Solutions demand respect, cooperation
By Danny Richter
On Wednesday, President Bush accused Democrats in the Senate of not being interested in homeland security.
Senator Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) gave an impassioned speech reprimanding such comments and demanding an apology from the president for showing blatant disrespect for the Democratic Party.
What's going on?
How is it that politics in our nation has been reduced to name calling and insults, not of ideas, but of the very people who represent at least half of the United States population? This is totally unacceptable.
I find the current political atmosphere in which politicians from one party are accusing members of the other party (and thus those that elected them) of being unconcerned with the security of this nation impossible to tolerate. Forget the accusations of politicizing the war being thrown around by both parties; what this boils down to is respect.
It is necessary the parties of this country demonstrate respect for each other. They do not have to agree on issues, nor should they.
However, they do have to recognize that we are all created equal, and if one side thinks that more than one issue needs to be considered, and that the state of our national security does not warrant ignoring issues that are still important and have not gone away since national security came to the forefront, that view and the people who hold it must be respected.
Our government is not set up on the principle that one side is right and one side is wrong. It is set up on the principle that through dialogue, through analyzation of events and issues and through respect of those representatives who hold opinions different than one's own, it is possible to reach an agreement that is acceptable to the majority of the nation's representatives and to the people that they represent.
No one is perfect and no one has the right answers because no one can know the future or how others will react to the decisions that are made. One cannot know what goes on inside anther person's head. One cannot assume that just because that other person has reached a different conclusion, they do not care about the same issues.
Apparently, someone has forgotten this. Someone has decided that he knows what is good, what is evil, what is best for this country, and that anyone who decides he's wrong simply doesn't care about this country. Personal offense is being taken at views and opinions different from his own.
This cannot be allowed in a democratic nation. If that person begins draw black and white lines about what's what, the political process will stop, nothing will get accomplished, not even on those issues he values most. Compromise is necessary, even in a situation in which our nation is facing war, and the people who frame the issue and draft a resolution are to be blamed for the halt of that resolution as much as the people who halt it.
Domers and Belles alike, I am calling you out. I am calling on you to discuss the very important issues that our nation is facing. I am calling on you to treat the people you argue with, even if you think they are dead wrong, with respect.
As fellow human beings who do not and cannot know the right answers, we cannot be so presumptuous as to judge the moral bearing of others based on what beliefs they hold. Our world is in the middle of a situation that, regardless of the outcome, is going to change it forever. Now is the time to stand up and be a part of that change. If we want to change it in a positive way, we have to work together in a climate of mutual respect.
Danny Richter
sophomore
Keough Hall
Sept. 26
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, September 27, 2002
