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Wednesday
March 29,
2006
Help one another
ROOTS RADICAL
by Josh Eaton
xanandax(a)gmail.com
Every spring, MTV
specials send images
of binge drinking and
anonymous, irresponsible
sex that would make the
Romans blush into millions
of homes. Spring Break
has gotten a reputation for
being a drunken, week
long orgy—-a reputation
that is probably not
entirely undeserved.
This past week,
however, 1 was honored
to be one of many college
students who spent their
Spring Break helping to
rebuild in New Orleans,
LA.
Monday I left
Carrollton with three
friends, all UWG students,
for St. Bernard Parish, one
of the hardest hit areas
around New Orleans. We
worked at the Made with
Love Cafe and Grill, run by
Emergency Communities.
Set up in tents in an
abandoned parking lot,
they serve 2000 meals a
day and distribute free
clothing, water and other
items to local residents.
They also serve as a base
for crews going out to gut
flood-damaged houses
for free —a service that
private companies charge
thousands of dollars for.
New' Orleans felt like
two different universes.
In the French Quarter,
restaurants and bars
were open, music was
playing and tourists were
everywhere —it was
I just wanted to say that I am pleasantly surprised
to see that views of both political parties have been
represented in the Opinions pages lately. For the
last year or so, I thought that the title “The West
Georgian” had a double meaning: a paper for the
University of West Georgia and a leftist Georgia
paper. Thank you for allowing right-wing opinions
to be printed also. It makes the Opinion pages worth
reading again.
Last weekend, I had the choice of seeing the Larry
the Cable Guy movie or gluing my eyes shut. I may
not be able to see now, but I still think I made the
right choice.
I don’t like that UTV gets more attention than the
West Georgian.
Ifleat CSenrgtan
The University of West Georgia
University Community Center, Room 111
Carrollton, GA, 30118-0070
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Opinion
almost as if nothing at all
had happened.
Traveling from this
scene to the lower ninth
ward —five minutes
away —was surreal. I was
shocked at the level of
destruction all around me.
A nearby refinery
dumped over a million
gallons of crude oil on St.
Bernard Parish, making
the very soil toxic. The tap
water is still undrinkable,
and the traffic lights
do not work. There are
houses on top of other
houses, cars and boats in
the middle of the road,
debris everywhere —it
looks like the bomb went
off yesterday.
Of course, its working
class and underclass in this
area. Minority residents
also lack the resources and
support that the French
Quarter and other areas
have received.
Tupac Shakur titled
one of his poems "The
Rose That Grew from
Concrete,” and Mumia
Abu Jamal titled one of his
books “Death Blossoms.”
Even in the heart of so
much destruction and
suffering, there is still
beauty and hope.
At our camp, bits
of debris became art to
decorate the dinning
tent. We met a busload
of students who traveled
thirteen hours to volunteer
for a week.
Hundreds of people
Rant & Rave
are in New Orleans from
all across the country,
sacrificing their time and
comfort just because others
are in need, and 1 was
reminded that the human
spirit is unconquerable.
Unconquerable and,
like Tupac’s rose, growing.
Emergency Communities
is working on setting up a
second kitchen in another
area, and is also working
with residents to set up
the St. Bernard Parish
Community Center. The
really amazing thing is
that individuals put all of
this together in the weeks
after Hurricane Katrina.
For me this confirms
something that I had
been feeling for quite
some time —that we can
help each other, that we
can build a better world,
and that we can do these
things ourselves.
If Hurricane Katrina
taught us anything, it is
that we cannot rely on
the government or large
organizations.
We must take care of
one another. In order to
do that, however, we have
to get over our narrow,
individualistic projects
and get into community.
Going to New Orleans
was, for me, an invaluable
education, and I invite
other UWG students to
go and experience it for
themselves.
Volunteer with
an organization like
Emergency Communities
or Common Ground. Talk
to survivors and get to
know them.
Join together with
others who are trying to
help, trying to build a
better world. We all share
part of that responsibility.
Bobby Moore, Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Smith, Advertising & Business Manager
Kristal Dixon, News Editor
Nicholas Kirby, Sports Editor
Jesse Duke, A&E Editor
Sunay Tamashev, Photo Editor
Nate Williams, Circulation Manager
Kelly Williams, Copy Editor
Elizabeth Bounds, Copy Editor
Erik Waters, Online Editor
Doug Vinson, Advisor
Fascist claims are absurd
By Matt Torley
Stuff Columnist
mtorley I @my. westxa.edu
Fascist?
Alright, I tire of
these absurdly applied
invectives. Republicansare
not Fascists and Democrats
are not Communists.
The comparison serves
only to weaken the position
of those who make them,
demonstrating a failure of
reason and a total lack of
understanding of the nature,
behavior and ideology of
either extreme.
• Even a cursory
examination of how and
w hy either movement takes
power, ormore importantly,
how they operate, reveals
the absurdity of such
comparisons.
Were it truly the
case that Republicans
were veiled fascists there
would, right now, be no
talk about the mid-term
elections this year and no
discussion of prospective
candidates for the ’OS
presidential elections.
Either the question
would no longer exist, or
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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establish
ment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances. ”
- First Amendment, United States Constitution
we would be in the midst
of a civil war.
There have been
several opportunities
that, had the President
been so inclined, could
have been exploited to
lay the groundwork for a
totalitarian consolidation
of power.
I grew concerned
around the time the
Patriot Act was passed,
and watched very closely
for further indications of
totalitarian intent. But
none were forthcoming,
and for now the window of
opportunity is shut.
If this government
was indeed “as close as
to a fascist system of
government as they come”
then I do believe that we
would not be hearing from
Mr. Aikens. Dissent of any
kind is... unhealthy under
such a regime.
However, in our
system, much the opposite
is the case. Thanks to the
existence of groups like
the ACLU and individuals
with views similar to Mr.
Aikens I am not particularly
worried about the Patriot
Copyright Notice
The West Georgian, copyright 2006, is an official publication of the
University of West Georgia. Opinions expressed herein are those
of the newspaper staff or individual authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of university faculty or staff.
Letter Submission Policy
Letters may be mailed to: Editor. The West Georgian. University of West Geor
gia, Carrollton, GA. 30118, or sent via e-mail to. uwgpaper/a westga.edu.
All letters must be signed and include a phone number and mailing address for
verification purposes. Letters should not exceed 350 words and should be submit
ted by noon the Friday prior to publication Editors reserve the right to edit for
style, content and length
Act despite several
provisions that go against
my Libertarian instincts.
Now Mr. Aikens, you
imply that Republicans
are anti-education, anti
environment, anti-free
speech and that they like
having people stay poor.
This is every bit as
absurd as when someone
on the Right says that
Liberals hate America.
I have stated before,
and I suppose I will have
to do so again, that both
sides agree on the issues
but differ on the solutions.
Nobody wants
Americans to be poor,
striped of their freedoms,
sick, ignorant, or killed
by our enemies. How
can we be served by
suggesting otherwise?
Oh, and two points
of clarification: the “free
speech zones” were created
by Democrats during
their ’O4 convention; and
if the President had bad
intelligence data, that
does not make him a liar.
Please consult a dictionary
for the specific differences
between ‘wrong’ and ‘lie’.