected to accept this. I was one who thought racism died with the 1960s, but what I saw over the holidays em barrassed me. The United States might not openly shackle and beat a race of people anymore. Now we just do it more covertly, so our own consciences can tell us that our nation is truly free for all people. To reach Nick Barron e-mail barronoru@hotmail.com or drop byB-104. Take a risk: Don’ t submit, fight the system There is a myth that surrounds the United States, that it is a great land of opportunity for everybody. Itisclaimed that anyone who works hard will “suc- ceed,” which of course means that Be Human because it is the extreme exception, not the rule. The reality is that the rich are the children of the rich, and their children shall be rich. The poor are the children of the poor, and their children will be poor. Jesse Gurzynski ' Staff Writer SI Someone bom andraisedina Poor neigh- ■■ mm I borhood will they will accumulate a lot of money and property. That is a lie. The poor, it is said, are poor because either they choose to be poor or they are lazy. The wealthy are wealthy be cause they are more “upright” or harder working, or more intelligent If this were true, then capitalistic social Darwinism would certainly be justified; but it is not true. Granted, there are a few real cases of the “rags to riches” myth. It is a myth get a worse education and may have to drop out of school to support his or her family, as have people I’ve known. If poor kids make it through high school with out developing a major drug habit, their opportunities for economic ad vancement are quite poor. As for the drug habit, it’s an easy thing to de velop when one is surrounded by drugs all of life and there is no fore seeable way out of poverty. When Ralph Nader was explain- Letters to the editor... FTE corrections Rank, Thanks for the article on enrollment (The Clackamas Print, 2J2O/O2). We are really booming and it’s good to get the word out I would like to make some correc tions, however. Fall term 2001 FIE (Fall Tenn Enrollment) was up to 14.1% over Fall 2000, not the 14.7% you quoted. The 14.7% figure is in rela tion to our year-to-date F l'E, which is the sum of summer, fall and winter. An- nual FTE in 2000-2001 was only 2.1% greater that 1999-2000FTE, not in the 14.1%youquoted. It seems you were confused over the various time peri ods available. That’s understandable, it can be confusing. “FTE is what the college uses to track how much money is taking in from tuition every year,” is an incor rect statement F1E is the measure by which the college is funded from the state. FIE can be classified as reim bursable or non-reimbursable. The state will pay us only for FI E gener ated from approved instructional ac tivities. Generally, our reimbursable FIE is about 98% of the total FIE we produce. FTE has nothing to do with tuition. Melissa Banks Research Coordinator The Print is great! Dear Clackamas Print, I just wanted to say how much I enjoy your columns and how well you follow up on and cover diverse and important topics—I greatly ap preciate it I would also like to say ho w glad I am that you have Marvin Baker as your guest columnist. I think this column adds a wonderful humorous spunk to The Clackamas Print, thank you for all your efforts and ing his candidacy for president, he out lined many points that illustrate the in equities in the United States. Forex- ample, adjusted for inflation, most work ers make less now and minimum wage is lower than in 1979. And workers are working more hours now. Corporate welfare (do corporations need our tax dollars?) is growing while consumer debt is at an all-time high (over $6 tril lion) and personal bankruptcy is at an all-time high as well. SaidNader, “Per sonal assets are so low that Bill Gates’ net worth is equal to that of the net assets of the poorest 120 million Ameri cans combined. “The top 1 percent of the wealthiest people have mere financial wealth than the bottom 90 percent of Americans combined, the worst inequality among large western nations.” And everyone has equal opportu nity? CEO pay is skyrocketing while the worker’s pay has stagnated, and still people say that those who work hard will succeed. Workers are getting poorer, despite taking second jobs and working overtime. I’m going to ask you to remem ber something. Do you remember about a year and a half ago when the so-called news media was boasting of an oh-so-strong economy, and how great everyone was doing? I’ll bet that you can remember people at that time that you knew taking a second job, or getting laid off, or unable to pay rent, filing for bankruptcy, or go ing into debt. It wasn’t us who were doing fine, it was the rich; and the rich are still doing fine, while our schools and libraries and public works get their budgets cut. Don’t blind yourself with patrio tism. Don’t call the United States the “land of opportunity” as you yourself are screwed out of all chances for economic security. We are not even allowed to be self- reliant: we can’t afford rent on land, can’t afford seeds to start a gar den, aren’t allowed to live anyplace that does not cost money (except prison). We are expected to work our en tire lives away so that we can re tire after we’ve been worn into the ground, but how many retirement age workers are out there without any money to stop working? Screw the lies about opportunity and screw wasting the prime of life (and the rest of it as well) in a stu pid job. We are left with two choices in life: we can take a risk and stop cooperating with the system, working hard to survive but at least living somewhat; or we can take the easy route, getting a job and signing our life away. The second option is a no-brainer be cause the system is set up to let most people at least barely get by as long as they play by the rules and don’t think. I’ll take the first hard work. Also, a big thanks to the grounds, building maintenance and cafeteria crews who work very hard as well. Sincerely, Rebecca Neal “No. I mean, grown men prance across the ice wearing glittery outfits. To me, that is as embarrassing as it gets.” Actors do the same thing in a sense when they are playing a certain character. Figure skaters are amazing. I for one can not do the a cup of coffee in public restau rants. We have been either put out in the cold or into a small room with no ventilation. I work at Fred Meyer, and we are lucky enough to have a smoking room. If the college decided to put up a few shelters around campus with a bench, that would be great. As it is though, with the new smok ing policy (no smoking within 25 feet of an entrance), we are usu ally forced out into the weather. It was my choice to smoke, no one made me do it. I accept full responsibility for my actions. But, I think that it is a little excessive when we are forced to enjoy our habits out in the rain when all they have to do is build a small shelter like they have at bus stops. I don’t think that is too much too ask. Austin Fields Sent via e-mail Thank you, Allison Hi Allison, This is just a note to thank you for your extremely well written ar ticle about the Covell/Winfield presentation in the 2-20-02 Print. It was interesting, informative, and as far as I could tell, contained zero factual errors or typos. Well done! Ray Conklin CCC Automotive Department Chairman Respect skating! Why are you making fun of a sport that many worldwide enjoy? things they do, can you? Anyway, I was just wondering why you had to make light/fun of figure skating and the events that have happened? Jessica McFall Sent via e-mail Rights for smokers Salena- I found your article in The Print to be quite interesting. As a smoker, I have a few opinions. First off, when is enough enough? Smokers are no longer allowed to smoke when having option. To reach Jesse Gurzynski e-mail hetevodox@onedox.com or drop by B-104.
