Reasons for Al-Arian arrest unjustified
When Sami Al-Arian was arrested, many people heard the charges that were made against him by Attorney General John Ashcroft. Instantly, since we are now in a time similar to that of the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy Era, people accepted these charges as if proven already. Al-Arian was not arrested for the assumption and fabrication that he sent money to terrorists. He was arrested because he chose to stand and fight for the voice of the oppressed people of Palestine. He spoke against Israel and its bloody occupation of these defenseless people. When Al-Arian said, "Death to Israel," I agreed; he meant death to the Israeli policy and the policy of its biggest cronies, American bureaucratic Zionists. Israel and world criminals have led this illegal occupation since 1948 with a degradation to Al-Arian's heritage (Arab).
For example, consider this comment said by Chairman Heilbrun of the Committee for the Re-election of General Shlomo Lahat of Israel in 1983 that "We have to kill all the Palestinians unless they are resigned to live here as slaves." How would you feel in Al-Arian's shoes? Or what about what Yitzhak Navon, the "Moderate" ex-Israeli president said in 1985: "The very point of Labor's Zionist program is to have as much land as possible and as few Arabs as possible."
Israel has taken racism to an international level, as well. For example, Yitzak Shamir, former Israeli Prime Minister, referring to black African nations that voted in support of the 1975 U.N. resolution that denounced Zionism as a form of racism, said "It is unacceptable that nations made up of a people who have just come down from trees should take themselves for world leaders ... How can such primitive beings have an opinion of their own?" This makes one wonder how free and civil Israel really is. Well, they are not. They are terrorists who have broken 69 U.N. resolutions. Free Al-Arian, he is innocent.
Ramzy Kilic is a sophomore majoring in business management.
War will affect country in many ways
All Americans should oppose the war against Iraq. I attended the MacDill rally this weekend, and I just want to say how frustrated I am. The rally was another plea by peace-loving people to stop plans to attack people who have done nothing to us. The people who attended the rally want the American troops in the Middle East to come home safe and healthy, not in bog bady bags or suffering from some strange syndrome that the Pentagon will deny exists.
We want people to think critically about what is going on. No Iraqis were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, only Saudis. No weapons of mass destruction can be found. Most of the people and governments of the world oppose this war. What right do we have to attack these people? None. I think people are watching too much MSNBC. There is no provable link between al-Qaida and Iraq.
I think the question we should be asking is related to our own country. Why doesn't Congress act on behalf of the people and call for impeachment? The man in the White House is an illegitimate president. Our country is in a recession, and it's going to get worse. Our natural resources are in danger of being plundered while the "oil man" rules. While we are watching World War III on CNN, they will be drilling in Alaska, arresting innocent citizens, deploying sonar that will kill all kinds of marine mammals and rolling back rights of every American. If you don't stand up today, you might not have anyone standing with you later. Please wake up, and get involved.
Katie Rathmell is a senior majoring in biology.
Pro-war protesters need to learn facts
On March 5, I decided I'd stop by the pro-war rally and the anti-war counter-rally. As I made my way toward the lawn in front of Cooper Hall, I was greeted by the sight of flag-waving pro-war demonstrators facing off against anti-war protesters sitting in a circle and beating drums. I must say that the sight of pro-war demonstrators was a bit perplexing. What need is there to demonstrate when you are the status quo? Personally, I strongly oppose any military action in Iraq. So, I approached these particular demonstrators to listen to their side of the story.
What I heard often bordered on the ridiculous. I talked to one girl who said that we needed to free Iraq from Saddam Hussein. Fair enough. Well, I asked her what specifically does Hussein do to the people of Iraq. Her response was that the religious police in Iraq beat women for minor violations, women are raped for showing their ankles and women are forced to cover in public.
For those of you who don't immediately see the absurdity of her comment, let me explain: Iraq has no religious police. Iraq doesn't claim to be a religious government. If anything, they're radically secular. In Iraq, one gets arrested for being too religious, not irreligious.
This conversation was not an isolated incident. Sadly, again and again, I encountered pro-war demonstrators who had the most basic facts wrong. It was pitiful. I wish to pose a basic question to those who believe in going to war: How do you justify a war against a country you know virtually nothing about? Is it fair, moral or just that you make a decision on an issue that will result in the deaths of thousands of people without properly investigating that issue?
A word of advice to my pro-war counterparts: Stop listening to your Rush Limbaughs, Shnitts and Glenn Becks, and do some real research. Try (gasp) reading a book or two on the region. And be sure to pick out something that has some semblance of objectivity.
Bisher Tarabishy is a senior majoring in biology.
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