Term "oriental" inappropriate
In Ms. Schick's opening sentence she uses the term, "the Orient." This, along with "oriental" has never been an acceptable term to refer to lands East of Europe for people living in or from those lands. Further, it has become an academically unacceptable term since the publcation of Edward Said's landmark book, Orientalism, in 1978.
Elaine Enriquez
religious studies senior
US-backed Israeli policy is not "peacekeeping"
Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. Israeli time, a Palestinian drove a bus into a bus stop, killing eight people and injuring 14 others. Some of these people were soldiers, some were civilians. The day before, the Israeli government initiated a strategic missile strike on Massoud Ayyad when he was driving alone in his vehicle. The bus attack appeared to be in retaliation for to planned assassination of Ayyad, a member of Force 17, Yassir Arafat's bodyguard unit. When asked about the assassination, Israeli Deputy Defense minister Ephraim Sneh replied that since the Palestinians wouldn't arrest this known terrorist, their only option was to hit him any way they could. He was supposedly responsible for kidnappings, shelling Israeli towns, and other "terrorist activities."
One might wonder, has he ever been responsible for an assassination? Killing children in cold blood? Strafing city streets in Apache helicopters? All of these actions are "terrorism," yet when Israeli troops perform these atrocities, they are "peacekeeping measures" supported by the United States.
Israel has been slowly segregating and choking the life out of the Palestinian populations within its borders through the use of blockades. In South Africa, this was called apartheid. Palestinians are in an occupied territory. They can barely leave their homes to go to work and school, and there is no possibility of leaving their towns. Twenty of their leaders have been assassinated since the outbreak of hostility began five months ago. Over 400 people have died from this new conflict, and most have been Palestinian. Yet, the only terrorists are the desperate Palestinians who fight for their humanity. The Israelis are peacekeepers, just like the United States. They seek the peace of the master and slave. Well hell, as long as we get our oil...
Carl Case
political science junior
