Sacrifices must come to prove our ideals

A perennially popular allusion to Gandhi, "An eye for an eye leaves everybody blind," is scrawled on another placard. I am compelled to agree.

When reasonable parties disagree, nonviolent means of influence are always preferred. And if all the earth shared the mindset of the peaceful student protestors, or even of the British that occupied Gandhi's India, then war would indeed be silly.

History reminds us that the beaches of Normandy were not stormed with placards. Occasionally, history plagues the world with organizations that are not easily influenced by clichés scrawled on placards. (Hitler, Mussolini, Qaddafi, etc.) A reminder is issued that the Taliban's unchallenged theocratic leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, sees perhaps one "infidel" per year. There is not a facile solution to this problem: his oppression of women and non-Muslims, among other practices, will not swerve in the face of any pacifist parade. "An eye for an eye" couldn't make the man any more blind than he already is. Such ill influences do not deserve eyes to see or lips to speak.

And "we," a generation that has witnessed war only in motion picture, did not win the horrific wars that guaranteed our freedom. Veterans did. For once, we must ask ourselves if we, too, need to sacrifice more than the cost of a ticket to "Saving Private Ryan" for our ideals.

Ryan Renn

Sophomore, School of Sciences

Students should respect cherished icons of freedom

Flag earns respect only after attacks

College-ruled paper ranks above others

Bomb threats waste assets, other's time

Sacrifices must come to prove our ideals

All American citizens need equal treatment

Student gives thanks to firemen, policemen

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