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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2001)
y fiursday, October 1 1, 2001 BATTAL Page 5B ty ngre&i St. he told repottjj :s must not their differe!.:| 1 Republicans nd other issues,! e can find e must findila jt we must hen we dis Pelosi’s w sisted of ovi pport from 1 emocrats’ 44 women, dispanics, asw of other West liberals, on enoughs itic centrists o outflank Ho’. * maker from lington moderate >< osi. :he importance* Pelosi.hetv s a bow to t Concress and; merican Flag fad has become retailers’ drea m Irom the ragged banner with stars and stripes that distinguished separation from British oppression, to the modern 50- larred standard born by representatives of our [ation, Old Glory has represented a nation char- tterized by pride, bravery and resolve. In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks on lew York City and Washington, D.C., the flag is become an all-encompassing emblem of the elings among citizens of this nation. It shows the strength of a people to face each day, and to support whatever measures may be necessary to prevent these atrocities from happening again. U signifies the honor and louming for those brave souls silling to give their lives for the pallest possibility that others Vijhtbe saved. Most important- ii,it represents the unity and res- |teness of a nation that, in the ace of crisis and adversity, takes deep collective breath and spends in a w ay previously [tumaginable and consummate. Bui why now? Certainly, |toe times call for a show of iccordance and harmony pveen people of all nationali- ing contests. Often, fans and athletes do not show the patience to stand still and respectfully throughout the entire song. Televised games are notorious for showing fidgety athletes, whose eyes wander the field, eager to find something of interest. Is three minutes too much to ask to pay respect to those who have willingly put their lives on the line for the defense of the United States? There is nothing wrong with the newfouind desire to fly the flag from every possible loca tion. There is no problem with putting a flat;g in a Flags only intended to promote pairioticism S ince Sept. I l, Americans have responded with an amazing display of patriotism. Flags have been placed in front of count less homes since the terrorist attacks. Although the increased demand for American flags has risen dramatically within a short period of time, that does not mean that flags have become merely a fad of popular culture. It is indisputable that the demand for American flags has reached a level far sur passing that before Sept. 11. Local stores have sold out of U.S. flags so Flags for fashion s for Democraw es ’ re l’8' ons an< J mindsets. The 52 House iry 2003 to new census ne largest delei se. Also, the si crucial to esidential ci )f winning agi tition signates •allot — toj*!? ;tting 3,0®5t can pay aW by the Dec I id signatures m signatures and i,” Conditsaii in the Capitol LJDY theast Textii * external :al company jdy. voluntary may receive s, including: examinations ) blood worl< ‘afional drug it ion and to please call: 846-1744. imperative reaction atter |heattacks was to show the |wldand, most importantly, those who would seek to threat- nus, that the foundation of our ountry cannot be destroyed. Of ourse, the easiest and most ccessible way to show unity is bththe ubiquitous and globally enownedred. white and blue. But is our country only great in times of misfortune? Absphtely not. Since the attacks, the econo my has taken a huge hit. Consumer sales in every major ctegory have dwindled. The firing exception has been sales oflhe American flag. Major tlailers scrambled to keep their felves stocked. Production companies are liswamped. Across the lation, flag sales after the »eek of the attack were 1500 lercent higher than the same »eek last year. America have a sub-par performance as a country in the year 2000? Again, no. Unemployment continued to slow as he U.S. stock markets set growth record after word. American business significantly contributed and supported the major financial networks of he world. And who could forget about the first Olympics of the millennium, where U.S. athletes garnered the most medals? The national anthem is played before sport- John Bodnar, chairman of the Indiana University history department and an expert on patriotism and its symbols, told CNN that this flexibility is what is allowing the American flags to become so widespread in patriotic displays. “For some people, the flag expresses a desire for a safe and secure home,” he said. “For others, it is a plea for peace and still oth ers can view a flag display as a command to go out and destroy evil in the world.” Does this sudden jump in demand for American flags qualify as a fad? Of course not. The recent stir of patriot ism is a prod uct of the war against terror- Flags for freedom window, a car or any other place that displays the stars and stripes in an acceptable manner. But allowing the fervor, pride and patriotism to dwin dle will do more harm than merely being apa thetic. If those who wish to harm us see us grow ing to care less and less about our country, it gives them the idea that we are susceptible to attack. Let Americans not give that irmpression. — I..- '' ' f * ^----- Nathan Rogers is a junior international .studies major. quickly that newspapers across the country printed copies of American flags to help allevi ate the overwhelming demand. Online suppliers of American flags, such as Flags Unlimited and USFlags.com, have posted warnings to cus tomers that orders have been backed up four to six weeks due to the sudden demand. A large part of the American flag’s popularity now is the flag can mean whatever the bearer wants it to. People of opposite ideologies can wave the flag with an equal amount of pride. ism. The propensi ty of flags is simply America’s way of preparing for war. Anyone who has seen Braveheart can remember the blue war paint Mel Gibson wore in portraying Scottish hero William Wallace in battle. American flags are similar to the war paint worn by the Scottish clans - they are our way of preparing for war. Referring to our increased display of American flags as a fad does no justice to the ideas inherent behind the raising of those flags. American flags are not simply rectangular pieces of cloth colored with red, white and blue. The physical nature of the flags is not the reason why Americans are dis playing them. As Bodnar said, the reason Americans are dis playing such patriotism is because of what the flag sym bolizes for each American. In the weeks following Sept. 11, the flag has come to stand for even more than the freedom it had previously signified. It now represents the courage and the selflessness of the firefight ers and rescue personnel who gave their lives helping others in a time of confusion and tragedy. It represents the determination of those who have lost loved ones suddenly and violently. More importantly, it represents the unity of Americans in the face of tragedy and honors those who died. The very term “fad” denotes a certain meaninglessness and insignificance. Considering just a few of the many things the American flag represents, the recent display of American flags does not seem at all insignificant. We simply are not talking about a brand of cloth ing or a new accessory. The display of the American flag is about the assortment of emo tions that Americans have felt since Sept. 11. Those underlying emotions and quiet, unyielding anger are simply far beyond a fad. JOE PEDEN • THE BATTALION Richard Bray is a junior journalism major. CARTOON OF THE DAY More tolerance is needed for gays bllijation Science [JEDHEAffii -3220 or lu/pagevalli R S I T Y _ mmsm JESSICA CRUTCHER WHEN THE WGIES PLAY IN AFGHANISTAN tiysNwt- with a valid Ihe Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author’s name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style and accu racy. Letters may be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald v student ID. Letters also may be mailed to: The Battalion — Mail Call 014 Reed McDonald • MS 1111 Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Fax: (979) 845-2647 Mail Call: mailcall@thebatt.com ay Awareness week, sponsored by Gay, Lesbian:., Bisexual and Transgendered Aggies (GLBTA), seems to be a divisive issue on the Texas A&M camnpus. As most people already know. Gay Aw areness week began Monday and will continue thirough Sunday afternoon. The main goal of the program is to educate others and promote toler ance of the gay community. These goals badly need to be re;.ached in the A&M community, a place where anti-homosexu al epithets seem to be a part of daily life. GLBTA should be applauded for their uphill battle to emsure equal treatment for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. However, there iis at least one group on campus who seemf; determined to deny non-heterosexual Aggies even minimal courtesy: the Youn g Conservatives of Texas A&M (YCTAM). In response to Gay Awareness Week, YCTAM is simultaneous ly sponsoring Traditional Family Values Week. They will also be at the MSC all week, and will be; sponsoring a “traditional wedding” at 1 p.m. Thursday, to show what marriage was “intended to be.” YCTAM members said that this effort originated “out of a desire t o prevent pro-homosexual values from being forced on people that do not agree with them.” However, GLBTA members are not even approaching people in the MSC — interested persons must approach them. In contrast, YCTAM is actively approaching people in order to get rid of their quota of 5,000 white ribbons, which are supposed to symbolize that it is okay not to accept homosexual values that are being pushed on the A&M campus. Those participating in Gay Awareness Week are not trying to force their foes to become their best friends. They are simply asking for These goals badly need to be reached in the A&M commu nity, a place where anti-homo- sexual epithets seem to be a part of daily life. respect for their rights and equal treat ment. YCTAM members have just as much of a right to voice their beliefs as GLBTA members. But by refusing to admit that gays deserve at least this, the members of YCTAM are showing a big otry that should have died during the race riots of the 1960s. Considering their behavior, one might find it paradoxical that YCTAM chairman David Rushing said of family values week, “Our message is not a message of hate or intolerance, but rather one of conviction. Any group that assumes it can educate us and make us more accepting and open to their values is very self-righteous. The homosexual community needs to stop being so closed minded ...” If the matter was not so serious, this quote would be laughable. Surely he is not serious. Those who feel it necessary to preface their statements with “I’m not intolerant, but ...” are generally the most intolerant of all. If it is self-righteous and closed-minded to expect gays and other minority groups to be treated like human beings, then may I be the most self-right eous and closed-minded of all. The people involved in “traditional fam ily values week” need to take a step back and listen to the intolerance that is coming out of their own mouths before they start accusing other groups of being intolerant. YCTAM members should review their own tactics of spreading their beliefs before being too critical of the beliefs of others. And most of all, everyone espousing ani mosity toward the gay community, and other minority communities, should remember that everyone is a human first, and their rights and beliefs should be respected accordingly — no matter how different they are from one’s own. Jessica Crutcher is a senior journalism major.