Guidelines for peace\nSeveral recent letters to the editor in the IDS, including Barbara Burton's Oct. 16 letter, have expressed dissatisfaction with the current peace/anti-war movement. These critics often accuse pacifists of failing to offer alternative solutions to countering terrorism. As the president and co-founder of the Students for a Non-Violent Solution, I can testify that this claim is wholly false. We offer a list of 10 alternative actions to war in our informational literature. Although this information is available at Dunn Meadow Peace Camp, I will list our proposals here for the sake of convenience.\nWe recommend that the U.S. government:\n1.Mobilize and lead law enforcement agencies around the world to investigate, apprehend and bring to justice those responsible for the Sept.11 attacks to the full extent of U.S. and international law.\n2. Lead the United Nations in cooperative action to interrupt and seize the financial resources that support the criminal terror networks.\n3. Lead the United Nations in bringing diplomatic, political and economic pressure to bear against the governing regimes of nations that give support to terror networks. If international sanctions are applied, they should be focused narrowly on those in political power.\n4. Stop the CIA from funding, training and directing terrorists, as they did in relation to Osama bin Laden's campaign against the Soviets in the 1980s. We should stop befriending potential mass murderers simply for political experience.\n5. To demonstrate consistency stop harboring terrorists such as Orlando Bosch, who masterminded the bombing of a Cuban civilian airliner in 1976.\n6. Dramatically increase U.S. humanitarian aid to the millions of refugees in zones of conflict. Young, orphaned refugees are especially vulnerable to terrorist recruitment.\n7. Lead the international community in cooperative efforts to reduce the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the United States and elsewhere to guard against their use by terrorists.\n8. Support an international ban on the sale and transfer of weapons to zones of conflict.\n9. Resume and intensify U.S. efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a major source of deep anti-U.S. sentiment throughout the Arab world.\n10. Take serious steps to introduce renewable, sustainable energy sources into the U.S. economy, which currently depends on oil. Petroleum policies have driven us to support tyrannical regimes, and many terrorist attacks have had as their stated goal revenge for these policies.\nJames Bourke\nFreshman
A call to the IU campus community\nIU Reaction to GAP is a nonpartisan group of individuals and organizations committed to promoting and maintaining a peaceful, safe and civil atmosphere for all in the Bloomington community during the display of the Genocide Awareness Project on the IU-Bloomington campus this week.\nWe are calling upon the entire campus to do all of the following this week:\n1. Do not engage in any acts of protest. Do not engage in any physical or verbal activity intended to distract from, prevent or obstruct the erection or presentation of the GAP display. Refusing to act against the display, no matter how angry it makes you, reduces the chance for disturbances that could result in arrests and assault. \n2. Avoid all GAP displays, lectures and presentations. If possible, avoid the Sample Gates area altogether. Take an alternate route to class.\n3. Do not engage in conversation with a GAP representative. At other schools, "debates" with GAP representatives escalated into situations involving arrests and assaults. \n4. If you become angry, leave the scene. \n5. Turn to police officers if and when you need help. Please help us help law enforcement officials by being peaceful and encouraging others to do the same.\n6. Do not carry anything that could be considered a weapon.\n7. Offer help to others. Look out for those who are becoming angry and upset. Offer them a hug or words of support and comfort. \n8. Take care of yourself. Don't let GAP make you feel guilty for any reason. Be supportive of your friends.\n9. Go to class! The days of the GAP display will be very tiring. You will need a physical and emotional\nbreak. Your professors need you in class. \n10. Translate your feelings about the display into political action. Write a letter to an elected official or join an on-campus advocacy group.\nIU Reaction to GAP Member groups \nIU Campus for Choice\nWomen's Student Association\nFeminist Majority Leadership Alliance
\nStopping the cycle of violence \nI was truly disappointed to see three letters on Wednesday's opinion page arguing for war and insulting those that struggle for peace. The three authors, like most Americans, have created a false dilemma. In their minds, either you are patriotic and support a scorched earth response to terrorism or you are a traitor and on the side of the terrorists. In this comic book world, everyone is a hero or a villain and there is no middle ground.\nBut the real world is far more complex. Osama bin Laden set in motion the atrocities of Sept.11 and killed thousands of innocent Americans because he was upset with the policies of the U.S. government. Now, because we are upset with the actions of bin Laden and Afghanistan, we are killing thousands of innocent Afghans. Though the U.S. is not targeting civilians, many are sure to be killed because of massive starvation and off-course bombs. \nHow can we maintain the moral high ground while perpetuating cruelty on the same scale as bin Laden? Declaring a war against a criminal organization, adopting its own callousness toward human life, will only serve to legitimize an international pariah.\nYet, we have a better option than war and bloodshed. We can cooperate with other nations in order to establish a civil procedure for apprehending and prosecuting terrorists. We can strengthen international agreements to stop the flow of funding and arms to international criminal organizations. Finally, we can deprive the terrorists of their ideological ammunition by becoming a beacon of freedom and democracy to people everywhere. Only by acting in this way, can we free ourselves from the cycle of violence and make the world a better place for all humanity.\nJustin Hoffman\nJunior
Supporting the government not a sin\nThis letter is in regards to Duncan Teater's column, "War is not the only option" (Oct.15), questioning why advocates for peace "are the object of such derision" and why the United States is so quick to use aggression when dealing with conflict. \nThese people are mocked because most Americans, as evident in the polls supporting U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, are realistic in their expectations of the world; they understand that often conflict is not only an option, but sometimes necessary in order to maintain peace and order. \nMost Americans also know and appreciate the difference between the evening news and "It's a Wonderful Life." It seems to me that members of the "Peace Camp" are so starry-eyed that they could watch the latter and mistake it for the news. \nPerhaps the members of the "Peace Camp" have failed to realize that in order for peace to truly exist in the world, all sides must be fully committed. The actions of the terrorist organization and the government which supported them were blatant and explicit, at least to me anyway, in displaying their lack of commitment to a peaceful world. Also, members of the IU Peace Camp must not mistake peace for passivity; I think most of us are advocates for peace. However, to sit back and allow fanatics to dictate the terms of our lives and livelihood in order to create some naive semblance of peace is foolish and unacceptable. \nI, along with many others, seriously doubt that we will see peace until terrorist supported governments like the Taliban are destroyed. Remember what happened to the Nazi regime during World War II? Do you remember the cowardly blast that prompted U.S. involvement in that war? I don't recall the Japanese being fed up with the antics of J.R. Ewing, and if so, would it have mattered? \nTherefore, I beg your forgiveness, Mr. Teater, if my supporting the government's honest attempt at protecting us from cowardly terrorist makes me feel any more castrated and marginalized than I currently feel. Knowing that there are some in the Middle East who would rather see me dead right now for no other reason than the fact that I am American isn't really good for the psyche, either.\nLa'Maze Johnson \nFormer IU Student Association president
Losing streak is no reason to lose faith \nMr. Jason Recker: Of course the IU football team is struggling -- this we have come to accept over the years. But as you state in your column ("Who's kicking who?" Oct. 16), "kicking isn't what's losing football games for IU." \nWhy then, do you choose to dwell on this issue? When you claim that IU's place kicking is a "glaring detriment" to an already woeful team, you remind me of quite possibly the most glaring of detriments -- people like yourself. If seeing perfectly executed football is your main concern, go to the RCA Dome on Sunday or go watch the Ravens. But I am sure there are some of us here in Bloomington who, despite the wins and losses, enjoy being able to go to a game and watch our peers giving it all they have got. If you genuinely want to see improvements in the Hoosiers' morale and onfield performance, do your share by supporting them. Otherwise, there is that school about two hours north of here which may be of interest to you.\nScott Buckland\nJunior
Peace not an option\nIn a his column, "War is not the only option," (Oct. 16) Duncan Teater puts forth some interesting ideas, but he fails to actually put forth any new ideas. \nThis article was supposed to be about war not being the sole option, but he never gives any others. He does speak of peace, and though I do agree that peace should be sought and that there are many cases where war is unjust, this war against the Taliban is not one of those cases. \nThe Taliban is harboring a known terrorist. Not only that, but that terrorist happens to be the one that is suspected of being the leader of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington.\nWhy is war the only option in this particular situation? Because there is no other way to reach Osama bin Laden. \nFinancial burdens on the Taliban would end up hurting the innocent people of Afghanistan more than the bombings that have been taking place there. Also, financial burdens would most likely not affect bin Laden, because the Taliban would still find ways to support him. \nBringing him to trial would only have worked had we been able to find him, and even if we had known where he was in Afghanistan, we would have had to send in ground troops to attack his base. \nBesides, peace in this situation, even if the American people didn't think it was cowardly (as they would have), would have caused bin Laden to become even more powerful. It would have led to a much larger jihad than that which has been caused with war. Bin Laden's followers would have seen an American peace effort as a sign that America was afraid of them. \nOnce again, I do feel that peace is something to strive for, but in this particular case, it simply was not an option. \nBrent DeMoss\nSophomore
Identification of sorority unnecessary\nAs a member of the greek community here at IU, I would like to say that I was extremely upset by the story in Thursday's IDS ("Girl reports rape at SAE," Oct. 11) concerning the rape reported at SAE. Sexual assault is an extremely sensitive issue, especially for those involved, and the recovery process is difficult enough without having to deal with rumors and gossip.\nThe fact that the rape was reported to have occurred at SAE was important information for readers, especially females, in that it kept them informed of where they might encounter a potentially violent or dangerous situation. Hopefully, this will help other women protect themselves.\nHowever, the fact that the victim was a member of any sorority, let alone AOPi, was completely irrelevant, unnecessary, and unimportant. By splashing this information across the front page of the IDS, you have only succeeded in violating the victim's privacy and in perpetuating unfair and ignorant myths about sorority girls and the greek system in general.\nIf the victim had not been in the greek system, I seriously doubt that the story would have received as much attention as it did.\nContrary to popular belief, there is much more to sorority girls than parties and beer, and in no way should this stereotype be seen as a vindication or explanation for sexual assault.\nIf a girl is walking by herself at night, or partying late with guys, it does not mean that she is inviting rape. If a woman is drinking or flirting, it is no excuse for rape. If she is wearing a short skirt or greek letters, it does not justify rape.\nAny woman can be a victim of sexual assault, and the truth is that three out of every four of us will be at some point in our lives. Face it, there are not enough sorority girls in the world to account for such numbers.\nPerhaps the IDS, and IU in general, should stop stereotyping and concentrate on the fact that sexual assault under any circumstances is completely unacceptable.\nCharlotte Tull\nSophomore
Quality education lifetime opportunity?\nIn response to Gabriel Lewin's column Monday (Oct.15), "A plea for wisdom, not lectures," I feel compelled to write an editorial of my own. I become very discouraged with students who take their education for granted. I see it on a daily basis, people say that classes "sucks" or that their classes are boring. If these are some of your own symptoms, pleases continue to read this column. \nAt the end of Lewin's editorial, he asks that IU President Myles Brand get "teachers who teach us, impart wisdom, and inspire us with a will to improve..." I agree that these are qualities of great teachers, but I disagree that IU doesn't offer this for us all. \nGranted, we have some classes that are more and less difficult than others, but the point that I want to make is that there is more to an education than class work. I believe that the University's (and President Brand's) phrase "Quality Education. Lifetime Opportunity." is worth more than what we think. It is easy to disregard what is offered here at IU, and I pity those who do not value their education. Do not be lazy, get out there and take advantage of the opportunity to meet and work with inspirational faculty (and students) that are here on campus. For example, our student organizations and our faculty work hard to bring these great opportunities to us: Do you know how many clubs and organizations are offered to IU students? Do you know that we bring world-renowned educators in the Patten Lecture Series? Do you know your professor's office hours? Do you know how many world-renown faculty teach and work here at IU? \nTo find the answers to these questions, you must take an active role in your education, do not take it for granted as so many students do. I guarantee that you will not leave this University dissatisfied. What you put into it, you will get out of it. I feel sorry for those of you who haven't made these efforts and now you are frustrated with your poor development as a student. But, it is not too late, don't graduate with any regrets. \nNick Hillman\nJunior
