By
Dear Editor,
Jacob M. Babcock, what are you talking about? Your bitter tirade left me scratching my head. You use mighty big words, but you aren't communicating anything effective. What are you trying to say? You wrote "you will never make a change, because frankly, you don't have a voice." Who are you talking to? Is it a single person, or groups of people with viewpoints that oppose your own?
If your target is the former, it would seem that you de-value the democratic process. Are you saying that it is hopeless to vote, and that although an individual is free to express one's opinion in this country, that it is feeble to do so? Your statements are a hypocritical paradox; do you yourself vote? Do you have that much faith in the staying power of our currently misguided government?
If your target is the latter, then you are truly anti-democratic. Your attempt to stifle debate through brute wordage is completely valueless. You move from apathy to fascism.
Please have some respect for the 10,000 plus Portlanders who last month had the strength to put their backs behind their beliefs and march for peace. This "little rally" was the biggest in the country. With the nationwide rallies that took place March 18 and a below majority approval rating for the war in Iraq, you can bet that the "plebeians" of this nation are turning the heads of presidential candidates working to get elected. The protesters knew damn well that their demonstration wasn't going to "end the war" immediately, but with that many voices speaking out, things will eventually change.
Where do you get your authority to insult the free democratic processes that this country is based upon? Of course opinion columns and war protests don't directly and immediately change viewpoints and policy; it would be childish to think so. Political change is a gradual and complicated process. Additionally, for you to demean these kinds of forums is insulting to any citizen of this country who still sees a shred of value in freedom of speech and a free press. Rather than parroting exploitative and bigoted rants by syndicated radio hosts who pander to their audiences for ratings (oops! you gave yourself away!), you should put a little time into thinking about cause and effect, and the great potential in the freedom that this country provides each of its citizens; a freedom that you enthusiastically pissed upon in your letter.
Erik Gatesjunior English major
Dear Editor,
Mr. Babcock, when I read your letter in The Beacon, I was left absolutely speechless. First of all, it seems to me that the fact that you are writing this letter shows that you expect your voice to be heard, not necessarily nationally, but on the small scale of our campus. Thus, you are expressing your beliefs, your thoughts, your voice and your right to freedom of speech and so are these protesters that you speak of. If you are so adamant that protesting does not matter, that 15,000 people don't actually have a voice, why did you even bother writing this letter? You are protesting against protesters, thus disproving your point.
Secondly, these protesters, myself included, wish to embrace our right to freedom of speech and possibly elicit change on the national level. However, I am not ignorant enough to believe that my actions as a protester to the war will create immediate change, but the fact is that I hope for change, I hope that maybe the democratic process will come through. I am well aware of the nature of politics and that time is necessary for any change to take place; a protest is meant to illustrate that desire, that passion for change.
Thirdly, your statement that "He'll be gone within a year, be patient" implies that the next year will have no actual impact on the world, specifically the situation between the Middle East and the United States. Do you realize that thousands upon thousands more people will die or be injured within the next year due to our country's actions? Do those people's lives mean nothing to you? Should I "be patient" as another friend of mine is sent to Iraq to fight a war that is accomplishing nothing?
Additionally, I hope that you realize that your letter demonstrates how much hate you have for people who think differently than you. I thought democracy was about tolerance and freedom ... what do you think it is? You letter also implies that protesters are one 'kind' of person; this assumption screams of your ignorance. There were grandmothers, children, middle-aged business men, young mothers, Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Muslims, and thousands more at this rally. Protesters are not just hippies; protesting is not just something that drug-abusing teenagers participate in. I was shocked by the hate that I felt from your words. It is obvious that protesting angers you, but is it truly necessary to breed that hatred? That protest was meant to give a message of peace and hope, and with the exception of about 30 anarchist teenagers, it was very successful.
I assume that you will take me to be a lazy hippie, an idealistic liberal, or just plain crazy, but keep in mind, I go to the same school that you do, I work just as hard as you do; our differences lie in the fact that I have hope for a better future, you don't.
PEACE,Lauren Johnsonjunior political science and French major
