6 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 12, 2001 OP/ED 4 a g aiIg 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 daily. letters@umich.edu c ( We have lived a very safe and coddled ___ _ EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 GEOFFREY GAGNON Editor in Chief MICHAEL GRASS NICHOLAS WOOMER Editorial Page Editors life in this country. And now we are.like the rest of the world." The Washington Post's Marc Fisher 4 Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE UNIVERSITY The University of Michigan prides itself on its longstanding history of acceptance and tolerance of all cultures. These assets are the cornerstone of our education, and are integral in good times, and an utmost necessity in times of stress and trying. Yesterday morning's events have thrown us into a catastrophe on a magnitude never experienced before. The day has . been tumultuous; we don't know what to believe; we don't know what to think. This crisis is an opportunity for us to practice what we preach; it is an opportunity for us to come together, recognize and pay proper respect to the tragedy, and unite behind one another. We are all in the same boat - confused. Things are difficult right now, and they will be for some time to come while we try to interpret what has happened. Let's take this opportunity to unite behind our common values of diversity, tolerance and acceptance. Terrorism only succeeds when it forces its victims to change their practices, and we refuse to let terrorism succeed. As noted by President Bollinger, if you have any questions regarding counseling, help lines, or anything else, www.umich.edu will have continual updates as they occur. Sincerely, ~ . - - y _vw Affiva. When evil scales * all bariers Il" RT DIA TTY A 7r. L 'IA i .N. r I. /t YJ l it - mornrw qwl _ 1 A)V Y W, ,, /Pq /EN#A~f / I MLAN 15H A ny fierce commit- . ent to an ideology brings an unfortunately easy tendency to lose sight of the impact of one's ideas. There stands a barrier between imagi- nation and reality - a barrier that is usually seen as an impediment to our advancement. We dream of curing cancer, but the reality is farther off. We picture an equal society, but have no success in attaining it. We can mar- vel at the stars, but have no certainty of understanding them. But there are times when the barri- er between imagination and reality seems all too thin, all too weak. Yesterday morning, the collective imagination of a group of terrorists crossed the barrier and created a reali- ty that destroyed more than an impedi- ment between the mind and the world. It's almost unfathomable to think that this could have been anything more than a natural disaster. It's the sort of thing that shakes to the core the romantic idea of the inherent goodness of mankind. This has to be a series of unfortunate events - it's impossible that anyone could have dreamed of this, planned this and implemented this. The news tells me otherwise. Sud- denly it becomes impossible for me to believe that all people are good or that all people understand the inherent linkage between each other. Soon after the twin towers of the World Trade Center crumbled, we saw horror, shock, mourning. But we also saw some less than noble human respons- es. AIJI NOTHING CATCHY world of non-believers. We saw Pales- ti mans dancing in the streets, passing out candy to celebrate the suffering of an enemy. We saw genuine glee at the deaths of people who as yet do not have faces. Though such a tragedy cannot be recalled in the collective memory of this nation - an attack of this magni- tude is unheard of on American soil - we have had our fair share of man-I made trauma. Whenever these stories break, there are soothing voices on the radio and calming faces on the televi- sion explaining to us that this is our moment. This is our time to come together as Americans, our time to shine, our time to prove our grit and our soul. I wish that this were the sort of thing that could be uniting, but my pessimism wins out. Already, Arab- Americans on campus are being attacked. Already, we hear national reports of faux-bomb threats placed by people willing to take advantage of this situation. Already, Henry Kissinger is suggesting an all-out attack on any group or any nation that seems even remotely suspicious. Already, the places of grief are filling instead with anger and hatred. In and of itself, the terrorist attack was enough to shake my self-indul- gent romanticism regarding the goodness of mankind. But the response makes me question a funda- mental ideal that I've held for as long as I can remember. People who act with evil intent may not simply be misguided or blinded - they may in fact be evil. And still, the barrier remains. Between the minds of evil and the reality of the world is a barrier of JOINT STUDENT STATEMENT n light of yesterday's tragedy, we stand united in condemnation of these heinous attacks. Together, we must grieve and ultimately overcome. This crime forces us to contemplate every held belief about ourselves, our community, our nation, and our world.r This attack could make our world appear dark and dismal, or could be an opportunity for cohesion and growth. It is vital home, as a result of this diversity, but also tolerance. This tolerance has never been more crucial than now. The microcosm that we call our home can serve as an international example of diversity, tolerance, and peace. It is in our hands. In solidarity, RACHEL TRONSTEIN President LSA Student Government This statement was co-signed by the following student groups. CAMPUS RELIGION NETWORK PROJECT SERVE MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY STUDENT ORGANIZING FOR LABOR AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY ALPHA IOTA OMICRON AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TZEDEK: A JEWISH SOCIAL JUSTICE N:. E. Royster Harper Vice President for Student Affairs