Jordan River Forum

An imperfect world Haven't we had about enough of this anti-war, peace-on-earth garbage? When are people going to wake up and realize that the world will never have perfect harmonious peace? There are two reasons for my rationale: 1) Although our government will send people's children and husbands to get injured, or possibly to die, war still serves a purpose. It serves a purpose to not only defend a previous agreement with Iraq, but it also serves a purpose to defend a country whose government is based on democracy and freedom. If it wasn't for war, the people who are protesting peacefully would not have that right! 2) What other solution is there? Are these people suggesting that we continue these laborious peace talks and agreements with people that will not comply anyway? Are they suggesting that, after the events of Sept. 11, America should continue to "talk" after thousands of innocent people were killed? I don't think so. Please people, I understand your resentment for war, I really do. Please also understand, while horrifying and grotesque as war may be, the ultimate goal is to defend this nation and this nation's basic freedoms and concepts. Aaron Goldsmith
sophomore Student body not united in war opinion In response to the March 12 article in the IDS ("IUSA refuses student coalition's anti-war resolution"), I ask: How can the Coalition to Oppose the War Iraq move for a school-wide "anti-war" stance on the pending U.S.-Iraq conflict? The COWI is allowed to hold its own opinions on the war, and I respect its right to protest it. But by moving for the IUSA, an organization that is supposed to represent students at IU as a whole, to oppose the war, it is overstepping its boundaries. The fact that COWI has a solid following (500 signatures of students opposing the war) does not give it the right to push its views on the entire 40,000-student campus. I consider myself a part of the population of IU students who, like IUSA President Bill Gray said, don't like the idea of going to war, but don't necessarily oppose it. I took offense to the COWI's attempt to label our school "anti-war." Just because a group shares a similar "anti-war" belief does not give it the authority to categorize an entire student body as "anti-war," especially when the other side of the argument is not equally represented. I respect IUSA for not being intimidated into falsely representing its constituents. As for the COWI, I hope it will show a little more respect toward the opinions of its peers in its future endeavors. Adam Tenbarge
junior No permanent peace Regarding Drew Buser's column "Code Yellow" (March 11), any time someone is brutally murdered, we should feel pity. Any time injustices occur, we should feel pity. And when we have the capability to stop the murders and right the injustices, we should do so. But that is not what a war will do. A war with Iraq will kill more innocents, will destabilize the Middle East and will increase the risks of terrorism. It has been claimed that a war with Iraq will stop all the brutalities that Saddam Hussein has practiced upon his own people. Yet, Amnesty International argues that U.N. human rights monitors can make a crucial contribution to addressing human rights concerns in Iraq regardless of whether there will be a major military action in Iraq. I don't support Saddam Hussein or his regime, but war with Iraq will not liberate the Kurdish people, will not give Iraqis access to the country's oil wealth nor will it create democracy in Iraq. If we are supposed to be so concerned with the injustices that occur around the world, we shouldn't just focus on Iraq because that's the story of the moment. What about the 6,000 women that are daily subjected to female genital mutilation? What about the more than 300,000 child soldiers that are forced to fight in conflicts around the world? What about the ten years of bombings and sanctions, led primarily by the U.S., that have taken an estimated 1.5 million Iraqi lives including half-a-million children under the age of five, have crippled Iraq's civilian infrastructure and have destroyed the very civil society that might have focused resistance to Hussein's brutal rule. Drew Buser, I am not anti-war because I think it is cool. I am anti-war because, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. one said, "violence merely brings about a temporary victory and not a permanent peace." Bridgette Kennedy
freshman Shocked and awed I am shocked that the same president who professed to having given serious consideration to the prospect of entering this war spent the first heavy weekend of fighting on vacation. While our troops fought, killed and died, he jogged and took in a few movies. I am in awe that this apparent indifference comes from the same man who has tried so hard to be seen as an "average guy." I am shocked that none of his political advisors told him, "Stay at the White House, call Blockbuster and at least pretend to be affected." I am shocked that the person who has sworn that this war has nothing to do with oil or money has now analogized his role in the war to a CEO running a business. It is shocking that the public is so awed by the president that they don't question his hypocrisy. It is shocking that the president who decided to forge ahead without U.N. approval or general support from foreign nations is now concerned about violations to the Geneva Convention. It is shocking that this president seems to pick and choose which international voices should be respected. It is shocking that the same president who suggests this war is for safety and humanitarian reasons is actively violating civil rights of people right here in the United States, such as indiscriminately rounding up Iraqi-Americans for questioning. It is shocking that the Pentagon would make statements of surprise that the Iraqis are fighting so hard. We are invading their country, they are fighting for their lives, what did we expect? The most awesome thing about this president is his nerve, his gall and his outright arrogance. It is awesome the president of the greatest democracy on earth has managed to get away with behaving much like a dictator. It is shocking how our citizens and Congress have allowed this. It is shocking that that it has somehow become un-American to question our leadership, when in fact there is nothing more American. The ability to question our leadership and make our voices heard is what distinguishes this country from those the president groups in "the Axis of Evil." There is nothing shocking or awesome about the bombs dropped on Baghdad or the troops advancing into Iraq. Those are adjectives for sports. Butler's advance to the Sweet Sixteen is shocking and awesome. The war in Iraq is just sad. Jenni E. Klost
graduate student Democracy not born in flames Drew Buser obscures the truth about the war in Iraq when he reductively labels anti-war protesters "pro-Saddam" ("Code Yellow," March 11). The anti-war movement condemns all brutal dictators, including Hussein. The U.S. government, on the other hand, has historically followed the path of economic prosperity and global influence rather than that of justice. Americans frequently cite Hussein's 1988 deployment of chemical weapons against Iraqi Kurds in Halabja as a justification for war (the U.S. military, of course, "deploys" weapons, while Hussein "gasses his own people"). At the time of these attacks, however, the United States had no intention of protecting the Kurds, and several months later, former President Bush approved $1 billion in loans to the Iraqi government. In fact, both Reagan and Bush helped arm Hussein with chemical and biological agents in order to advance American interests in the Iraq-Iran war. In the wake of the first Gulf War, which killed thousands of civilians, sanctions have devastated a people already depressed by war. Before 1991, 90 percent of Iraqis had access to clean water. Sanctions, however, have limited supplies needed to purify water, and previously preventable diseases now run rampant in Iraq. As Per Oskar Klevnas notes, sanctions have caused "a rise from 56 deaths per 1,000 live births in the period 1984-1989 to 131 deaths per 1,000 live births in the period 1994-1999, corresponding to 500,000 'excess deaths'." Children under five have been the hardest hit, and the current war poses greater risks to this vulnerable group. In a February 2003 report, the United Nations predicted that "in the event of a crisis, 30 percent of children under five would be at risk of death from malnutrition." Democracy cannot be imposed from above. The United States could more ethically have worked in solidarity with an Iraqi-led, grassroots movement for democracy. Unfortunately, we have never conducted foreign affairs in this manner. Buser's insensitive metaphor urging the United States to spread the "flames of liberty" precisely describes our government's policy of "shock and awe." Bush has equated violence with the spread of "democracy." Ursula McTaggart
graduate student Containment abandoned I came down from the MLR in Korea 50 years ago as a U.N. mandated U.S. combat soldier. The line drawn through those Korean mountains still stands. The 38th parallel defines the bulwark of a foreign policy that has, for the most part, served us well since. It's called containment. It was named by imminent foreign policy authority George Kennan. It was first practiced by President Harry Truman in 1947 with a challenge to the ominous Soviet Union threat in eastern Europe, saying that we will check your expansion tendencies. Over a 45-year period known as the "Cold War," containment averted a nuclear holocaust while confronting Communist giants, the Soviet Union and Red China. Since then, President George Bush, Sr. drew the "line in the sand" and drove invading Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. Containment continued. But now, we have brushed containment aside and committed to preemptive war. There have been ten major wars in our history. All ten times the enemy struck first. Conservative congressman John Hostettler said it best: That if we are perceived as the aggressor, "we will lose the moral high ground." George W. Bush, son-of-the-elder, has abandoned the policy of non-aggression. It is a future legacy that we cannot afford. Jerry Gregory
Bloomington resident Emergency contraception needs to be available over-the counter Emergency contraception, otherwise known as the "morning-after pill," works the same way as birth control pills by preventing a pregnancy from starting (EC is not RU 486 Mifepristone which causes a medical abortion). According to the American Medical Women's Association, EC is a special dose of birth control pills, and if taken within 72 hours, it can prevent pregnancy. As of right now EC is available over the counter in the UK, France, Netherlands, Israel and South Africa. In the United States, it is available behind the counter (meaning women have to ask the pharmacist for EC) in Alaska, California and Washington. However, in "behind the counter" status, pharmacists must have special training in order to administer it to customers. It is essential that women have access and are given the choice to use emergency contraception. EC has the potential to cut unintended pregnancies in half according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. College campuses like IU have health centers that will give EC to women. The big problem is that many health centers are not open on the weekends when most sexual assault and intercourse occurs. In April, the Women's Capital Foundation is submitting an application for over-the -counter status. EC already meets the standards for OTC status, and has been deemed safe by the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Please let the Federal Drug Administration know that you support emergency contraception over-the-counter at http://www.fda.gov/comments.html. Megan Hutchison
senior Interstate will bring unwanted 'progress' In response to James Morris' idea for the progress and growth of Bloomington ("Interstate the best road to growth for Bloomington," March 11) I have to ask if he has seen any of rural Indiana. I am not from Indiana either, and I am not even from the United States. But I have travelled quite a bit in Indiana, as well as other states. I have driven through all those backroads, mostly by bicycle, and visited idyllic, once lively small towns. The only influence of nearby interstate highways I have noticed in these relatively small-sized towns is the death of small local businesses and desolated downtowns. In most of the small towns, there are no restaurants downtown, there are no hotel or motel services, let alone grocery stores. All the services are located several miles out of town by the interstate. And they are not small local businesses that have relocated by the highway, but the national chain-companies. I don't think Bloomington is any different, aside from it being a college town. Still, I don't think that local businesses move to the interstate to serve by-passers. I don't think that the by-passers are any different from those everywhere else. They don't come to the downtown if they can have their meal in Cracker Barrel and stay overnight in Motel 6 for $49 by the interstate. Is that the progress and growth you want? I'd rather have my burger and beer at Nick's, a 15-minute walk from my home, instead of travelling three miles out of town to have it in Arby's. Tei Laine
graduate student Davis is out-of-line I think that Coach Mike Davis' comments after the Pittsburgh loss are out of place and unprofessional. If Coach truly believes that the ego of the players is the cause of unrealized expectations this year, then he should point the finger at no one else but himself. After all, it was Coach Davis that called our team "underrated" and said we should be ranked in the Top Ten before the Big Ten season got started. That kind of press is sure to stroke a few players' egos at least as much, if not more than, something said by the Hoosier Nation. The only national ranking that matters is at the end of the season. Go out and play and the ranking will take care of itself. A simple solution to a big ego is for the coach to put the player on the bench. To me it seems like good discipline prevents big egos. Pointing fingers in a situation like this is not representative of the level of class that someone coaching a Hoosiers squad should have. Phillip Abbosh
graduate student Don't blame the fans Alex Hickey's article, "Hoosiers should hold heads high" (March 25) was right on point, but I have more to add than just support for the team. I am shocked that Mike Davis stooped to the lowest level of class by cowardly using the media as a method to pass the blame for a dissappointing season onto IU fans. He accused IU fans of boosting his player's egos and as a result causing them to play selfish basketball. Is his intent in doing this for us to support them less next year and begin ridiculing their every mistake in hopes of lowering their confidence/egos? Sorry, Mr. Davis, we like our Hoosiers too much to let your own ego get in the way of our support. Instead of blaming the loss on the players' selfishness and their inflated egos, why don't you check your own ego at the door and take some of the blame upon yourself? I hate the never-ending comparisons between Mike Davis and Bobby Knight, but this instance just so happens to relate perfectly to the season the Texas Tech basketball team had. When Bobby Knight's team didn't live up to expectations, he did not point fingers at his players and especially not the fans; he publically apologized for his own shortcomings and demanded that he not receive his salary and it be donated to other programs within the school. Appallingly, Coach Davis then had the nerve to hint that he might not come back next year because this team is uncoachable. As far as I am concerned, he can use his 800k/year contract to buy some hiking boots and pack up his ego-building, NBA-spacing style of one-on-one isolation offense and hit the road. Maybe he should look in the mirror if he is looking for someone selfish to blame. Heaven forbid that he might have messed up somewhere along the line and caused his team to play badly/selfishly! Maybe he needs to take some advice from his former boss and admit when he is at fault. A situation like Davis calling his players selfish is the reason that the analogy "the pot calling the kettle black" was invented. Pat Cruse
senior Off-campus student housing may bring health risks Regarding the article "Students face increased responsibility with off-campus housing" (March 25), I have had (and still do) numerous health problems while renting the house I'm currently at. I bought a Mold-Test kit online, and I tested the house for mold. According to the test, there's a lot of mold. Unfortunately like some of the people in the article, I don't have very good health insurance (for prescriptions). I feel like I've had the stomach flu for five or six months now -- ever since I've moved into the house. Hopefully you can warn renters to look for signs of water damage, soft (rotten) flooring and a "musty" smell. Don't dismiss those signs. I did, and now my health, schooling and social life are suffering. After reading the reports of problems with the implementation of the SEVIS system to monitor international students, including a March 26 article by Adam Aasen ("BFC reports problems with SEVIS"), I am left with one thought: Why is the IDS, and seemingly, the IU faculty and international student community, so against the fundamental existence of such a program? Without question, computer glitches that cause mistakes to be made of such a high level as arresting an innocent person are indefensible and need to be fixed ASAP. However, many IU faculty, staff and students interviewed seem to have the opinion that the mere existence of the program is unfair, and some of the new restrictions placed on international students are the same. International students are allowed into this country for the express purpose of advancing their education. For students to take a part-time class load or to travel without restriction or to have their spouses reap the benefits of a visa not issued to them are violations of both the spirit of such a visa and the law. A student visa cannot be a free pass into the United States and give the person it is issued to the same freedom of choices and movement as a permanent resident alien or citizen. It was the lack of any control over the student visa system that allowed Mohammed Atta to buy a one-way plane ticket and live in a part of the country nowhere near were his "school" was located. Now, the vast, vast majority of international students are of course not terrorists or criminals, but for them to expect no restrictions on their lives as students is unacceptable. They are given the opportunity to come to this country and learn, not to get in and then decide that they do not want to learn. If they want to come to this country to live or work, they can apply for a different visa just like everyone else. A student visa is a privilege, not a right. While the SEVIS system seems to have serious problems that need to be addressed, the existence of the program and the new restrictions it implements cannot be questioned. Scott Six
graduate student