I too, have a sense of shame.

I would be ashamed to possess so little faith in American intelligence, diplomacy and political prowess as to assume these ineffectual in the current situation. I would be ashamed to believe, naively, that we face no fear of later betrayal by the warlords we are currently arming and training. I would be ashamed to ignore the succession of oppressive, illegitimate regimes in Afghanistan and the likelihood of the Northern Alliance joining that succession.

I would be ashamed to slap that McCarthy-era label, “un-American,” on those defending freedom of speech, human and civil rights, and the rule of law.

I would be ashamed to embrace a definition of justice that favors carpet bombing over legitimate systems of justice as applied in the United States and abroad. I would be ashamed to believe that the only honor for the lives of innocent civilian victims is to perpetuate that violence without (as yet) apprehending those responsible.

I would be ashamed to have a sense of empathy so small as to exclude the disenfranchised citizens of an impoverished and war-ravaged nation. I would be ashamed to deny the power of nonviolence in conquering injustice and to misunderstand it to mean passivity.

I would be ashamed to defend our brave military personnel in words without having the courage to join them myself.

Laura Hatfield

Junior

Genetics