A particular article in (Wednesday’s) Arizona Daily Wildcat, “”Marines to recall troops to Iraq duty”” in my opinion created a very false impression of how the military is operating. In observing trends in the media, I have discovered that journalists will choose specific words and use them over and over again to create an effect on the reader that they are clearly hoping doesn’t have a brain to distinguish between truth and a one-sided insinuation. For instance, the author of this article used the words “”forced”” and “”involuntary”” multiple times to describe the calling up of Marine Corps reservists to go to Iraq. People who cannot think for themselves, which in my opinion is an alarming majority of college students, will read those words and think that something like a “”draft”” is going on. People these days fail to realize the basic purpose of the military: To fight for and defend the country when the government deems it necessary. You may or may not agree with the war, but the fact is that when someone enlists in the military they are enlisting on their own accord. It is completely voluntary and no one is “”forcing”” them to do anything. Being a part of the Marine Corps or the Army or the Air Force or any other form of military in any country means being ready to be sent wherever you may be needed. To imply that these Marines are being forced to go to Iraq is ridiculous. They voluntarily enlisted in the military with full knowledge that they may have to go to war, because – duh – that is what soldiers do.

Bethany Fourmy
psychology junior

In a few months, many of us will go to the polls to vote for our candidates in the 2006 election. In six years, our country has gone from one of honor in the world to one of disaster and one that is hated. Before I continue, I would just like to state that I’m not some left-wing ideologue. I originally supported the war in Iraq and President Bush, hoping they would make America safer. In six years I have seen the complete opposite and have seen a Republican Party that is more concerned with “”gaybortionigration.”” I was very, very wrong to support them and I admit to my mistake. One luxury that I can claim is that when I supported them I supported them to protect America, and not for this right-wing fascist ideology of putting a cross on the White House and proclaiming the holy church of the Republican Party as our new form of government.

This party claims supreme morality, but there is nothing moral about a party that supports tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, is for the destruction of public education, is against universal health care and goes on little rants about how gays, feminists and immigrants are destroying America. Just because they hate homosexuals and immigrants and want women to stay in the household and make babies all day doesn’t make them moral. If I knew any better, I’d say this party considers (these individuals) a bigger threat than terrorism. Keep it up guys. I won’t vote for your party in 2006 or ever again.

Luckily though, I recently found out that my vote in the 2004 election in Palm Beach County, Fla., was possibly thrown out, since I was supposedly not registered, even though I had fully registered already and had a voter registration card that I carefully confirmed when I voted. This Republican Party has run America like a mob with Dick Cheney as Tony Soprano and Bush as his sidekick Silvio.

Joel Shooster
political science junior