Tuscon tragedy: a chance for unity Goodbye

BY MICAH LEINBACH Staff writer While the initial uproar regarding the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson a few weeks ago has subsided, the results of the shooting remain very real and present. Giffords is experiencing swelling in her brain, and news continues to surface. Blame for the event was all over the map. Everything from political vitriol to a gunreference heavy culture, to marijuana, to the shooters evil nature was cited. But by-andlarge the word of the week was vitriol, and our divisive political environment was the guilty party. Given that source of responsibility, the political division of blame struck me as ironic. The national response to a tragedy supposedly caused by divisive and vitriol-filled politics was nothing other than just that. The Left was quick to call out infamous conservative minds like Limbaugh and Palin for their media strategy. Keith Olbermann called publically for apologies. Put on the defensive, the Right was quick to defend with their own volley of claims as to the cause. Palin and her ilk are far from blameless. Problems have causes and evil is hardly to blame. But given our schools left-leaning environment, it is important to recognize that to turn and blame the vitriol and divisiveness on an irrational and reactionary Right is in itself irrational and irresponsible. Olbermanns speech came in hard and quick against right-wing figures, failing to give anything other than lip service to his own role. After Tucson, we on the Left were far too quick to blame the Right for the vitriol, but this is unfair. The vitriol we see comes from division and that division comes from a lack of conversation. Conversation obliges both sides to talk. I receive communications from both the radical Left and reactionary Right. In both extremes there are claims that are irrational, unfounded, and reinforced by circling around communities that agree and have no

The Pioneer Log, January 28, 2011

Opinion 5

and good riddance to the shapely Sudan

BY JACOB SIMONDS Staff Writer When an astronomically high 73 percent of a population cant read or write, doing nation-like things (elections, for instance) proves difficult. But thats just what Sudan did, enlisting the help of pictograms in a referendum over the secession of Southern Sudan on Jan. 9. Along with Arabic and English text, two embracing hands meant keeping the union, while hands apart meant secession. Initial reports look very promising and soon Southern Sudan will become the worlds 204th sovereign nation. To many in the western world, the country is known for genocide, corruption, and oil. With so many problems its hard to tell where to begin, which is why I find the prospect of an independent Southern Sudan so exciting. This could be a beginning. The largely Arab, Islamic north and the largely Black, Christian south never really agreed to live together. The state is a relic of British Imperialism, though to their credit, its a very well-shaped state. Even a glance at an atlas shows the care taken in carving it up. A nice, crisp border with Egypt in the north rounds ever-gently towards the bottom, while the eastern edge bordering Ethiopia is a little bit jagged making it seem natural (like they werent trying that hard). The new Southern Sudan will be about the size of Texas, and itll come with Texassized problems. Sure, itll have oil. But whats a resource without infrastructure? What good are their oil fields when most pipelines lie as north as a compass? Whats any opportunity in the face of men with guns and bad attitudes who will be heard stepping into the who-knows-how-temporary political vacuum? There are plenty of more reasons why Southern cessation might turn this geographical tinderbox into a ball of flames. But with western help and the will of this partially literate population, who are being heard in this groundbreaking election, this could be a new beginning. The Northern and Southern Sudanese never agreed to live together, and they shouldnt have to. Thats why Ill welcome the worlds 204th sovereign nation, and you should too.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATE OWENS

impetus to critically challenge core assumptions. Whether it comes over AM radio or grassroots social networks is minor; what is communicated to the masses matters far more than how it is communicated. When we converse in environments free from opposing views, irrational claims can flourish. Is it any surprise division results? When we do not recognize that coming from different cultural backgrounds and value systems can create disagreement between perfectly rational parties, can we expect any-

thing other than vitriol? This is a challenge that rings particularly true on this campus. The conservative voice here is missing. What is lost is an awareness of the intricacies of another way of thinking. Our nation turned a chance for unification into an escalation of partisan divide. At least here, we can take a small step towards repairing that by keeping in mind what rational (albeit opposing) voices are missing from our conversations, and bring them in.

Editors note: This is one of many perspectives that we, as LC community members, have to offer, and it is vital that we all be able to share our views in a manner that many throughout our country have been unable to. Therefore, the Pioneer Log will be hosting a discussion on the significance and consequences of the Arizona shooting. All community members, including faculty, staff and students, are welcome to take part. Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 3:30 pm in Thayer.

The Tern: Inside Anarchists Against the Wall

A weekly column dedicated to spreading awareness about social justice.
BY ADRIAN GUERRERO Staff Writer I recently asked a friend what she thought of Julian Assange. She looked me in the eye and said, Well, Wikileaks is doing some great stuff but theyre also helping out the people were fighting. We? On Jan. 14, I went to a presentation by the Anarchists Against the Wall (AAtW), an Israeli direct action group established in 2003 in response to the construction of the wall on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. For many Jews, like those in the AAtW, Israels violent actions and the claim that their foreign policy represents Jewish identity is distressing. One man at the presentation asked, How did the dream I had of Israel as a child die? Israeli and Jewish anarchists have spent years trying to answer that question. AAtW member Joseph Dana explains that, Historically, anarchism in Israel has got a really interesting past, since before the state [it] was mostly connected to the Kibbutz movement, making socialist collective housing areas, working the land together, based on anti-capitalist, anti-exploitative ideasco-habitation between Israelis and Palestinians. The reality today is very different. Presenter Abrasha Blum, painted a picture of occupied Palestine that I had no idea existed. Blum told stories of refugee camps, checkpoints, blindfolds, machine-gun armored bulldozers and violent nationalism. Each story has the weight of experience behind it. Like many young people in Israel, Blum served in the Israeli Defense Forces and was directly involved in the oppression of Palestinian people. The Israeli army can go and invade any place they want in Palestine, even though there is a Palestinian authority and government, said Blum. Paleastinian villagers are forced to bar and board up their storefronts as protection from the regular Israeli settler pogroms (racist community raids). Photos depicted shattered windows and burned out market stalls plastered with anti-Arabic graffiti and the blue and white Star of David flag, photos that the Israeli activists said reminded them of stories of Kristallnacht. Lewis & Clark alumna Kali Harper (10) also talked to me about her experience with AAtW. We all met in a local [Palestinian] home and discussed the tactics of nonviolence: what to do if arrested, how best to pull Palestinians out of the hands of soldiers It is illegal for Palestinians to protest or organize protests, even nonviolent ones, and as a result, Bilin [Harpers Palestinian village] has suffered several night raids by the IDF. About 20 minutes in, we were all teargassed and stormed by troopers. This moment is rather terrifyingthe gas is extremely harsh on your system and a young Palestinian woman recently died from overinhalation at this same spot. CS gas, the primary component of tear gas, is illegal in the EU and is 4-7 percent nervous toxin. When you go there you realize the true danger of the wall it has successfully made Palestinians a practical non-issue, says Harper. Her host father has said, I feel so helpless. I was born an Arab and because of that, the world seems to think I want to blow myself up. This is what I am told every time I see the wall, every time I am denied entry at a checkpoint. The AAtW says that their most important work comes from tearing down this symbol, both physically and mentally, by working closely with Palestinians. After the event, friend and AAtW member Stormy told me that as a Jewish descendant who doesnt support Israels actions, she was tired of anti-Semitic identification of Jewish with military. Theres no we in state violence.

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIA STEWART