Let’s just bomb Iraq into oblivion
It’s high time we punished Iraq for having weapons the United States gave them back during the 1980s. It’s sad lots of people will die, but that’s their fault for not overthrowing their government by now (and being too hungry and weak because we won’t allow shipments of food and medicine into Iraq under U.N. sanctions is no excuse). And since there may be terrorists hiding out in other Muslim countries, we should use our new doctrine of pre-emptive invasion to attack the whole Middle East.
This policy isn’t racist. We won’t hurt the Muslims who are American citizens, except the ones who look funny. We’ll take them to secret locations without access to lawyers, just in case they’re terrorists.
This war will be fun, just like Afghanistan. We’ll depose a corrupt, dictatorial regime and replace it with another one similar to it and pretend we liberated everybody. And all the “collateral damage” we create will make it easier for Osama bin Laden to recruit terrorists, so we can have a neverending “war on terror,” and there’ll always be lots of fun violence on the news.
There are some people out there who’ll try and tell you there are “alternatives” to this war, such as “diplomacy” and “energy conservation.” Sure, we could stop buying vehicles that get only 15 miles per gallon, so we wouldn’t need to invade countries for oil. Or we could let the inspectors do their job, instead of constantly looking for excuses to go to war. And maybe if the American people learned to question what their leaders said, they might start seeing Muslims as people instead of collateral damage. But it’s so much more comfortable to accept everything Bush says and continue watching sitcoms while bad things happen to other people. And what’s more important, anyway? Preventing Iraqi children from dying slow, painful deaths of starvation and cancer from the depleted uranium shells we forgot to clean up after the Gulf War or the smell of sweet oil that flows into our SUVs at the gas pumps?
If you answer the people, you’re a terrorist.
Caitlin Grabarek
Senior — Anthropology
What does Norway know that we don’t?
I have a question. How come 80 percent of the Norwegian population is against a war in Iraq? Since oil is the main export in Norway, they actually would have great economic gain from a war. They are not part of the European Union, so they are not affected by what the rest of Europe says and does. Practically all Norwegians have friends and relatives in the United States, so they can not be accused of being anti-American.
What reasons would they have for being against a war in Iraq?
I know the answer, do you?
Ice Ingebjørg Steinnes
Senior — Psychology
Chimes Street losing its character
The character of Chimes Street is going up in flames, and this is what we get from the Reveille? New condos equals new character? Is The Reveille sponsored by the “beautification committee” that bulldozed Tabby’s Blues Box? Does it represent the students or Fat Cat, Inc.?
Perhaps if we crush all the available avenues for expression of dissent or celebration of diversity at LSU, things will be simpler. Upon admission, students could be issued foam black sandals, white baseball hats and vouchers for McDonalds, Coke and Blockbuster. Pre-furnished luxury holding cells at University Commons could house the entire student body with the proper strip-mall support.
Jake Fontenot
LSU Graduate
Let it be: Chimes changes won’t work
In regards to the front-page article written on Chimes Street, I find it pleasing to learn they are trying to boost business by cleaning up the area and rebuilding sidewalks, though with all of the new construction, it will be hard to bring the business of that area up. Yes, the restaurants and food businesses do well, but being so close to campus, some students usually don’t have the extra money to be shopping for extra things, including jewelry and clothes.
Though I am not discouraging the growth of this area, I am just not sure how successful a lot of the business will be because of the area and the customers. As quoted by Van Cox, “Chimes Street was never a savory-looking place,” so it will be hard to encourage new businesses to move in.
Chimes Street always will be a part of tradition and a cool place to hang out, but why don’t we let it be?
Jennifer Summer
Freshman — Mass Communication
HIV comment out of line, distasteful
In Rebekah Monson’s mindless “Off the Cuff” she jokingly states she has “the HIV.” Where’s the humor? I found this statement to be extremely distasteful and out-of-line … especially in a world where HIV/AIDS infection rates are once again on the rise. Perhaps The Reveille should challenge its writers to devote more time to columns or articles that actually inform or entertain us.
Corey L. White
Graduate Student — Public Administration
LSU shouldn’t settle for second best
As long as there are critics of people like Mark Emmert receiving just compensation, our state always will rank in the bottom 10 percent in terms of education. LSU has, in recent years, made a commitment to excellence, no matter the cost (i.e., Nick Saban). It is sad, but in the current condition of our state, there simply is no better way to attract a worthy chancellor to our University other than by paying him better than anyone else is willing to. What does Louisiana have to offer other than money? Students flee Louisiana in droves after graduation in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Where is the benefit in taking on such a task?
Think of it like this: When coach Saban recruits his players, he shows them how LSU ranks in comparison to other possible schools. The best teams get the best players. It works the same with faculty and students. The best faculty want to teach in the best universities, and the best students want to attend the best universities. Just as we’ve hired coach Saban to bring our team from the bottom, we’ve chosen Chancellor Emmert to bring LSU to the top.
LSU is the biggest and best college in the state. That’s no reason to become complacent. Let’s move in the right direction to become one of the best in the country. Those of you who laugh are the problem. If you do not think this is possible, then you’ve accepted Louisiana’s position as a bottom dweller of education. Why shouldn’t our state rank in the top 10 percent? It won’t, as long as we choose not to pay those who can improve it.
Who knows — maybe Michigan State still would have Nick Saban if it weren’t second-best to Michigan. Do we want that to happen to LSU? I think Emmert is worth every dime until he proves otherwise. If he proves he’s worth more, let’s give him a raise until we’ve maximized his potential. When we reach his potential, let’s thank him for a job well done.
Chad Roberts
Graduate Student — Business
Giving credit where it’s due
I really enjoyed Jason Martin’s article, “Individual efforts key sports,” in Tuesday’s paper. I only wanted to write to correct an error. It was actually Brad Wilson, not Tim Lanier, who was on third when Warren Morris hit his shot over the right field wall to win the College World Series in ’96. Wilson led off the ninth with an opposite-field double, after starting the game 0-3 with three strikeouts. Lanier struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. It was a great article, but I felt it was necessary to give credit where credit is due.
Matthew Moscona
Junior — Mass Communication