GOP needs a dose of tolerance and compassion Editor:

The Daily Evergreen

Published: 11/15/2006

GOP needs a dose of tolerance and compassion Editor:

In response to Republicans building more walls. What kind of message does a fence send? How about “stay the f--- out.” Like many students and faculty, I was offended by the Republican wall; however, I was not surprised. Like the Arizona initiative to make English the official language of that state, symbols such as walls are invoked to mobilize the bigoted base of the Republican Party.

In defense of the wall, Kiley Smith, president of the College Republicans said, “We decided to do the fence because we don’t have to hold a forum.” She’s right. The image of a fence protecting America from foreign “invaders” is sufficient enough to get the xenophobic and bigoted members of the Republican Party to the polls. The proposed fence would span 700 miles of a roughly 2,100-mile border. A border fence that runs one-third of the border length doesn’t accomplish much in regards to American border security. What it does do is stir up racist sentimentalities among conservative voters before election time.

The same fears of immigrants have resurfaced throughout American history. The dominant Anglo population using the same fear-rhetoric that we see today has attacked many groups: Irish Catholics, Italians and Chinese are just a few. It’s unacceptable that in the 21st century, these insidious tactics are still used and that people can hide behind the transparent guise of “National Security” to conceal their bigotry. Our generation needs to end this shameful ideology.

Nick Anderson senior, English

We here at The Riot Act couldn't agree more and the fact that the editorial board jumped in and didn't even have their facts straight is pathetic but not surprising. You would almost think that the board now included in the psychotically extreme right wing of Pullman those people who always jump in without any information or fact... like palousitics.com's Paul "I need to go back and take my philosophy classes again because I missed the part about where I should attack the persons argument and not the person themselves" Zimmerman and Tom "I wonder if Schweitzer knows if I use my work computer to harass college students with my blog" Forbes. In the end I guess it doesn't really matter who works for the daily rag it has shown once again its conservative bias by not getting all of the information and by assuming that all there was, were "poor defenseless fellow republicans being attacked by a mob." Fact of the matter is The advocate has heard reports that CR president Smith also dropped some racial bombs. We will keep you updated as the developments continue to come in.

Editing the Daily Evergreen's Editors

First of all I would like to start off by not taking sides! But once again the victimizer has cast him/her/themselves as the victim. A drama that plays itself out on this campus and throughout the United States almost daily. The proud college republicans put up a symbolic fence they knew would cause the kind of reaction it did to cast all those against their viewpoint as extremists, anti-American, fascists who try to deny freedom of speech and basic rights. They did so because their party continues to distort reality and instead decides to play out dramas that distract Americans from reality and actually deciphering what really is going on. They pull out the reverse race card in which they accuse others of playing it in order to appeal to a nation/campus who has repeatedly been told we live in an equal America and has grown weary of race based discussions. They did so close to elections because the republican party has nothing truthful to run on and needs people to let their emotions out so they can state how illogical liberals and and how logical republicans are. Nonetheless it doesn't matter if a thief says thank you when he steals your money, or yells and puts a gun to your head while taking your money. The fact of the matter is he robbed you, the question is do you feel better because he says thank you after you have been robbed? Once again the Republicans pulled out their ace in the hole, something they will continue to do. First it was we are under constant attack by extremists for no reason, next it was gay marriage would turn me into a homosexual, and don't forget liberal baby killers. It's just a shame that the Daily Evergreen endorses such shams as attempts to discuss the security of the United States or debate the immigration issue. The Daily Evergreen is a leader of discussion on this campus, and using its mass appeal and authority to ostracize, marginalize, and criminalize CES faculty, and students for expressing their viewpoints is unprofessional and unproductive.

The Daily evergreen accomplishes nothing when they single out individuals and it leads to threats, intimidation, hateful words because they expressed their opinions. Instead of furthering being a place where discussion could be facilitated your editorial board has shut down discussion and alienated those who disagreed with the college republicans and the evergreen.The daily evergreen editorial board should use respect and professionalism in even the most heated debates. While I am not taking a stance I do think conversations should be two-sided and representative of reality.

Here on The Riot Act we strive to show the voices of those who get silenced by hate speech, and hurtful rhetoric. This post by a member the of the Chicano/Latino Community to the Daily Evergreen is not likely to be posted due to the sarcastic tone in which the writer critiques the under reported yet overly editorialized boarder fence issue on the Washington State University campus. Perhaps, The Evergreen inadvertently permitted the use of peoples information and as a result students who responded to the reporter and had their full names included in the story has now left them susceptible to threats of violence and attempted intimidation. Reports given to The Riot Act suggest that not only are professors in the Department of Comparative Ethnic Studies being threatened by supporters of the College Republicans but so are students including women. The Devil's Advocate would just like to point out the level of cowardice that these people have in threatening men while they are with their children and in threating women. You are cowards and The Advocate will speak on the behalf of those who can't speak for themselves.