Illustration by Josh Hagler

During my rookie semester as a columnist here at the Wildcat - or for that matter, anywhere - I've made more than one mistake, some in the form of understating or overstating my position, others by flat-out putting my foot in my mouth. Regardless, I thought I would use my last commentary opportunity of 2001 to address that which I regret, wish to retract or simply want to reaffirm.

Reaffirmation: stating the beliefs of the anti-war protesters, who enjoy majority support at our "progressive" university but - mercifully - represent a tiny minority of Americans as a whole, were misguided. If America had never lifted a finger toward Afghanistan prior to Sept. 11, be it in the form of financial support, military backing or otherwise, the peaceniks would still be blasting our country. "America's neglect of problems overseas have led to a growing hatred from inhabitants of the Middle East," they'd say. "We have no one to blame for our misfortune but ourselves." Sound familiar? In their eyes, America is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Don't forget it.

Regret: not fully clarifying what I was asking for in my "Let me have it. I'm all ears" column Nov. 16. In regard to the air strikes on Afghanistan, I wrote, "I haven't heard a single alternative solution from anyone other than the same old 'violence solves nothing' mantra." In the following week, I received numerous e-mails from individuals exasperated by what they had interpreted as a total ignorance of their suggestions on my behalf.

Evidently, what I failed to make entirely clear was that I had not heard any other options in reference to obtaining justice for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. I received many recommendations for the adjustment of future American domestic and foreign policy, but that wasn't what I had in mind. I stated, "let me have it," because I am absolutely, 100 percent positive no other way exists to bring the Taliban and the entire al-Qaida network to its knees than by military force. Let there be no further misunderstanding.

Reaffirmation: the fact that Gandhi regularly drank his own urine, as I pointed out in the same column. He did so as a cleansing exercise. Jim Morrison reportedly did the same thing. Go figure.

Retraction: my comments on the "Aviation Revolution" Issue of the Week from Sept. 27. I commented that improving airline security is futile, as terrorists have more than "one trick up their sleeves." What got lost in the translation - or perhaps, what I just failed to translate - was that I have no qualms whatsoever with current airline security measures being properly enforced. Frankly, I felt that many Americans were under the illusion that all these new restrictions on commercial aviation would keep us nice and safe from anything that terrorists could throw America's way in the future, a notion far from reality.

Regret: the juvenile name-calling I resorted to in my Oct. 26, "Save the planet: have an abortion" column. Once I began writing for the Wildcat, one of the things I sought out to do was to never write anything that I wouldn't have the guts to say to someone's face. In that particular column, I failed to follow my own guidelines. It displayed a lack of character on my part, and I apologize to any who felt slighted.

Reaffirmation: the general message of the aforementioned column. After all, the argument, "in order for future generations to fully enjoy our planet and its environment, abortion must be easy and accessible," seems just a bit paradoxical. But maybe that's just me.

Retraction: my comment that Alaska National Wildlife Refuge was an "ugly" piece of land, as I stated in "Terry McAuliffe: Master of Puppets" way back on Aug. 27. It's not necessarily ugly; the small section where oil drilling would occur is just barren, useless tundra, which was the point I intended to get across. Some people took offense to the word "ugly." My mistake.

This semester went by too fast, and I can't help but conclude that there were many important topics left untouched. I guess that's a void that only the spring semester can fill.

Until then, have a great Christmas · (oops, keep it secular, Shane. No need to unnecessarily offend anyone).

Have a fantastic Winter Break.

And can we please get that football stadium a corporate sponsor?