Gouvwnmir Tribun* Pr«M - Thursday, ? r r ^ s w « r 27,2091 - Pag* 4
y^ editorial p a g e " ^ — - ^
houghts on patriotism
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This was written by 17 year old
i mysctt can be thankfol dial
Paine's T h e Crisis,- written
Kyle Besaw. a student m the Ilth my Aunt Michete, who works M the in December 1776 in the heat of our
grade at Herman- DeKalb Central Pentagon, fuH does work at the WarforIndependence
School, and was addressed at the Pentagon and is doing her part as a
"These are die times that try
Memorial Servtce held m Herman member of the Unilcd Stales Navy men's souls. The summer soldier
to help those who were not as form* and die sunshine patriot will, in this
an September IS
nale
as die was.
GoodEvenmg:
crisis, shrink from die service of
Patriotism as defmcd m the dieAt dns time, I also feel Messed
ternary it the love and devotion to to have the opportunity to come here
ones country and the welfare of those and speak tonight I dunk we all can
agree that sometimes the best way to
Irvine m that country
Today, eight days after the day cope with a tragedy of this magniPrimary Day, which had been
of terror, my patriotism has become tude is to talk about it
scheduled
for September 11, but was
1 also want to extend a special
more apparent to me than every bemoved
because
of die terrorist
thanks to the thousands of men and
fore
I, myself, was not around to *ce women who have mode their own attacks in New York City, was held
die patriotism that was displayed by sacrifices to give aid and support to on Tuesday.
The only area races were for
the many American men and women those effected by the events in
highway
superintendent in five area
who lost their lives fighting for their Washington, New York and Penntownships.
All five primaries were
country m World War 1. World sylvania
to
win
a
slot
on die Republican line
War II and the War in Vietnam
In the last few days I have real- for die November 6th election.
These early heroes paved the way for ized, and 1 hope you have too, just
In die town of DePeyster
the men and women who protect us how proud we all should be to
Richard
A. Pray defeated incumbent
today andforthis they deserve spe- Americans.
Larry
K.
Hazehon 75-47.
cial thanks.
In closing tonight, I would like
The race for the Republican
As we watch the cleanup of the to read to vou an excerptfromThonomination
in Edwards went to
acres of nibble go on, we sec people
from all walks of life, many of whom
are volunteers, working side by side
to someday return Manhattan and
the Pentagon to normal
These firemen, police officers,
rescue workers and military put their
own lives in danger just as the volunteers do here m die north country;
a place where their hard work is often overlooked
In the wake of these tragedies,
all Americans now have something
to be thankful for We can be thankful that we live in a country strong
enough to withstand these terrorist
attacks on our nation and hope that
those responsible for the loss of over
five thousand innocent American
lives are brought to justice.
Local primary results
I
'
Sally PorXm - General Manager
Gail Clancy - Office/Circulation Mgr
Robin Jarboe - Reporter/Photographer
Dick Sterling - Reporter/Sports Editor
Colin Graves - Advertising
(315)287-2100
Editorial comment
It's time to stop the insanity
Over the past 16 days I've gone from feeling horrible about
the attacks in New York and Washington D C , to feeling
increasingly angry. My patience is wearing thin! The time has
come for some of these loud, obnoxious, hateful idiots to pay for
what they've done to our innocent citizens.
On Monday it finally happened Osama bin Laden, from
somewhere deep in the bowels of Afghanistan, spoke. He has
declared war on America. Isn't that special Afghanistan officials
have refused to turn him and his supporters over, Taliban leaders
have now threatened the world with "global terrorism." How
much more do we need? How much more can we take?
ITie Taliban militia were sending 300,000 fighters to protect
the Afghan borders. We've gotten everything but a written
invitation to fight these people. Let's get it on!
I realize that when this war begins many innocent people will
die too. We will be called every name in the book. The Afghan
people will parade a series of hurt children to show off in front of
the cameras. What they will be doing is still treating us like fools.
They know that Americans have heart. They know we have
sympathy. They know what bothers us. We all have to realize
that war is not pretty.
Maybe what our leaders should do is pan the camera a little
closer to the rubble that was once the World Trade Center towers.
Maybe they should show us some blood. Maybe what these poor
firemen are seeing every day, like shoes that still have feet in
them, or other pieces of human beings, are what some Americans
need to see to make them realize that we have no choice in the
matter. Maybe they need to have their nostrils filled with the
sickening smell of mass death. We have to strike! We have to
win! If we don't we'll be the patsy for every twisted individual on
the planet.
Too many times over the past few days I've heard people
say. "We must not rush to judgment." Many have said. "How can
we attack if we don't know who our enemy is?" On Monday
Osama bin Laden declared war on us. Three hundred thousand of
his troops were rushed into position to fight. What more do we
need?
With each passing day we hear more about what these
terrorists have in mind for us. With the theft of a crop duster the
potential that MILLIONS of Americans could die. Chemical
warfare is a possibility that we, as Americans, have to worry about
now. One of the biggest selling items in America right now are gas
masks. What's next? Bomb shelters with respirators?
Unless we've been snowed for the past several decades we are
the strong nation. It is America that has the highest technology.
Our intelligence system is supposed to be second to none. How is
it that we can be attacked by our own airliners. We're actually
being threatened by crop dusters. It's time to strike and strike
hard. It's time for bin Laden and those who refuse to give him up
to pay for his acts. If innocent people die the blame should be
directed at him, not us. Until September 11 we had no reason to
attack anybody. Now we do!
I have rarely been in favor of military action. I, like many,
believe in peace. For most situations diplomacy is the best thing.
Negotiation usually costs America money, but it avoids deaths. In
the current situation we don't need to talk to anyone. If they
want to support us, that's great. If they don't that's okay too.
Just get out of the way and don't come crying to us when it's
over.
I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Nepean, a beautiful
Canadian city near Ottawa, watching baseball this past weekend.
Nepean is near the Ottawa airport. Several commercial airliners
flew over the ball park. These giant planes flew majestically over
the ballpark. I realize now that the beauty of these massive jets m
flight has been changed forever in my mind I used to enjoy
watching these larger than life crafts climb into the sky. But
Sunday every time I saw one rise into the sky my mind
automatically pictured similar aircrafts smashing through the sides
of two of our nation's landmarks. This is just one little pleasure
that those terrorists have taken from me. just an average
American citizen Imagine what the families of the 7,000 victims
feel when they see a commercial airliner?
Even though we may feel more united as a nation now. the
fact of the matter is we're still 260 million potential victims for
terrorists intent on discovering ingenious ways to bring us to our
knees I. for one. don't like feeling scared. I worry about what
might happen next I want my children and grandchildren to be
proud and to stand tall in America I want the rest of the worid to
know what happens when we're slapped in the face.
I've heard on a few occasions lately the old saying: "Wfc may
have lost the battle, but we haven't lost the war ~ There is no
doubt whatsoever that we lost the battle. By my figuring we lost
the battle by a score of 7,000 to 19 Now is the time for this
great nation of ours to stand up and even the score. This time we
have to flex our muscles enough so that nobody, not even these
not in their nght minds, will consider attacking us again We have
been sucker punched and now were betng laughed at.
The time is now for this msamty to slop! I hope and pray
that President Bush can be as tough as he needs to be Arid when
the dust settles over a far off land I wont feci one iota of ginlt If
ever anyone had it coming it's bin Laden and those who cowardly
Duane G. Sykcs, who received 104
votes. James Whitford was named
on 42 ballots.
In the town of Fine incumbent
Roger S. Folsom defeated challenger
Daniel E. Kerr 61-35.
In Pitcairn incumbent Howard
E. Ray narrowly defeated Thomas J.
Sullivan Jr. 45-36.
And finally, in the town of
Russell
incumbent
highway
supervisor Kenneth F. Grimshaw
received the support of 142 voters.
His opponent, Lawrence G. White
received 104 votes.
Ste
America Unites
byPaulKingdon
America has been attacked.
By evil at it's worse
They murdered thousands on this day.
For that their name we curse.
A coward sent his devils,
To bring us to our knees.
Instead we're standing taller.
For each of us believe.
We believe in God above.
In freedom and free choice.
We believe in happiness.
We all say in one voiceAs long as there are rays of hope.
We'll maketfshine for all
There's no-one here who stands alone,
1 o falter or to fall.
For out of darkness comes a light,
A light within our hearts.
It shines for every one of us.
At birth is when it starts,
America's still standing.
For all the world to see.
We'll stand together side by side
For all eternity.
So write it in the books today,
Forever we'll be strong.
We'll never buckle or cave in,
America goes on.
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As I Understand ItScratch a religious fanatic! What do you find?
by Claude Sprowls
Sad as the fact may be, it remains true that like begets like
and evil begets evil This was demonstrated once again this past
week by attacks upon some of the Moslems and Arab look-alikes
among us. Understandable as that may be in reaction to the September 11 atrocity, it is nevertheless absolutely unacceptable.
The decent people among us, and fortunately they are the majority, can only be shocked and saddened by such excesses on the
part of a few fools among us. We can, however, hardly be surprised. After all, such violence and vigilante behavior is a wellestablished American tradition. Wrap such fools in the flag and
there is no end to the evil they feel free to do in the mantle of
righteous indignation and self-satisfaction.
in response to these recent examples, spokesmen of official
policy have been quick to remind all that our fight is not with
the religion of Islam but with the terrorists in certain extreme
factions of that faith. And so it is, but that distinction will probably continue to be lost on some. While it is absolutely true that
the overwhelming majority of Moslems live in peace and take no
part m militant aggression, it is also true that they have made
little effort over the past generation to disavow that faction
among them which acts entirely otherwise The past 30 years
has seen the emergence of fanatical groups of Moslem militants
m various parts of the worid who have waged a vicious war of almost indiscriminate terrorism ill over the globe
They have waged their terrorism against any and all who refused to bow down to them. The list of dietr targets has been
broad The nation of Israel would perhaps rank in the forefront.
The United States, as a protector of Israel, would be a close sec*
ond Perhaps antagonisms around the creation of the Jewish state
are to be expected m light of the legitimate grievances of the
Palestinian Moslems. However, a broader list of those the militants have terrorized and slaughtered reveals the more fundamental motivations and goals of their program Most basically,
they want simply to be m control and to dictate to everybody
etse on earth.
Vicious as have been their attacks upon Israeli athletes and
stand t^hmd him
-Dick Sterling
US embassies and European nightclubs, the numbers slaughtered
m such incidents pales tn comparison wtth the number of fellow
Muslims killed by the militants m their dnve to take control
From nowhere the attack came Death the skies rated
wherever they choose to set up camp The Arab states of the
Our Nations eyes filled *itb iears. As buikhop scfl hke metal tears
Middle East and other Muslim countries around the world have
With the clearing of the dust Rang the phrase. "Reveafr t» a mmsT
almost without exception been held hostage by or totally surrenBeneath the rums ia> doom Prayng trie brio* die saerl pave
dered to the fundamentalists and fanatics m their faith o^er the
A rash of despair mas bom on thts dry. Vet not lettaag hopes bgfcf fade
past several years h appears that they have fmalry gone too far.
away Their beans are filled witti blood md base O v H a m mam moid*
transgressing so egrcgiousK that the world will tolerate them no
their fate baner cmotsom setfret o t . h flows frruffc cwyoac. mo owe m longer Let us hope so' Bui let us not fall m o the error of conalone Sorrow and danger, m am prayer s spokea* Oar NJOOW wpm% wM SNknng them somehow urucpuery bad or eviL nor dunk I am so
« n g i « f them out m thttcotomt
not be broke* Survivors there are so sew. Quapaf 6K America wr amce
knr» Thev memories shall m am hearts rctnaaa. America v i mot ytekd to
A reiigyous fanatic is the same m one reiapon as B the next^
the pan
Everyn Fcm Sanders
A Nation Changed
their country; but he that stands it
now deserves the love and thanks of
man and woman. Tyranny, like hell,
is not easily conquered, yet we have
this consolation with us, that the
harder the conflict, the more glorious
die triumph."
Scratch a religious fanatic of whatever faith you choose and you
find a killer, always. Most of them, of course, never take up the
knife themselves but they cheer in their heart of hearts for the
ones who do. Right now the focus is on the Muslim fundamentalists but in other times and places it has been on the fanatics of
other faiths. Christian extremists have held center stage more
than once in the course of history.
In the early Middle Ages they made their crusading pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Organized campaigns of slaughter and
pillage. In the name of Christ, of course! In the later Middle
Ages the Church of Rome played its part in the killing of witches
(by the hundreds of thousands) and anti-Jewish programs all over
Europe. In more recent times, and closer to home, we might recall that the vast majority of the KKK night-riders who terrorized and murdered our black brothers were as Christian as they
come. Sabbath day in the pew, dressed in their Sunday-go-tomeetin' clothes, and Friday nights out lynchin' in their white
sheet vestaments.
Even the Hindus, who we tend to think of as more gentle and
less aggressive than many other mainstream religions, have lost
it on occasion. Some of them may hesitate to kill even insects
and all of them may tolerate the mangiest cows in the midst of
public traffic but at the time of their emergence as an independent nation fifty years ago a lot of them took up the knife in a
life and death struggle with their Moslem countrymen And it was
after all a Hindu fanatic who murdered Gandhi, the most peaceful
of them all.
We should all hope that from out this disaster of two weeks
ago will come the resolve to eradicate the most dangerous of
these religious fanatics but if you think for a minute it is only m
the Middle East or the Orient that such moral pigmies arise.
think again. A few days ago, after the attacks in New York and
Washington, conservative evangelist Jerry Falwell and fellow
evangelist Pat Robertson were commenting on the events and
admonishing us all as is their wont Falwell, in his wisdom, observed that those attacks were somehow the fault of the liberal
civil-nghts groups and homosexuals and abomon-nghts supporters among us who had moved God to deny us His holy protection, m our sinfulness Robertson, for his pan. concurred wholeheartedly. All of this is completely documented and recorded
You think Osama bin Laden is the only heartless fool who would
•peak m the name of religion0 Think again'
When the public outcry over their remarks came upon them
they tried their best to back-pedal out In a statement posted on
his web site Falwell said that he was makmg "a nuanced theological point that *as misunderstood b> a secular media and audience " Get if> Jem's just too subtle and sopmsticated for the rest
of us dummies to follow the intricacies of his thought Or so he
would like to pretend But most of us kno* hate talk *tien * e
hear it, whether ifs corrung from a btn Laden or a Falwell
Scratch a religious fanatic and youll find a killer - every
time But they tell us if s ok TheVre doing it for God*