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Thursday, December a, aoio | The Red * Black
Carey O’Neil | Managing Editor me@randb.com
Cowtmy Holbrook | Opinions Editor opinlons@randb.com
U.S. must ratify
START II Treaty
Ronald Reagan set
forth on an ambi
tious goal to reduce
the number of nuclear
warheads in the two most
dangerous countries in the
world the United States
and the USSR. Reagan
was committed to reduc
ing the world’s two largest
nuclear arsenals by one
third.
He did so with the
Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty, or START.
Today, President
Barack Obama aims to do
something similar. Obama
has made it clear he too is
committed to reducing the
nuclear arsenals of the
United States and Russia
by one-third.
Asa result, his adminis
tration has negotiated the
START H Treaty. In his
words, “This is not a tradi
tionally Democratic or
Republican issue, but
rather an issue of
American national securi
ty.”
Despite these biparti
san endorsements, the
Senate has yet to consent
to ratify this treaty.
Asa Security
Leadership Fellow at the
Center for International
Trade & Security at the
University, I am focused on
the issues of strategic
trade management and
nonproliferation. The
views expressed here do
not reflect the values and/
or opinions of CITS.
However, I am committed
to a real discussion of this
important issue.
Many people have said
this treaty isn’t beneficial
to America because nucle
ar weapons actually make
us safer. Do they? Perhaps
—but probably not.
There is a theory in
international relations
called mutually assured
destruction. This theory
asserts that nuclear weap
ons make the world safer
because no country would
dare to use a nuclear
weapon.
The reason? Not only
would that nuclear weap
on destroy the enemy, but
the enemy still has enough
time to launch their own
nuclear weapons, thereby
ensuring that both coun
tries destroy each other.
Sounds great, right?
So, more nuclear weap
ons might not be so safe,
but there still might be
some people who say it is
worth the risk. They say
we need to maintain our
deterrence.
Well, it’s a good thing
this treaty doesn’t take
that away from us.
Together, the United
States and Russia possess
about 95 percent of the
more than 20,000 nuclear
weapons in the world,
according to the Center for
Arms Control and Non-
soundiffe
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|Adam
fljgfc Weber
Proliferation. Reducing
this number by one-third
leaves more than 12,500
nuclear weapons between
the two hardly what I
would call getting rid of
our deterrence.
The Senate should con
sent to ratify the treaty
because it favors the
United States.
The treaty allows both
countries to keep a high
number of submarine
launched ballistic missiles
while limiting the numbers
of intercontinental ballistic
missiles, or heavy ICBMs.
These SLBMs are
favored by the United
States, and much harder
to take out with a preemp
tive strike than the heavy
ICBMs favored in Russia’s
arsenal. The treaty allows
us to keep our superior
weapons advantage and
our deterrent advantage
while Russia has to give
up some of its best weap
ons.
The treaty also helps
U.S. diplomacy. Ratifying
this treaty sends a clear
message to the world that
the United States is willing
to work with others on
common security threats.
It shows that the United
States views Russia not as
another future enemy, but
rather as a potential stra
tegic partner.
This bolsters U.S. credi
bility in calling for North
Korea and Iran to stop
their nuclear programs as
well as giving Russia a rea
son to continue cooperat
ing with us in putting pres
sure on Iran.
Lastly, this treaty estab
lishes extensive verifica
tion measures. These let
us know how many weap
ons they have and where
they are.
If the Senate does not
consent to ratify the new
START Treaty there will
be no measures to verify
Russia’s weapons.
As Ronald Reagan said,
“Trust, but verify.”
Ratifying this treaty
simply makes sense. It
does a good thing for the
world, and a good thing for
the United States.
The Senate should put
aside their political differ
ences and consent to ratify
this commonsense,
American treaty.
Adam Weber is a
senior from Lawrenceville
majoring in
international affairs
and political science and
is a security leadership
fellow at the Center
for International
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Opinions
SARMMINN/
Relationships need a deal-breaker
I’ve never had trouble saying no.
“No” probably was my favor
ite word as a kid. That and
“cookie.” My blunt personality
doesn’t allow me to cave in to
someone else’s demands very often.
So I still say no. All the time.
I’m a guilt-tripper’s worst night
mare.
“No” is one of the few truly
magic words. It even gives “please”
a run for its money. “Please”
sounds whiny in comparison. A
firm “no” is like an auditory back
bone —with it comes strength,
confidence and conviction.
So it surprises me time and
again on this campus when I see
other people having difficulty say
ing no to each other, to say a rela
tionship is over, to say no when the
other person presses too hard.
My god, it’s just one syllable and
it’s got the power to get you out of
situations you really don’t want to
be in. Why not use it?
More than that, what is it about
romantic love that causes us to
shrink away from saying no, from
setting boundaries with our part
ners and enforcing them?
The guilt that comes with disap
pointing a loved one? But which is
worse: a little guilt now, or being
consumed with resentment later
after letting yourself get pressured
into doing something you don’t
want to do?
I’ll tell you now the first leads
to a better mutual understanding
between you and your significant
other, while the second is an
expressway to your own personal
hell. A personal hell fraught with
regrets and your own hurt feelings.
This isn’t to say we shouldn’t
engage in compromise. We should.
On things that don’t matter. The
minutia of everyday life belong on a
sliding scale of values; your emo
tional needs don’t.
Christians must not
promote prejudices
Jonathan Rich (“Oppressed
must create identities,” Dec. 1)
asks “Christian homophobes” to
answer, “How does love cause us to
fall short of God’s grace?”
I’ll answer as a Christian, not a
homophobe, with, “It doesn’t, and
sorry we ever made you feel that
way.” Believers, do we realize how
much we misrepresent God’s love
with hateful prejudices?
No one person is outside grace.
Christians, science shows that
people are bom gay.
But this should come as no real
shock. Jesus also says that drunk
enness is a sin.
A child with an alcoholic parent
is 45 percent more likely to be an
alcoholic himself than a child with
out one. So literally, we are bom
with predispositions for certain
sins. And embraced or not, it
doesn’t change the fact that inequi
ties have been paid for through the
cross. It is our duty to show every
individual that grace because we
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Anita
yyA George
Your boyfriend’s inability to pick
up his socks won’t seem like a big
deal when you’ve caught him
cheating on you for the third time.
Your issue with socks is a pet peeve
and a compromise waiting to hap
pen. It’s not a reason to break up.
But constant cheating in what
was previously established to be a
monogamous relationship? That’s
an automatic, emphatic “No!” In
the face of such blatant betrayal
and disrespect, leaving him is defi
nitely the right thing to do.
Long-term plans, values (like
fidelity) or emotional needs: those
should be relatively non-negotiable.
These require that your romantic
partner fulfill those needs or at the
very least try incredibly hard to
meet them. But for that to happen,
you need to clearly communicate
those needs to your significant
other.
And so you have to establish
deal-breakers. Everyone has at
least one. Deal-breakers are those
crimes of coupledom you’re simply
not willing to deal with in a rela
tionship.
Deal-breakers are essentially like
those “irreconcilable differences”
cited in divorce proceedings.
Things like infidelity, emotional
unavailability, incompatible person
alities or conflicting long-term
goals are some common deal
breakers and vastly different from
pet peeves. It’s important to first
determine which deal-breakers are
most important to you.
Assess what is or isn’t working
in your relationships.
Ask yourself if you’re truly happy
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E-mail and letters from our readers
will never be asked to give more
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KATIE BACK
Freshman, Marietta
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Solutions require action
and not complaints
In my four years at the
University, John Knox’s opinion
columns have been some of my
favorite to read. This semester,
however, he hEis withheld them due
to his disappointment in the direc
tion of the newspaper, according to
a letter to the editor (“Burnett res
ignation creates outcry,” Dec. 1).
That mind-set, to me, is even
more disappointing. Many people
complain about this newspaper, the
opinions presented within it and
the way the news is reported.
This is also echoed on a larger
scale within our country our gov
ernment, the Republicans, the
Democrats and the world at large
are all criticized to no end, and yet,
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based on the ideals set for yourself
or if you’re stuck on that sliding
scale of values, compromising half
your life away to meet someone
else’s needs. Having an honest rela
tionship with yourself is the first
step to having that with someone
else.
Now for the hard part after
you’ve figured out your deal-break
ers, it’s time to enforce them.
Enforcement doesn’t mean pick
ing a fight or withholding affection
until your partner submits to your
demands. It involves giving fair
warning, taking the time to calmly
talk about why fulfilling this need is
important —and then being willing
to walk away from that person if
the need has not been met.
There are ways to remain asser
tive yet diplomatic when having
this discussion with your partner.
The University Health Center’s
Health Promotion department
advocates the use of
“I-statements.” This way, rather
than just blaming the other person,
you’re putting the focus on the
problem, how it makes you feel and
what your partner can do to fix it.
Clear, direct and respectful com
munication is necessary for any
healthy relationship. But it may
not fix everything. Be prepared to
walk away. It will be hard to end a
bad relationship, but it’s far worse
to continue one. You would be
doing a disservice to your partner
and yourself if you refuse to be
open and realistic about what you
need. Or don’t want.
Few lessons from ’Bos pop cul
ture are relevant today, but this
one is apt for setting limits in
romantic relationships: When in
doubt, “just say no.”
Anita George is a senior
from Lilbum majoring in
magazines and psychology
that’s where it ends.
Everyone pledges to move to
another country when their party
isn’t elected rather than putting
any effort into substantial change.
I view Knox’s letter els an
expression of the same mentality.
Whatever happened to being prag
matic? If you think The Red &
Black is destroying Greek reputa
tions, follow Melissa Buckman’s
example suid write a column about
it (“Sorority girls victims of stereo
types,” Nov. 30).
If your take on Wikileaks is in
opposition to my cartoon, argue
your position as well as Jared
Peden did ("Wikileaks harms U.S.
troop safety,” Oct. 28) or better
yet, draw an alternative one. And if
you think The Red & Black has an
“extraordinary emphasis placed on
alcohol and partying,” don’t keep
that to yourself offer an alterna
tive solution. If your columns are
anywhere near as interesting, well
written, and insightful as Knox’s,
they will surely benefit everyone.
SARAH QUINN
Senior, Avondale Estates
Art and art history
Editorial board member* Include Robert Carnes, Courtney Hototook, Cany OHM, Meghan PMnen,
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