I have been told that at times, I have quite a temper.

Sometimes, when confronted with a potentially volatile situation, I act irrationally.

Later, after my anger subsides and I am given time to reflect on events and my reactions to them, Ioften regret my behavior in such instances. I realize I was acting like a boob, and usually Iwill ask forgiveness from any parties Imight have offended. Almost always, they accept my apology.

And Istrive to extend the same courtesy of others. To err is human, to forgive is divine. But right now, I am too pissed to consider rational forgiveness.

In the past couple of weeks, the Iowa State community has experienced two ugly incidents I’m having trouble understanding.

Iowa State Daily reporter Tracy Call wrote a feature story a few weeks ago that dealt with the personal relationship of a lesbian Iowa State couple.

For her efforts, Call found the words, “Queer Lover” inscribed on her door. She also received numerous e-mail messages chastising her for writing the article.

My personal favorite electronic note of ingratitude she received said, “You can shove your lesbian story up some dyke’s ass for all I care.”

This reaction against Call is akin to condemning Dan Rather as anti-Republican for reporting that Bob Dole is trailing Bill Clinton in election polls. In both cases, there is no bias of opinion, simply a reflection and presentation of factual events.

Let me spell this out for Call’s notorious fan club: lesbians exist. This is not a pro-lesbian statement. This is fact. Know the difference, you hate-mongering malcontents.

It’s incredibly sad and ridiculous that not only are members of the human race so vehemently opposed to the very existence of other human beings that we not only spew forth venomous abhorrence and bile at them, but also at any who acknowledge the existence of such hate-targeted people.

I’m amazed at the intolerance and just pure unabashed hatred we show other human beings, inflicting on each other a rage and spite that is truly frightening.

This inevitably leads me to the beating of Deantrious Mitchell, the student security officer and ISU student who pretty much got his head kicked in last Friday early morning.

Mitchell was apparently making his rounds when he approached eight white individuals at Clyde Williams Field. Reports indicate that at least one of the individuals was drinking alcohol. Mitchell asked the group for identification. They brought the pain.

Whoever the attackers were, they gave Mitchell a pretty savage beating, and he suffered lacerations from being attacked with some type of “cutting instrument.”

The assailants, in addition to beating the crap out of Mitchell, also subjected him to racial slurs, particularly that favorite word of many a moron: “nigger.”

As of the time of this writing, not all the facts of this case have been released, and the assailants still remain at large.

I am not yet convinced that this was a racially-motivated attack. The assailants could very well have just been some thugs who wanted to screw with a DPS officer, or were just looking to pick a fight, or maybe they were facing some type of punishment in wake of their behavior on the field prior to Mitchell’s arrival on the scene, and were attempting to avoid said punishment.

They could have just as well beaten down a female officer and called her “bitch,” a gay officer and call him “faggot,” a relatively small officer and called him “pussy,” etc.

Who knows?And to be quite honest, who cares?

The fact remains that a group of neo-Nazi boneheads ganged up on a human being in the most cowardly fashion, beat him to the ground and verbally assaulted him with the most personally damaging words they could muster. And now, I’m ticked.

Maybe I shouldn’t be. After all, neither of these incidents have anything to do directly with me. But I’m reminded of something Robert DeNiro’s character said in the film Sleepers (Ibelieve he was quoting the Bible): “What you do to the least of my brethren, you do to me.”

And that irrational side of me says find these guys that beat up Mitchell, and give them some of the same. Maybe that’s the wrong impulse, that by doing so we reduce ourselves to the lowest of our society, and they ultimately win.

As Dennis Miller said, “OK, maybe they do win, but… it’s nice to know a few of their boys won’t make it to the trophy ceremony.”

Macho posturing aside, this “eye for an eye” stuff is the wrong path to take. There is no need for more violence.

So what should we do about these scum-sucking delinquents when we find them? (And you will be found, trust me. Sleep with that knowledge running through your heads.)

I’d like to see everyone know exactly what these people did, and who exactly they are. I want them to look into the eyes of everyone on campus as they walk to class, knowing everyone knows they account for the lowest common denominator of humanity. I want them to have to tell their parents and friends they are guilty of possessing irrational, ignorant hate.

I want them to look at Deantrious Mitchell and apologize and admit what they did was wrong.

I want the sobering knowledge and shame of what they did to follow them wherever they go. And maybe through experiencing that emotional and intellectual embarrassment, they might feel what Deantrious Mitchell must feel. What Tracy Call must have felt.

What every single individual who is subjected to irrational, ignorant prejudiced loathing feels. Then maybe they’ll re-examine the nature of their attitudes toward other human beings.

And then we’ll talk about forgiveness.

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Tim Davis is a senior in Theatre Studies from Carlisle. He is the Opinion Page editor.