Newspaper Page Text
Page 5
Wednesday, October 19,2005
Bush speaks of terror, Luke and Jake vomit
Double Vision
D°npj€ u^iou
By Jake Earl and Luke Abel
lukeandjakearehott@yahoo.com
One of the things
politicians must do
in order to woo the
electorate is simplify the
issues. Most voters don’t
understand the day-to
day work of a politician,
with all the nuances of tax
reform or complexities
of international trade
agreements, so politicians
have to dumb things down
for their supporters.
This simplification
can be harmless, if the
politician is a good person
and is truly concerned for
the welfare of the voters.
Politicians are never
good people though, so
simplification tends to turn
into deception.
Bush’s speech to the
National Endowment for
Democracy and members
of the United States
diplomatic corps last
Thursday on the War on
Terror provides a good
illustration for this point.
Throughout the
Letters to the editor ...
m IJWG:Shdw
some support!
Dear Editor,
As I sat in my apartment
reading The West Georgian
I came across Jim Reaves’
letter (Oct. 12) to you and
I agree 110 percent with
his letter. I am the current
president of The Crew and
have been for two years
now and many people
probably have no idea what
it is.
The Crew is the student
cheering organization for
athletics. You have seen
the tables outside the UCC
and all you want is the free
t-shirt but there is more to
it than that. It is supporting
the teams that represent
our university on the field,
court and sidelines.
Now, to my point: I
realize we are not a large
college like UGA, and
don’t get me wrong, I am a
supporter of them, but our
own football team is in a
5-way tie for Ist place in
the conference, our soccer
team is on a winning streak
and our volleyball team
is doing awesome despite
adjusting to anew coach.
So what is my point
to all of this rambling?
COME SUPPORT YOUR
ATHLETES! They are
students just like you,
they are people just like
you, but they work hard in
practice, in games and in
the classroom so come see
what they have to offer.
Our Volleyball team
has Stephanie Singleton,
who broke the record for
the most aces served in a
career. Jeff Carpenter, who
is the punter for our football
speech. Bush spoke over
and over again about
“radical Islam’’ as if it
were one entity, one giant,
tightly coordinated group
intent on maiming and
bludgeoning “freedom”
into submission. Anyone
that has been conscious
over the past decade
knows that this is not
the case.
Extremism takes
many forms in many
places, including the
United States. Though
radical Islamic terrorist
groups often work
together, there is no
singular leadership
among these groups. But
Bush acknowledges this,
describing radical Islamic
groups as “a loose network
with many branches.”
What he fails to
acknowledge, however,
is that these terrorist
organizations have
different (sometimes
conflicting) goals and
team is thought to be one
of the best players in the
nation, but our teams have
so many other players that
have so much talent and
people never see it because
they are so busy going to
other colleges instead of
supporting their own.
I know tons of people
who played sports in high
school and got to college
and started doing other
things, which is fine, but
that doesn’t mean that they
can’t support the sports
they once played and more
than likely still love.
Thanks and Go Braves!
Heather Hall
President of The Crew
Fort Benning
open to public
Dear Editor,
I am a bit surprised
that West Georgia students,
located just 105 miles
from Fort Benning, would
choose to listen to a speaker
talking about a place he
has not visited when they
themselves could visit,
sit in talk with
students and faculty and
make their own informed
decision about it.
Access to Fort Benning
requires a photo ID; that’s
all it takes to come here.
The Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security
Cooperation, the successor
to the Army’s School of the
Americas, is in Ridgway
Hall and easy to find.
People who come here
only on the protest weekend
can attend our open house
tours on Saturday, Nov.
19. Last year, 432 came
distinct beliefs.
In fact, he explicitly
states otherwise: “These
operatives, fighting on
scattered battlefields, share a
similar ideology and vision
for our world,” and that
“their attacks serve a clear
and focused ideology.”
Although Bush
understands the loose
structure of terrorist
groups, he fails to
distinguish between the
multifaceted groups that
make up what is called
“radical Islam.”
For example, he
come to rely on
a militaristic recklessness
to maintain power and
credibility , and
oversimplifies the i^ies!^
attempts to prove that the
War in Iraq has not increased
the risk of terrorist attacks,
since “the government
of Russia did not support
Operation Iraqi Freedom
and yet the militants killed
more than ISO Russian
schoolchildren in Beslan.”
Was Bush briefed on
in for a dialogue with the
commandant and others;
this year, more than 300
have already requested
tours--high school and
college students and
religious orders.
Students, who usually
have limited resources
anyway, should make sure
their cause is just before
committing to it.
Sincerely,
Lee A. Rials
Western Hemisphere
Institute for Security
Cooperation
Ft. Benning, GA
(706) 545-1923
Greeks should
wear UWG
Dear Editor,
I was very distressed
about some of the examples
that were set by various
greek organizations at the
parade and the football
game. Honestly, what is the
role of greek organizations
on our campus?
From my experiences I
thought greek organizations
were about brotherhood/
sisterhood and for the
advancement of the
campus, community and
the individual fraternities
and sororities. However, I
may be wrong.
The rest that follows is
what I witnessed ...
I understand that
people at UWG are going
here because they chose to,
their family members came
here or for the simple fact
that they could not get into
another institution for one
reason or another. When
did it become a good idea
Beslan? The militants there
were Chechen seperatists,
not some religious zealots
like the kind created by
the Iraq War, but freedom
fighters who have a
legitimate desire (though
they attempt to gain it
through illegitimate means)
for the independence of
their region.
Bush, oddly enough,
chooses to lump the
Chechen rebels together
with every other terrorist
organization with to Islam.
Please do your
homework, Mr. President.
Furthermore, he talks
about a “global struggle,”
and “responding to a
global campaign of fear
with a global campaign
of freedom.” These
phrases are so generalized
and inaccurate that I
feel insulted in their
to support other football
teams and other colleges at
our football games?
This school lacks
spirit! I frequently find
myself perturbed with the
lack of school spirit shown
by the greek organizations.
I’m glad everyone dressed
nicely for the football game
in which we stomped West
Alabama’s Tigers and sent
them home with their tails
between their legs.
Nonetheless, the greek
organizations showed great
support for other schools
by wearing a nice outfit and
another college’s hat.
Why? I’ll admit that
I usually wear another
university’s hat but I never
wear it to a school function.
I’m currently a junior and
finally our football team
is having a good season.
Would it kill everyone to
show some support? I know
everyone does not have the
same views on school spirit
as I do, but if we all did
then I would not be writing
this letter.
If you feel the need
to dress nicely and wear
a baseball cap, I ask you
this: Why not spend a few
bucks on a hat (and two
less beers) and get a UWG
hat from the bookstore?
Left wondering,
Jackson Defendiver
UWG Junior ■
Alumnus votes
against change
Dear Editor,
I have decided not to
vote for the new mascot,
as apparently this is one
of the ways that I have to
exercise my displeasure
with this process. The
other way follows.
When this issue first
use. The existence of
a “global campaign of
fear” is the result of the
Bush Administration’s
oversimplification of
“radical Islam” as a
single entity with a single
purpose, an entity that is
completely fictional.
Bush has yet to
prove that any “global
campaign” even exists,
let alone propose that
we embark on a military
campaign to combat it.
To clarify, by “global
campaign of freedom,”
“freedom” basically means
“the values of the United
States and its economic
allies,” one of which
might be political or
religious or some other
particular freedom.
What are the effects of
this use of Bush’s dumb
it-down language? Bush
wants us to believe that
a unified front of radical
Islamic terrorists acts
from no other motive
but pure evil, cannot
be negotiated with, and
plagues the whole globe.
These accusations might
be true in the cases of
particular groups, but
Bush demonizes all of
these individuals and
refuses to respond to any
of them with anything
emerged months ago, with
a ridiculous, “politically
correct” edict from the
NCAA, I voiced my
opposition to the alumni
committee at that time. I
got a nice, polite response
back from President
Sethna, the essence of
which was that we have no
options in this matter.
Well, I would submit
to you, that if Florida State
University had taken that
same “lay down and roll
over” attitude, they would
be sending out a similar
poll to their Alumni and
friends to change their
mascot name from the
Seminoles (maybe to the
Bears, for instance....can
you imagine...the Florida
State Bears).
Instead, they FOUGHT
for what they believed in,
as good Seminoles should,
and they WON! Amazing
what can happen with a
little passion, commitment
and attitude!
Maybe if the UWG
“BRAVES” had chosen to
make a stand and FIGHT
this insanity, the Braves
would still be the Braves
in the future. We should
all learn a lesson from the
folks in Tallahassee....they
stand proud and tall today
knowing that they made
a statement against the
politically correct elite,
that we, as a country, seem
all too anxious to bow
down to. Oh well, at least
FSU fans can still root for
their Seminoles.
Count my vote as
“none of the above.”
Thank you,
Robert “Keith” Kretzer
UWG Braves
Class of 1976
Editor's note: To see
the list of potential new
mascots go to http://mascot.
westga.edu.
IHest Georgian
but force; he justifies this
tactically toddleresque
strategy by falsely
claiming these groups to
be part of one “radical
Islamic” supemetwork.
Instead of trying
more subtle and peaceful
methods of deterrence
that would be effective
with particular groups,
he would rather have
us crusade around the
globe in a glorious (but
regrettably inevitable!)
military conquest of
“radical Islam.”
What’s at stake? The
lives of our soldiers, our
economy, our international
reputation... inherently
linked aspects of our
nation. Destroy one of
these and the fabric of
our lives tears apart as
well. Bush has come
to rely on a militaristic
recklessness to maintain
power and credibility, and
oversimplifies the issues
so that we mistake his
misguided propaganda for
something good and right.
Where does the truth
lie? It is in neither pacifism
nor total war. Force will be
necessary when dealing
with violent individuals,
but diplomacy, not
hostility, is what changes
nations and their people.
Where are the
UWG police?
Dear Editor,
On the occasions that
I have a night class I am
treated to a skateboard
show outside the Boyd
Building. Skateboarders
are jumping off rails and
the steps coming close
to catastrophe with each
trick performed.
I am just wondering
if the University feels that
perhaps it is in our best
interests to monitor this
activity and maybe prohibit
it so when someone gets
hurt we are not all affected
by the large amount of
money needed to comfort
the victim.
1 am amazed that I
never see a West Georgia
policeman patroling the
campus grounds. I could
take a 10 minute walk
without seeing one. Of
course, if I park in the
wrong space I can have
one visit me in class.
If there is an
emergency I can pick up
the phone... oh wait... it is
covered up with an out of
order sign. I am not afraid
of walking by myself but
I see many females who
might be comforted by
such a presence.
Now, I realize we are
making a great monetary
gain from the hanging
parking tag fiasco, so
maybe we are feeling
a little confident of our
own self assurance, but
perhaps we need to utilize
this police force and take
a proactive stance on the
West Georgia campus.
No one wants West
Georgia to be in the news
for the wrong reasons.
unsigned
submitted by e-mail