BThe Daily Collegian Just the beginning The Middle East accord provides a positive first step toward peace In a historic move to return to the process of peace initiated by the Oslo accords in 1993 and 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat signed a peace agreement Friday following nine days of gru eling negotiations. The agreement marks a historic attempt to solve the 50-year con flict over Palestinian statehood and curb violence that has threat ened the safety of both Israelis and Palestinians alike. Calling for the transfer of 14 percent of the land in the West Bank currently under the joint control of the two groups to Pales tinian rule the deal also includes motions to eliminate the terrorist environment that plagues the Middle East. Arafat and Netanyahu lead ers previously consumed by plans for retaliation against terrorism sat together last week amidst news of yet another terrorist act to discuss complex issues rooted in both religious beliefs and histo ry. In a battle that has been brutal and relentless on both sides, the motions of Arafat and Netanyahu to bring peace to the land are to be complimented. The Daily Collegian Board of Opinion believes that while a monumental first step toward peace in the Middle East, the doc ument and negotiations are only About the Board of Opinion: Editorials are written by The Daily Collegian Board of Opinion. The members of the Board of Opinion for Fall Semester are: Bridgette Blair, Patricia K. Cole, Stacey Confer, Carrie DeLeon, Aimee Harris, Krista Hawley, Daryl Lang, Khyber Oser, Emily Rehring, Brooke Sample, Mark Schoneveld, Cory Shindel, Tim Swift. daily Collegian Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998 5,1998 Collegian Inc. Editor in Chief Bridgette Blair Business Manager Scott A. Fallgren The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is deter mined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not nec essarily those of The Daily Collegian, Colle gian Inc or The Pennsylvania State University. Collegian Inc . publishers of The Daily Colle gian and related publications, is a separate corporate institution from Penn State. Board of Editors Managing Editor Krista Hawley Opinion Editor Carrie DeLeon Campus Editor Stacey Confer Metro Editor Aimee Harris News Editors Patricia K. Cole, Kelly Ruoff Matthew Shepard could've been your sister, I love my sister. She is absolutely one of the most amazing people I have or ever will have the privilege of knowing. She is a genius of the first rank, a talented musician, has a larger vocabulary than anyone I know and has a beautiful laugh. She lights up the lives of the most of the people that she knows and I am proud to be her sibling. She is also a lesbian. I remember very clearly when I was a freshman in high school in ’9l when she came out. I saw this “What to do if your child is gay” book sitting on the dining room table and thought “What is that?” Catherine had gotten it to prepare our parents for the possible shock of her com ing out. They weren’t too shocked. She was ter rified to tell them, but being good, loving and upstanding liberal folks, they told her that they loved her and that they would always love her. “Who cares if you’re gay? We’re glad you told us.” Thanks Mom and Dad. She became one of the most active, vocal and powerful lesbians this campus has or ever will see. She actively wrote the beginning. Israeli and Pales tinian citizens have heard many times promises set forth by their leaders to absolve the violence between the two groups, and it must be realized that one docu ment alone is by no means an end to the deeply rooted conflict that has troubled the land for decades. Both President Clinton and the leaders of the Middle East acknowledge the peace agree ment’s inability to prevent violent attacks from those individuals opposed to the peace process. We believe that they must also realize that the peace process must continue to work toward a compromise that better satisfies Israeli and Palestinian citizens, or continuing acts of violence are inevitable. The compromises must benefit both groups in order to continue the efforts for peace made by both leaders. In addition to the support pre sented previously by King Hus sein of Jordan and President Clin ton, the United States should play a continuing role as a mediator in the peace process in the Middle East. By continuing to open the lines of communication with future summit meetings and talks and furthering efforts to achieve the coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, the Middle East may see an end to the violence and civil war that have devastated the land and its citizens. Copy/Wire Editors Jennifer Eck, Brooke Sample, Patricia Tisak Weekly Editors Jason Fagone, Darren Robertson Sports Managing Editor Andrew Krebs Day Sports Editor Jordan Hyman Night Sports Editors Craig Kackenmeister, Michael Lello Arts Editor Molly K. Fellin Photo Editor Galen A. Lentz Graphics Editor David Heasty Online Editor Daryl Lang Assistant Online Editor David Smith Board of Managers Advertising Manager Ryan J. Myers Accounting Manager Cindy Ng Office Manager Stacie L. Coleman Sales Manager Natasha Montes de Oca Layout Manager Ben Jennings Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. If a complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, some grievances may be filed with the Accuracy and Fair Play Committee of Collegian Inc. Information on filing grievances is available from Gerry Lynn Hamil ton, executive secretary, Collegian Inc. letters to the editor, worked at The AIDS Project and was an officer for the former LGBSA. She proudly spoke out for the rights of millions of LGBT people. As with all things, there has been the darker side of this rainbow existence. She has been harassed on numerous occasions by sick jerks who have wanted to get their rocks off by harassing a lesbian. She received hate messages regularly. One of her professors harassed her. She has been physically threatened. Why did these things happen? Because she is gay. With the brutal murder of Matthew Opinions I am writing in response to David Brown’s column titled “Organizations, events based on race should be eliminat ed.” Brown claims that organizations and events such as that “help to isolate minori ty students from everybody else.” He specifically mentions the Multicul tural Awareness Career Day. What I don’t understand is, if that event is only for minorities, then why did I see “white guys” talking to future employers? The biggest misconception of organiza tions and events that promote cultural awareness is that memberships and atten dance are only open for minorities. None of the organizations and events Brown mentions are for minorities only and their purposes are certainly not to create “sepa ration of students based on something as benign as skin color.” Minority organizations based on experiences I became a member of the Asian Pacific American Coalition because I share “com mon experiences based on our interests and abilities” with the other members. I am sorry if the majority of the people who share these experiences are that of Asian descent, but nowhere does it say that our memberships are for Asians only. As a matter of fact, our biggest event of the year, the Asian Awakenings, is attended by a very diverse group of people. By the way, “there have been terrible racial injustices in the United States in the past.” However, there are terrible racial injus tices in the United States right now, and we are all certainly around here for that. It is our responsibility to combat the injus tices and ignorance. If the organizations and events that are “based on race,” as claimed, help our soci ety to fight for equality, shouldn’t we sup port them? Amelia Antarikso political re-educator for APAC Letters to the editor can be sent via e-mail to crdl26@psu.edu Please remember to include name, semester standing, major or title, address and phone number. "Every time I think about Matthew, I transpose my sister's body onto that split-rail fence. Her body is bruised, broken and chapped by the cold." Shepard, I can’t help but think that it could have been Catherine. I think about Matthew’s friends and relatives and won der what it must be like for them. Their baby was taken away from them. Their hearts have an enormous hole in them because a couple of hateful morons thought it would be a good idea to beat and rob a gay kid. How could they have possibly even thought about that? How could that have brought them pleasure? I can’t even begin to fathom it. When I first heard about it, I wanted to hurt them. Really hurt them. As wrong and hateful as that feeling is, it was the first thing that came into my head. I was moved to the desire of real violence, and I wish that I weren’t. I wish that every time that I think about young Matthew I didn’t want to hurt those men, because I feel ... how do you expect aae to Wave TIME TO READ A 4000' page giu *?// Organizations, events celebrate differences This is the official response of the Black Caucus to David Brown’s column concern ing minority organizations and events. Every student comes to college with cer tain needs. These needs come in the form of goals, desires and budding interests. The desired result is that students will come to college and join organizations or groups that will develop these goals and interests. For students of color, however, the story has been different. As late as the 1970 s many universities still weren’t integrated. When minority students entered these institutes of higher learning, it was rare that they were welcomed by any of the white staff, faculty or students, let alone in any of those organizations that would have helped them develop their interests, dreams or goals. After years of systematic denial, minori ty students began to form their own orga nizations. One would be hard pressed to find any minority organization that had not been formed as a result of white rejection. Brown feels he is ”... constantly exposed to Multicultural Career Awareness Day, Mr. and Ms. minority pageants, the Black Caucus and other groups and events that help to isolate minority students.” Minori ty students are also constantly exposed. Every time we turn on the TV we are bom barded.with white culture, white standards of beauty and white philosophy. From the beginning of our education we find our selves constantly submerged in class rooms where the only history we learn is white history. At Penn State we constantly face the fact that we may be the only per son of color in a classroom full of white students. Brown says he isn’t expecting an invita tion to the next Black Caucus Extravagan za any time soon. Well, he is wrong. Please consider this a formal invitation to the next Cultural Extravaganza. While we’re at like I am identifying with them somehow, and I don’t want that. I pray that those men become beautiful people, and that they may be the last to commit such a crime. But I know that several more have already been committed in our vast nation. Every time I think about Matthew, I transpose my sister’s body onto that split rail fence. Her body is bruised, broken and chapped by the cold. Her face is unrecognizable. Her last memories are filled with those sick jerks screaming “dyke” and pistol-whipping her. As if that weren’t bad enough, there are people picketing at her funeral because they believe that God not only condemns gays, but that he hates them. For all of you who believe that people deserve to die for their sins, then you need to check yourself into a sanitarium Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1998 '?3p ei/ ** rs^ MONICA PfNTAL RECORDS JNICA I6H <O4OOl Cl BUDGET BILL OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT it, please come to any cultural event here on campus. The Extravaganza is a celebra tion of blackness. Though you will never be able to fully uncerstand what that means, you could come to appreciate it for what it is. I would like to elaborate on “minority pageants." Since “white guys” govern America at every level, there is one mea suring stick for what is considered beauti ful. And that is white beauty and white cul ture. For this among other reasons various ethnic groups come together to celebrate in the form of pageant;. These are not “beauty” pageants in the raditional sense, rather they are opportunities to showcase one’s appreciation for ones culture. Had Brown actually attended any of these events, he may have been moved to do the one thing that “whit* guys” like him and anyone else dealing with prejudice need to do on a consistent kasis. That is to OPEN YOUR MIND. Lurie Daniel Black Caucus Political Se-vices Chair Ms. Black Penn State 1991 Race should not be identified in police log This letter is in regard to the simple assault report printed in Nonday’s The Daily Collegian police log. We don’t think it was fair to print that the victim was assaulted by a black man. Wi understand that those are simply the /acts, but in every other criminal charge printed in the blotter, the racial identity of the suspect is omitted. People of every race commit crimes, so why are journalists always com pelled to recognize a black person when they are in the wrong? You should include the racial identity of every criminal sus pect or none at all. Michelle Massie f reshman- journalism Jenea Maxwell freshman-biology brother, or learn the two basic commandments “Love God with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength” and “Love your neigh bor as yourself.” The last time I checked, murder was not much of a loving and neighborly action. I met a guy the other day who always tries to play the devil’s advocate. He always tries to figure out a way to justify an action taken by someone, and he tried to figure out a way that this tragedy might be justifiable. The way you might draw a blank when pondering the possible justification of rape or child molestation, he drew a huge blank. There is no justice in hate. There is no reason in hate. There is only irrationality and hate itself. The moral of this long and cumbersome story is to keep your loved ones close to you. I hope that you all look and see that everyone is someone’s daughter, son, brother, sister and/or friend and that we are all neighbors. Love each other. I love you Catherine. Peter Buck (pdbllB@psu.edu) is a junior majoring in music and a Collegian colum nist. etc.
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