ommentary
Clackamas Print
Wednesday, Feb.7, 2007
3
ace Off: US troop surge
far in Iraq is a fact;,
vw should we cope?
Give diplomacy a
fair shot; save lives
llzabeth Hitz
and are opposed to send
ing more troops into Iraq.
I The Clackamas Print
Sen. Chuck Hagel said, “To
put the American military
Driving around town, as the only remedy in the
there is always a flag situation is a huge mistake,
pole within sight. I can’t and this is where, I think,
remember the last time the you need robust, sustained,
American flag wasn’t at ongoing diplomacy, which
half-staff to show mourning we have never really prac
for all the men and women, ticed publicly in [Iraq].”
We all know that the
young and old, who have
lost their lives in the war Iraqis don’t like us very
much, therefore making
in Iraq.
The ' fall; of Saddam diplomacy more difficult.
Hussein was a victory for There is, however, no harm
all the nations, but he left a in trying.
So far, the United States
huge power vacuum. Filling
that vacuum and bringing spends about $7 billion a
back a sense of month on the war. It has
normalcy
is been projected that it could
going, to take reach $570 billion by the
some time,’ end of 2010.
Since the war began
but at what
in early 2003, the United
cost?
States has lost 3,099 lives,
including
2,5000
casual
“The fall
ties
in
c o m -
of Saadam
bat. The
Hussein
Pentagon
was a vic
has
tory for all
showed
the nations,
concern
that they
but he left a
w o n ’ t
huge power
be able
vacuum.”
to
sus-
tain the
current
Liz Travers
amount
The Clackamas
of troops
Print
without
using
rotation
and calling in the National
Guard. Even that may not
be enough.
The president calls this
a war on terror, but Iraqi
civilians aren’t the only
ones suffering. Terror
“
is
felt by every mother who
watches the news in the
evening, praying with all
she has that her child’s
name won’t be listed. It’s
also felt by the children of
troops, who don’t under
stand why mommy or daddy
Spokesman
Bryan isn’t coming home again.
This war was started
Whitman said the Pentagon
estimates that the surge is with different intentions,
projected to cost $5.6 bil that proved to be false,
lion. This would allow for and now we are paying the
about four months of oper consequences. It is a fact
ation. Defense Secretary that the U.S. needs to finish
Robert Gates says $5.6 bil what they started, but peace
lion will not last close to a can hever be bought with
blood.
year:
“Those of us involved in
the process thought of it in
terms of months, rather than
18 months or two years.”
The real question is:
What is the human cost?
Some politicians are try
ing a different approach
first-hand experience, or send
[je Clackamas Print
military analysts over to Iraq to
get the picture piece of “the big
picture”?
Almost 20 years ago, we
It seems to this journalist that
ilked away from Iraq. Sure, the American government has a
¡and 31 other nations saved recent history of acting blindly
or little Kuwait - but we without taking a moment to
led to properly leash Iraq, step back and breathe.
igave them rules, but did not
Maybe if they miss a beat,
force them. We sent inspec- the war, the nation and the
s, but never looked off the world will fall apart. But more
¡ten path.
likely is the idea that for all
1 agree with the common the long powwows our politi
ntra that the war in Iraq was cians conduct, they either do
ibably based more on money,
not have enough information
and corporations than actual to act properly, or they have no
aals or self-defense. But I grasp of political and military
o believe that the war was strategy.
■ that would
Whatever the
k happened
case, our politi
mer or later.
cians and military
Saddam
“
Saddam
commanders need
s like a five-
to start working
was like a
ir-old who
together,
rather
cd taunting
five-year-
than getting into
dd powers
constant
dead
old who
i flaunting
locks that prevent
liked
taunt
disregard
any action by the
the rules
ing world
United States. We
t enough to
are at war, people;
powers.
ive they did
it is not a bloody
I really apply
game of bridge.
him - with-
I ever really
Elizabeth Hitz
airing them.
The Clackamas
Whether or
I he crossed
c line— -this-
s, he would
® eventually
rot to mention the atroci-
ihe enforced throughout his
ine.
But putting aside why we
ited the war, or whether we
«Id have even gone to war
II Iraq to begin with, we did
to war. And because we did,
have a responsibility to Iraq
the aggressor to help build a
lie government.
If we were to withdraw our
tes from Iraq completely
the near future, the conse-
nces might be drastic next
e. As Sen. John McCain '
Ariz.) stated, “If we walk
iy from Iraq, we’ll be
i, possibly in the con-
4
I of a wider war in the
lid’s most volatile
ion.”
Ike main question at
(point seems to be: Are
re American troops
tired in Iraq to keep
peace, or would
y simply stunt any
apt by a fledg-
1 Iraqi government
train its own
ice force?
But instead
committees and
appointing
a
f general every
) months, why
sn’t anyone ask
troops who have Photo
I
Illustration by Rachel Gillette Clackamas Print
he .
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C o -E dttors - in -C hiee : Sam Krause,
Katie Wilson
Copy E ditor : Colleen Watkins
N ews E ditor : Megan Koler
C o -C ommentary E ditors : Matt Olson,
David Thomas Admael Stark XIII
F eature E ditor : Laura Cameron
S ports E ditor : Mike Guidice
A&E E ditor : Tayo Stalnaker
P hoto E ditor : Adam J. Manley
Liz Travers
A d M anages : Elizabeth Hitz
S taff W riters : Nicholas
Alexandria Vallelunga
P hotographers : Juno Dean,
Brandymarie Faulhaber
Baker, Benjamin Caldwell, Leia
Dickerson, Jennifer Jenkins, Frank
Jordan, Jennesa Palmer, Dustin
D epartment A dviser : Linda Vogt
Ragsdale, Andrea Simpson, Jeff
Sorensen, Ott Tammik, Liz Travers D epartment S ecretary : Christine
P roduction A ssistants : Jesse
j
Dees, Joseph Elliot, Rachel
-
Gillette, Andrea Simpson,
Jammin 95.5 s
‘Playhouse ’DJs top
the list of pinheads
For six years now, the Portland
area has been subjected to some
of the biggest pinheads in history:
the hosts of Jammin 95.5’s morn
ing show, The Playhouse.
The hosts of The Playhouse
think they’re funny and original.
They’re not, and anyone who
thinks otherwise needs to rethink
their life and figure out why they
have such bad taste.
Every morning, The Playhouse
does the same, pointless bits that
every other morning show does:
lame prank phone calls, trivia call-
in games purposely made easy so
the hosts can make fun of call
ers who answer incorrectly, gross
stunts involving various bodily
fluids and lots of gags involving
the less-fortunate members of our
society, so the hosts can feel better
about their pitiful, worthless lives.
Case in point, the “Special Jen”
incident.
Afewyearsago,
had a mentally-disabled girl
(whom they called “Special Jen”)
participate in a .contest called
“Adopt-a-Hottie.” She was then
questioned about her bathroom
habits, which eventually led to
her pants dropping and everyone
mocking her.
P.K., head host and founder
of 7%e Playhouse, needs to leave
the Portland area. He brought his
crappy show here from'Florida in
2000, and has since been a threat
to the Portland way of life.
For example, in July 2006, P.K.
allegedly stated, “When I hear on ‘
TV that a cyclist has been hat and
killed by a car, I laugh; I think it’s
funny. If you are a cyclist, you
should know I exist, that I don’t
care about you, that I don’t care
about your fife.”
P.K. later said, in an interview
with
Portland Mercury, that
that wasn’t his actual on-air state
ment, and that he actually said, “If
you’re going to act like an idiot on
a bike and you’re going to run stop
signs and pretend you’re a car, and
we get into a fender bender and
something happens to you, I’m
not going to care about you.”
Be that as it may, only a true
pinhead makes asshole comments
like that. However, P.K. did later
apologize for his comment, and
even went on a bicycling’tour of
Portland with a group of cyclists.
However, P.K. is friends with Lars
Larson, so he’s still a pinhead.
Lastly, I’m disgusted that ASG
insists on having Jammin’ 95.5
come to most of their campus
events. It sickens me that ASG
supports the same station that airs
The Playhouse. ASG, please, get
another radio station to sponsor
your little shindigs -
77ze Playhouse pinhead rating:
5/5 (It would’ve been a four,; but
they are nationally syndicated.)
G oals : The Clackamas Print aims
to report the news in an honest,
unbiased, professional manner.
The opinions expressed do not
necessarily reflect those of the stu
dent body college administration,
its faculty or Ute Print. E-mail
comments to chiefed@dackamas.
edu.