The war has become a less popular topic recently. I have been in classes in which a teacher has offered to devote a portion of the class to dialogue about the war on Iraq, and has in turn been rejected by a slew of groans and complaints.
CNN, FOX and MSNBC cable news networks have become war channels providing the same pictures of Baghdad on all three networks, usually at the same time.
The Dixie Chicks have staged their revolution, as did the Pope, and both were supported by Michael Moore at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
We cannot get tired of the war. We cannot stop talking about it.
Our soldiers are dying over there, not to mention the many Iraqis.
However, there is a time and place for everything. There are times and places where stances on the war are inappropriate.
There are positions from which a person should not make a stance on the war one way or the other. For example, the Loyola Bowling Association should not as an organization take a stance on the war. It is not the nature of the organization to make political stands, nor is it appropriate.
The Loyola Bowling Association does not carry a lot of weight in the political community of Loyola. Also, the making of such a stand would alienate bowlers who really just wanted to bowl.
People like the Dixie Chicks should be encouraged to take stands on issues they believe in. People go to concerts to listen to their opinions anyway.
The Pope, on the other hand, needs to be careful how he says what he does. When acting as a mere man, the pope can and should say whatever he wants.
John Paul II is one of the greatest men of our time and his views should not be taken lightly.
However, he does not have the information from which he is in a position to declare the Church opposed to the war. Such a statement alienates devout Catholics who are put in a position of defying the church in order to do what they believe is right.
The war is not clearly wrong, if wrong at all, and certainly not wrong enough for the Pope to make a statement.
Michael Moore, winner of an Oscar for his film “Bowling
For Columbine,” voiced his views of the war upon accepting the award.
Should he be censored from speaking out about what he thinks is wrong? Of course not.
I’m sure any support for censorship on this campus would result in burning at the stake. I would not blame you. I agree.
However, Michael Moore’s speech was bad decorum. He ran the risk of turning an awards show into a war debate, which we already have several other channels for.
In the words of The Rock, who recently beat Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania, “Know your role.”
The war is an important topic, but think about the consequences first.
