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The Behrend Beacon
The Behrend Beacon
, In 1/ I / /I h /II I <I( /I
News Editor
Erin McCarty
Sports Editors
Scott Soltis
Zoe Rose
Editorial Page Editor
Paige Miles
Features Editor
Karl Benacci
Staff Photographers
Jeff Hankey
Heather Myers
The Beacon is published
weekly by the students of
Penn State Erie,
the Behrend College;
First Floor, The J. Elmer
Reed Union Building, Station
Road, Erie, PA 16563.
The Beacon can be reached by
calling (814) 898-6488 or
(814) 898-6019 (FAX).
ISSN 1071-9288.
All you have to
I turned on the news to see an older man
handing a baby girl to a younger man, down
the side of an old red boat. Their faces
looked tired, drained, spent, but satisfied.
They had finally reached their long sought
destination: America.
The individuals on TV were three of the
2(X) Haitians who landed in Miami two
weeks past. All 200 made landfall and
therefore qualified for "dry foot" status.
This status allows them the ability to seek
politcal asylum if they can prove theyvilt
be prosecuted for their political beliefs if
sent back to Haiti. Some were lucky and
able to hitch rides into Miami and start a
new life; others were caught and are now
being detained, waiting for their cases to
he heard.
These men, women, and children risked
their lives to make the voyage from Haiti
to the US in the rugged old boat, Shu Shu
Bay. They left behind homes, families, and
friends, to come to the United States. Yet
some of these men and women may be sent
back to Haiti after all their hardships. Sadly,
under U.S. law, if the Haitian immigrants
cannot prove that they are seeking politi
cal asylum. not economic, they will be
turned back to the poor island from which
they came, an island where men and
women eek out a living every day.
So what is the point? Who cares if a
few Haitians will be sent back to home?
Well, there are a few reasons why we
should care and a few why the want-to-be
Americans should be allowed to natural-
For starters, Haitians are treated differ
ently from Cubans. If a Cuban lands on
U.S. soil, if their "wet feet" meet dry
American land, then they automatically are
Letters to the Editor
I am writing this letter is in re
sponse to Mike Frawley's article,
"Put Down the Gun, Heston." His
article, for those who did not read it,
was about guns and how they should
not be a part of our society. He feels
that we should give up our right to
bear arms, because we do not use
guns as the founders of our constitu
tion originally intended. I suppose
this means our freedom of speech,
religion, etc. should be revised or
banned as well, because our founders
did not realize these rights would be
interpreted in so many ways. How
ever, I doubt any debate will ever
occur over these rights because they
are enjoyed by so many people. Yet,
a lot of people also enjoy the right to
bear arms.
Frawley's opinions about gun con
trol were probably concocted after
listening to Hilary Clinton babble
about some new radical idea that
should be made a law. Yet, most do
not realize hard factual evidence that
states if our guns are taken away, as
Editor-in-Chief
Kevin Fallon
Managing Editors
Rebecca Weindorf
Robert Wynne
----'
vii
Beacon
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The Beacon encourages
letters to the editor. Letters
should include the address,
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do is want it: The Haitian immigrants now wait behind bars
considered political refuges and given citi
zenship within a year, due
to the 1966 Cuban Adjust
ment Act. This is because
they are coming from a
Communist state and are
considered political refu
gees. But Haiti is demo
cratic (at least in form).
Their president, Roger
Noriega, took the presi
den°, iiiN2olChanct has be
gur4ptssiVe campaign
against his political rivals.
The 2000 election was
shady at best; utterly cor
rupt at worst. But we still
consider the nation "demo
cratic." Regardless, Hai
tians are seen as economic
refugees who are just com
ing to the US to earn more money.
I say, "What's the difference? - Cubans,
Haitians, Mexicans, people from Mars,
whatever, if they are coming to the United
States, they are coming to be Americans.
We have a better political system, a better
economy, and a better future, than their na
tive lands. Who cares for what reasons they
are seeking asylum in the United States as
long as they are coming to the United
States'? Can we deprive others the right to
seek a better life?
No one person in the United States de
scends from someone who did not immi
grate to the U.S. Even the Native Ameri
cans immigrated to the United States across
the Bering Strait. No human life ever "origi
nated" in the Western Hemisphere. If a U.S.
citizen is denying the right of another to im
migrate, than that citizen is a hypocrite.
they were in England or Australia.
our crime rate will sky rocket. In
Australia armed robberies rose 73%
AFTER guns were taken away and
stricter gun laws were imposed. In
some places, crime rose 300% after
guns were taken away. Thus this col
umnist has decided to jump on the
gun control wagon and try to get im
pressionable college students to sway
his way.
I take the avid role of the person to
inform you with FACTS not opin
ions. Frawley said he was more wor
ried about normal people obtaining
guns, not criminals. His example was
the Arizona shootings, but I will give
you one better: the Columbine
shootings or recent sniper
attacks. Contrary to popular belief
more people die from intentional
crimes than accidental shootings with
registered guns. Yet he would rather
take guns away and increase our
society's crime. APso, most gun
crime today occurs from those guns
received on the black market, rather
3
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Advertising Managers
Melissa Powell
Christine Kleck
Calendar Page Editor
Ennn Hansen
Humor Page Editor
Ross Lockwood
Associate Editor
Jen Henderson
Distribution Manager
Scott Soltis
that week's issue
Guy Reschenthaler
• 97"
, . .
Friday, November 15, 2002
The eighties just called; they want
Mr. T and Alf back
Alf and Mr. T are not cool anymore, and Carrot Top is just company had the best deal? How much was it per minute after
really annoying. Major long-distance telephone providers the first 20? I remember the one with Alyssa Milano the best,
haven't quite grasped this fact. Rather, communication though, no further comment.
providers such as 1-800-COLLECT, AT&T, and 10-10-220 It all makes perfect sense. Obviously, since the media has
have decided to have an all-out eighties war with each other such a profound impact on Americans, companies like AT&T
in which they pull icons and characters from the past and its competitors use that impact to their advantage. So
two decades and make them perform 30-second maybe they can't afford (or are not willing to spend the
- "
skits about why their company allows the viewer money) on Vin Diesel or J-Lo to make a 30-second clip
to "save a buck or two."praising their cheap long-distance services. I guess they're
Individually, I think, these companies have a ' .
,--- , content with searching the "eighties actors unemployment
--..4,
good game plan. Dig up an icon of the eighties 4... or, line" for help.
,
that the 18 to 23-year-old crowd (the group Personally, I don't trust any of them. Any
of people that are college students living ' company that can afford to have 20 prime-time
away from home or that have movedads has to pay for those slots somehow. I
out completely) will remember from
I .
their childhood something that t. * went towards the cost of the commercial?
''',ls,,, .
already has a place in our brain; and 4,,,,,
-'" ( 4? / Don't get me wrong, I realize that any major
then lay an advertisement on top of 4 . : ' 4 ! . 4 ~1 ) brand name is going to sink money into ads
it. In essence, these phone company AA I ;it, to promote their product. Phone services,
commercials are a parasite on the t '''' however, compete about pennies, and don't
human brain; you know, like how Rob Wynne really have a tangible product to offer.
dogs have fleas. Those ads placed Also to their disadvantage, there is
during prime-time on cable and local no "quality of product" to argue over.
channels reach the target audience, and then someone decides Regardless of whether you're using Sprint,
out of the blue that their new favorite long-distance carrier is AT&T, or 1-800-COLLECT, you'll still be using the same phone
Sprint or AT&T. At least, that's what those companies hope. talking to the same person who won't sound any different just
Even during the small amount of time that Ido watch TV because you "dialed down the center." In such a competitive
each week, lam subjected to an overwhelming number of communications market, I guess major companies are willing
these ads. The problem is, even though the commercials are to pay the big bucks. Ido not know, however, which long
unique, so many of them make my head spin. If at some time distance carrier the eighties used when they called for Hulk
I needed to dial long-distance, I'm sure I would remember Hogan and Alf.
the advertisements, but not necessarily which number went
with what ad. "Hmm...l remember an ad with Alf, one with
Alf and Hulk Hogan, and one with Alyssa Milano." But which
With every wave of immigration, there
ders should be
wide open and no questions should be
asked, that we just let everyone become a
citizen. We still need to screen immigrants
and make sure they are not violent crimi
nals, terrorists, or pose a threat to the citi
zenry: But at the same time, we cannot
ban immigration or hinder it. We cannot
continue to be a free nation, without free
borders. Think of Berlin. I bet you thought
of a big concrete wall. Now think of Ellis
Island. I bet you thought of lines of immi
grants entering New York. Oppressive bor
ders are for oppressive regimes; free bor
ders are for free states.
I feel that, one reason why America is
such a great nation, why our technology is
cutting-edge, and why our economy is ro
bust, is in part due to our immigration. Ev
ery year, immigrants pour into our coun
try. We are refreshed with new ideas, new
than with registered guns. If guns
are banned, this does not mean they
will no longer be available. Take
drugs for example, qiey are illegal,
yet somehow I could get pretty much
what ever I wanted with no hassle
and for a cheaper price than if they
were legalized. So next time you
read someone's run away wet dream
about control issues of the American
people, whether it be guns, speech
or even clothes, remember to get
facts and not base your concluding
ideas on someone else's opinion:
f
Ryan Joseph Hess, 03,
I picked up a Bdlcon today jtt
like I always do•evy Monday, ex
cept this time there was no humor
page in it.
Looks like the onl,l thing the Bet
con is good for now is Pizza Hut
coupons
Kevin Kearney
customs, and new ways of thinking. We
are constantly being renewed. We are be
ing reinvented with every wave of immi
gration. In a market. which thrives on en
trepreneurial spirit, immigration boosts our
production and innovation.
is resistance
There was resis-
tance to the
Irish, the Ger-
mans, Southern
Germany is tough on immigration, like
many European nations. Their economy
and their culture stagnate. Because of im
migration, the U.S. is less likely to suffer
from such stagnation. We are always grow
ing and expanding. We are taking all the
good ideas, concepts, and ideals of other
cultures and making them are own. America
is constantly forging herself into a stronger
state.
Europeans,
Asians, and et-
cetera. Every
group success
fully assimi
lated, despite
native reluc-
tance. We have
a perfect track
record in this
Some argue that immigrants drain our
economy because sonic live on government
handouts and take advantage of our social
welfare programs, such as healthcare. This
is especially the argument used in Califor
nia. Arizona, and New Mexico. But maybe
these states should reform their healthcare
and welfare systems rather than seal the US
border. It is easy to blame immigrants for
failing government programs. They are
easy targets for politicians trying to twist
public opinion. But the truth is most immi
grants come to the U.S. to work, not to be
come parasites, not to live off welfare pro
grams.
area, so why
stop now'?
I'm not say-
Perhaps many Americans are losing sight
of what it means to be an American. A lot
of us go around putting labels on our na
tionality. How many people do you hear
say they are Italian-American, Irish-Ameri
can, African-American, etc? I hear it all
the time. I bet if we ask one of the Haitians
in detention what it means to be an Ameri
can they would not say, "Being a Haitian-
American means...." They would say, "Be-
Paige Miles, Editorial Page Editor
Wynne's column
appears every three weeks
ing an American means being free, being
ones own man, being able to make a de
cent living, living under a stable democratic
government...." The immigrants are trying
to he Americans, not X-Americans.
All it takes to be an American is to want
to be an American. That is what we are all
about. We are a nation built not on ethnicity,
or national heritage, but rather we are a na
tion built on ideals. We are forged together
with principles and ideas. Anyone who be
lieves in our ideology is an American. Be
lieving and wanting to live like an Amer,-
can is all it takes to be an American: TM
is a great thing. Ronald Reagan once said
what makes America great is that "we all
come from somewhere else. We all have
roots that reach somewhere far away." Not
a common skin color, not a set of customs,
not even a common language ties us to
gether. We all bond as Americans under
one vision, the American dream.
Look, here's how it is: it's about time that
we open the doors to all who want to im
migrate to the United States (given they do
not pose any sort of threat). It is time to
join together as Americans. If we shut
down our borders because of terrorism, then
the terrorists have won. If we do not ac
cept foreigners as our own, then we have
lost our ideals. It is time to stop labeling
ourselves as "X
-Americans." Let's drop
the X and just be Americans. Let's think
about those who want to become Ameri
can, those not lucky enough to be born in
the United States. Let's think about the
Haitians sitting in jail.
Reschenthaler's column
appears every three weeks.