Newspaper Page Text
Page 5
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
The history of why we fight in the Middle East
By Michael Bovingdon
Guest Columnist
The startlingly
jingoistic and ill-informed
editorial “Give War
a Chance” highlights
what may be the greatest
problem America is facing
in this tumultous time.
Americans, five years
and two invasions after
September 11,2001, have
failed to ask the forensic
question: why?
Five years ago, a
friend asked me to help
them explain to their
children why September
11 happened. This is the
synopsis of w hat 1 said:
The Jihad that is bent
on the annihilation of
western culture, as well as
much of modern Islamic
fundamentalism, has its
roots with the writings of
Sayyid Qutb.
His two year journey
to the US in the late
The student-drawn comics of
The West Georgian
UWG supports diversity?
By Laura Guerry
Guest Columnist
dictatorlaura@gniail.com
In the summer of
1963, President James
Boyd invited Lillian
Williams to attend classes
at what was then West
Georgia College.
President Boyd made a
bold move to integrate this
university at a time w hen our
nation’s history was marked
by a wide division of what
was approved and right.
In addition to the
racial tension and turmoil,
was the fact he did so in
the Deep South, a hot spot
for racial conflict.
Certainly there were
those that accepted the
change with great joy,
and others with strong
opposition. But, the change
took place and opened great
doors for minority students
that have followed over the
decades since.
The University of
West Georgia owes a great
deal to the strength of
President Boyd and others
that made the decision to
do what was morally right
and not necessarily what
was popular at the time.
UWG is currently
facing another ethical
dilemma, one surrounded
by similar support and
opposition.
Should UWG support
its minority students?
Studentshavebeenactively
campaigning for sexual
orientation to be included
in the student handbook’s
non-discrimination policy
for several years.
These attempts
1940’s convinced him
that western ideologies
were corrupt and Hawed.
His writings became
increasingly popular over
several decades.
After the atrocities
of World War 11, Europe
and the US supported the
creation of the state of
Israel in the Middle East.
This meant the forced
occupation of formerly
Palestinian territories as
well as the disc-placement
of hundreds of thousands
of Arabs. This w as one of
the main reasons that the
fundamental teachings of
Qutb became popularized
in the Muslim world
during this period.
US support for
the brutal dictator of
Iran (the Shaw) further
infuriated the radical
fundamentalist adherents
of Qutb and gained them
new recruits.
The Shaw’s secret
Libertate
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have been met with
vague requests by the
administration to be
patient.
The faculty only
recently received a change
in their handbook in 2(X)3
after much campaigning.
The change in mood
of minority students is
surpassing the changes the
university has provided.
Tired of delays and
promises of “working
on it”, many students
want to see something in
the direction of positive
change.
The appointment
of Dr. Jenks to oversee
minority affairs is a step
in the right direction,
but is this all that can be
provided? Certainly not.
Lambda, the BSA,
Young Democrats, SPAN
and other minority student
organizations met with Dr.
Sethna and several of the
UWG vice presidents to
discuss student concerns
regarding minority affairs
on campus last spring.
A request was made
at the meeting that we
receive in writing that
the university would look
into including sexual
orientation in the non
discrimination policy.
Sethna took the request
as an insult that his word
was not enough. As of yet,
the status of our request has
not been met by a follow
up, and the handbook has
not changed.
Lambda has requested
that Residence Life
provide RAs and building
supervisors with diversity
training for several years.
police, called SLAVAK,
were known to rape the
spouse of a suspected
dissident in their presence
as well as mutilate their
children in order to coerce
a confession. The Shaw
was later overthrown by
Islamic fundamentalists.
In 1979, the
Soviet Union invaded
Afghanistan, outraging
the United States. The US
responded by tunneling
money and arms to
resistence groups.
Among these
groups were the radical
fundamentalists that later
controlled Afghanistan in
the form of the Taliban.
They are, of course, the
same group that supported
Osama bin Laden's Al
Qaeda terrorist network.
The US support for
Saddam Hussein (he was
a secular leader) during
the Iran-Iraq conflict
further convinced these
It was part of the fall
RA training in the past,
but was cut out in 2004
after the departure of Barb
Dryer, who was a former
Lambda advisor.
This year, RAs were
told we would receive
diversity training. It was
two hours of playing a
Model UN simulation.
It had nothing to do with
race relations, women’s
issues or what to do when
your resident is assaulted
for being a “fag.”
If UWG is to continue
promoting “Educational
excellence in a personal
environment,” it seems
that the minority student
concerns need to be
addressed, GLBT students
in particular.
The time for change is
now. It is time to deliver on
all those unkept promises.
You can start by
providing Lambda, a 34
year old minority student
organization, with an
office to promote tolerance
and end the harassment
and violence Public safety
has failed to guard against
on the UWG campus.
The administration
is continuing to put its
minority students at
risk by not providing a
progressive approach to
diversity issues.
I ask all students at
UWG to join Lambda in
our efforts to change UWG
into a safer environment
for all students.
Join us on Wednesday,
Oct. 11th on the Campus
Quad to learn how you
can help us make a
bold change in honor of
fundamentalists of the
immorality of the western
world. It should be noted
that Bin Laden hated
Hussein more than any
person in the US, and
refused to use his name.
Hussein repeatedly
used mustard gas against
both Iran and the Iraqui
Kurdish population,
killing an estimated one
million people.
The US not only failed
to reprimand Iraq for these
actions. Instead, they
continued to ship dual-use
technology meant to for
the creation and dispersal
of chemical and biological
agents as well as give Iraq
$1 billion in aid.
When someone says,
“Saddam gassed his
own people,” remember
that it was with US gas,
helicopters, money and
de facto support.
After Hussein
invaded Kuawait,
Scandals
continued from page 4
Rather than revealing the
information as quickly as
possible in order to put a
stop to the abuse, they sat
on the information and
knowingly aided Foley in
victimizing young teens.
And I’m sure that is against
the law.
Just to wrap things
up, the same people
who defended Clinton’s
innocence despite the
overwhelming evidence
to the contrary are calling
not just for Foley’s head,
but the heads of everyone
who even had a hint that
Foley might be acting
The opinions printed in this section do not
necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of
The West Georgian, its advisor or the University of
West Georgia.
What would look good in this empty space?
Your name, of course.
The West Georgian is currently hiring staff
writers, sports writers, photographers and
columnists.
Pick up an application on the door
of UCC room ill and fill it out today or email
Bobby Moore at uwgpaper@westga.edu.
threatening US assets,
the US re-cast this once
“friend” as the new
“Hitler” and invaded Iraq
from Saudi Arabia.
By stationing troops
in the state that is home to
two of Islam’s most holy
cities (Mecca and Medina),
the United States furthered
its imperialistic image
in the eyes of the radical
Islamic fundamentalists.
So, why did they
attack? They did not
possibly believe that they
could defeat us militarily
on our own soil.
No, they attacked in an
attempt to lure the US into
an untentable, continuous
battle across the ocean.
They knew that when
children were killed by
“smart bombs” and Arab
blood is being spilled,
seemingly by the hands
of the US, they would
be able to exponentially
increase theirrecruitment.
“overtly friendly” towards
his congressional pages.
This is despite the fact
that the evidence against
Foley was gathered, sat
on, revealed just before an
election and vigorously
reported by the same people
who were completely
unconcerned w ith the moral,
legal and ethical breaches
Clinton committed while
President.
I guess I'm saying I
appreciate the moral outrage,
but there are things that have
been ignored and denied by
Democrats for years (dead
people voting, anyone?)
which should have received
the same if not greater levels
of outrage.
I’d be happy to go into
(Tlye tttcat (ftcurgimt
sympathy and support.
That is why they
fight. Now that you have
a very (and arguably over)
simplistic explanation, do
the research and decide for
yourself what we should
do next.
Remember that
you are not “coddling
terrorists” if your
opinion differs from the
current administration.
Thomas Jefferson said
that the greatest form of
patriotism is dissent.
In closing, disregard
anyone’s political
opinion that uses the term
“Islamic Fascist." Radical
Islamic fundamentalism
is an anti-nationalistic
religious movement.
Fascism, on the other
hand, is defined by
extreme nationalism and
is most often extremely
hostile to religion in
general. You can’t have it
both ways.
these, but there isn’t room
in the entire newspaper for
that kind of discussion.
So when you see your
favorite Democrat railing
against Foley, Hasten (who
found out the same way we
did. by watching ABC),
Republicans in general and
corruption, take a moment
to think critically.
Where was their
outrage over the Lew insky
scandal? And I can’t wait to
find out exactly who gave
the information to ABC
(and likely broke the law),
who was paying the dirt
gatherers (George Soros?
Larry Flint?) and how long
they waited before finally
putting a stop to Foley’s
Follies. Stay tuned.