Jordan River Forum

'Liberal' disorientation helps humanity\nI would like to respond to Karl Born's letter, denouncing disorientation as 'left-wing.' Look at the clothes on your back. Look at the Nike swoosh on your footwear. Consider the indentured servantry on the U.S. protectorate of Saipan that manufactured your khaki pants. Consider the 'Big Mac' you just ate ... the meat was processed in a slaughterhouse with extremely unsafe working conditions at pay barely above the poverty level. \nInhumane working conditions that made your livelihood as you know it was made possible by human misery. The production of the above goods once supported working families who were part of the lower-middle class. Human misery is a humanitarian issue. It is not a liberal left or conservative right issue.\nI do not like to use the labels of liberal or conservative. \nBut Mr. Born showed concern that 'no conservative group was represented at the disorientation.' There just seems to be a paucity of conservatives who truly care about humanitarian issues such as poverty, healthcare, the environment, bigotry, etc. etc. Most conservatives I know believe that all decisions made by individuals or groups should be determined by whatever it requires to optimize the bottom line, no matter how much harm it does to humans or the environment.\nMr. Born points to extreme organizations that supported the disorientation program as reasons why St. Paul's or Students Organized Against Poverty should not have aligned with the 'disorientation' program. I am sure the Ku Klux Klan and other Aryan groups staunchly support the Republican party.\nWhen the recent Republican organization gathered at IU would it have been fair to call all of the Republicans supporters of the Ku Klux Klan?\nFor Mr. Born's information, the term 'Progressive' comes from the era of time of the 'Robber Barons' after the post-Civil War days. It was an era of time characterized by the emergence of labor as a political force and anti-trust laws keeping the robber Barons in their place. Conservatives wanted the Robber Barons to run the government. Thank god for Progressives.\nGeorge R. Brooks\nJunior\nIDS wording unfortunate\nI was saddened and shocked when I picked up a copy of the IDS for October 11 and read: "Girl reports rape at SAE." Rape is a horrible crime, and we should work ceaselessly as a society to put an end to it. What bewildered me, however, was the use of the word "girl." The female student in question is 20 years old. Exactly when do the IDS editors believe girls become women? (Admittedly, the online version of the paper used "woman," but I believe that more people read the printed version of the IDS.) Rape is a serious crime and not some playground incident. IU students are men and women, and if all of us -- students, faculty, and staff -- thought of each other in that way, perhaps mutual respect would be heightened, diminishing in turn this type of violent aggression.\nDaniel E. O'Sullivan\nVisitng lecturer, Department of French and Italian\nHolding signs doesn't offer solutions\nWe have all seen your signs calling for peace. We have heard your words. All of us have felt your pain at hearing of civilian casualties as a result of the air strikes. I now challenge you to offer a solution for peace. I have seen the signs calling for peace. I have seen protesters pointing out that what is being done is wrong. What I have not seen is an alternative solution offered. It is very easy to point out problems. It is very easy to state what we want. (Just ask the 3-year old who states his wants at Christmas time). It is not as easy to come up with a solution.\nWe all want peace. What you don't agree with is the way the United States and the rest of the civilized world are going about regaining that peace. It is fine to disagree, but I challenge you to spend some time coming up with a feasible solution instead of simply pointing out problems. I can guarantee that holding signs calling for peace is not going to make it happen. Surely you all realize that the terrorist networks are not going to read those signs calling for peace and respond with "Oh, okay." Surely you realize that we cannot merely sit down with the heads of terrorist networks to talk this out and have them say, "Oh, you're right. Our religious beliefs that tell us you are bad and need to be destroyed are wrong. Forgive us."\nSurely you realize that to compare the air strikes we are committing in Afghanistan with the attacks made on September 11 is asinine. We are not striking out of revenge. We are striking in defense because more terrorist attacks have been promised, and we cannot lock down the entire United States. Can you come up with an alternative defense other than carrying signs? \nI seek peace as much as everyone else. And I believe that until an alternative solution is presented, the air strikes are the best chance we have at regaining our freedom and our sense of peace. Until then, you can continue to take the easy route by pointing out the problems and stating what you want. I think that most Americans, myself included, have tired of you pointing out problems without offering solutions. If you have nothing of value to offer to the situation, then you can still save face by going back home and being quiet.\nBarbara Burton\nAlumnus