Mike Mirliss
I expect conservativism at Pepperdine, but when the student newspaper becomes an extended White House press release, I am obliged to object. These journalists are under the false impression that the right-wing needs their help to succeed.
What happened to using college newspapers to investigate the system and criticize flaws? It seems that this semester’s Graphic writers are content to defend the Bush administration’s policies at all costs. The world has seen many times what happens when those with the ability fail to question the few in power.
Last week’s Graphic articles mask the real issues and give free reign for those in power to increase their domination. “The Hollywood lottery encourages liberalism,” and ostracizes celebrities who express conservative points of view, according to Chris Segal (the governor can no longer show his face in public). More significant is the number of voters who are affiliated with the Christian religion that today has been hijacked by neoconservatives. When talking about group-think mentality, point the finger where it should be pointed. George W. Bush won this past election because he convinced Christians that continuing discrimination against homosexuals was a more pressing issue than his lie that cost countless thousands of innocent people’s lives in Iraq. So who are the liberal Christians who risked excommunication from the mighty church to fight this? But Segal is worried that some aspiring actors may imperil their chance at stardom by taking a pro-life stance.
Melissa Overbeck’s article, “Elections must occur, but without criticism,” is an example of rooting for “Team America,” regardless of what that meaningless mass of land called “the rest of the world” thinks. Continuing to “spread democracy” with smart bombs will eventually cause people here to realize what the world already knows: Forceful democratization of sovereign nations is the opposite of democracy.
At the end of this Iraqi “free-election” scheme, the new leader will not oppose the U.S. Iraqis know who controls them and they vote accordingly. Can anyone blame them for wanting their electricity back? Is that a democracy?
This scheme is not about putting power in the hands of Iraqis. It’s about strategic control of a Middle East hotbed, permanently. In other words, the U.S. presence in Iraq will remain, regardless of the outcome of this mock-election and subsequent ones. By urging people to keep their objections quiet during the process, the sinister underlying plans are ignored.
It’s disturbing that at a time of such unprecedented U.S. abuse of power, that the Graphic would favor the current “spreading freedom and democracy”-type propaganda.
Writers giving up their right to question this overtly candy-coated account, in favor of “cheerleading,” is disappointing. As Noam Chomsky once said, “Either you repeat the same conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it’s from Neptune.”
2-3-2005