The Collegian (Hurst, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 1, Ed. 1 Monday, August 21, 1995 Page: 4 of 16
sixteen pages : ill. ; page 24 x 15 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
iage 4 • August 21, 1995
Opinion
The Collegian
Editorials
Call for American apologies not fair
The Collegian
Ellena Fortner
editor in chief
mar, style and space and will run as space
is available and at the discretion of the edi-
tor. Letters should be addressed to The
Collegian office in CAB 119 on NE Cam-
pus.
writer, who should include his or her social
security and telephone numbers (the num-
bers will not be published).
Letters should be typed and not exceed
150 words. They will be edited for gram-
ese people. What is done is done,
but it does not have to be done
again.
If there were a war today, there
would be other actions and avenues
available to America. Remember-
ing those who died, both American
and Japanese, serves to strengthen
both countries; but bitterly hanging
on to the hatred only slowly kills
and infects everyone.
In the end it all comes down to
the fact that war is a cruel and
heartless game where many times
the rules to fair play are thrown out
the window.
People who charge the United
States with cruel behavior ignore
the aggression on Japan’s part, the
lives that were saved and the fact
that the United States took the steps
and actions needed to end the war
as quickly and as painlessly as pos-
sible.
Yes, many citizens were hurt
and their suffering should not be ig-
nored or belittled; those who sur-
vived should be honored as heroes
for living through such a turbulent
time period.
It is in no way though, a time
for Americans to hang their heads
and apologize. To do so would be
an insult to the hundreds of thou-
sands of men who laid down their
lives for the honor of this country.
With each new school year,
there is the excitement of returning
for previous students and the thrill
of a new experience for first timers.
As a student returning for his
fourth year at TCJC (don't laugh), I
know all about it.
Starting school in the fall has a
special magic that just cannot be
described. Maybe it’s remembering
your very first day of school when
your mom walked you out to the
bus and, then, was waiting for you
when you got home, or that feeling
you got every year from wearing
your new school clothes for the first
time.
There is the butterflies-in-the-
stomach exhilaration of standing in
line to register and wondering if
you will get the classes you want at
the times you want them (don't
count on it).
After paying, you stand in an-
other line and get your first college
Fort Worth Star-Telegram story.
Although 75,000 people died
from the bomb or as a result of its
effects, it mathematically shows
that 525,000 citizens who would
have died in the attack went home
in a plane instead of a pine .box.
Add that to the countless Japanese
soldiers who did not die in battle
thanks to a final and decisive end to
the war.
Maybe dropping the bomb was
a drastic step, but it was war; and
the rules are different.
No one of this time period has
any right to judge the actions of our
ancestors; they did what they did,
so everyone living in America can
do what they do today. This is not
to say that Americans have any
right to continue persecution or
carry on hatred towards the Japan-
Many lives were lost in the bat-
tle form the Pacific during World
War II. Although both sides made
mistakes, historians point fingers at
and demand apologies from Ameri-
ca alone.
Americans need to make no
excuses for the bombing of Hi-
roshima, which was a justifiable
tactical maneuver that saved Ameri-
can and Japanese lives in the end.
No human being with a frac-
tion of humanity could deny that a
slow death from the effects of a
bomb is a horrific and tragic way to
die.
Yet many people manage to
forget the thousands who had al-
ready died because of the war.
Can anyone deny that the men
who fought their way across beach-
es only to be killed by a bayonet in
the stomach suffered as much as
the bombing victims?
Were the men who died from
sporadic gun fire any more worthy
of death?
Did the countless men who'
were shot down, beaten up or tor-
tured in concentration camps de-
serve to die?
Did the mothers who received
letters from the government saying,
“We are sorry to inform you. . .”
grieve less than those who lost their
sons to the bombing? Of course
The Collegian is a weekly student publication serving the Tarrant Coun-
ty Junior College district. Editorial statements do not necessarily reflect the
opinion of the TCJC administration.
The Collegian subscribes to the College Press Service (CPS).
Letters to the paper should be 200 words or less, free from libel and
poor taste and include the writer's name and social security number. Let-
ters may be brought to The Collegian office (NE-CAB-119), or mailed to:
The Collegian
828 Harwood Road
Hurst, IX 76054
man, woman and child
in the battle, even
though it was obviously
a losing one.
The only other al-
ternative for America
militarily included
countless land attacks
and firebombs in which
600,000 Americans
would have died in the
first 30 days of a land
assault, according to Cal
Thomas in a recent The
Ellena Fortner, Christy Williams, editor in chief
Tracy Dalrymple, south campus news editor
Charles Bandy, nw campus news editor
Brian Thomas, feature editor
Toby Smith, sports reporter
Brenda Bondurant, photography editor
Philip C. Beckman, director of advertising
Iain Peebles, reporter
Edgar Blinn, James Crichlon, Juan Pulido, photographers
Eric Luecker, business/production manager
Stacy Hagstrom, computer/graphic designer
Diane Turner, editorial adviser
Joe L. Norton, adviser
mire and go on to have a good se-
mester.
Others, because they think that
with a lighter class load they won’t
have to work as hard, continue to
slack off. Eventually, they are
forced to drop more classes or to
withdraw completely.
School may be fun and excit-
ing, but students should remember
the primary reason they enrolled in
college: to earn a degree. To ac-
complish this goal, you should de-
vote yourself to studies and work
hard from day one.
Studying needs to start on Sep-
tember first and not December first.
This isn’t high school where the
teacher reminds you about the as-
signment that was due yesterday
and gives you an extra day to turn it
in.
This is college. You’re in it for
yourself and no one else.
Make yourself proud.
ID card and parking
sticker (read the rule
book, too, or you
might get a ticket for
parking backwards in
a head-in parking
space).
Then comes the
first day of class.
Electricity and
nervous frustration
are in the air as every-
one rushes around
trying to find the next
class, running into
friends not seen all summer.
Then, there's the joy and ten-
sion of seeing who is in your class-
es. It could be a psycho ex-
boyfriend or the cutest girl you've
ever seen. Most likely, you will
leave the semester with a few more
good friends than you started with.
With all of the excitement of a
new school year, it’s easy to lose
TCJC is an equal opportunity institution that provides educational and
employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimination
because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status or
disibility.
phone: 788-6392 fax: 788-6767
Collegian to serve
as student voice
Viewpoints
Time for resolutions now—not later
track of the reason for
being at school and fall
behind with the school
work. School moves
quickly, and the amount
of work can soon over-
come even the most alert
of students.
Unfortunately, by
the second or third week
of the semester, classes
will begin to thin out and
by the final drop-date,
some lecture halls will
be nearly empty.
Most people who fall behind
are forced to drop the class, but dis-
cussing the problem with the in-
structor can sometimes help the sit-
uation.
After the realization that it is
their money and time invested that
is just lost by dropping out of a
class, some students are able to pull
the rest of their classes out of the
Letter Policy—
The Collegian staff welcomes letters to
the editor concerning articles that have run
in the paper or on other subjects that may
be of interest to the general public.
All letters should be signed by the
In an attempt to provide accurate, informative coverage for
ts readers, The Collegian needs the help of students and facul-
:y on all three campuses.
Despite receiving top national recognition for the past six
years, The Collegian is nothing without its readers.
Our purpose is to function as a tool of the student body.
Our goal is to give as much coverage as possible to student or-
ganizations and to publicize off-campus activities that may be
of interest to our students.
While The Collegian staff tries to stay on top of all impor-
tant events pertaining to TCJC, sometimes we miss the more
personal side of student life.
There may be a person in class who is worthy of a student
feature or an issue that needs to be addressed in an editorial.
For us to find out about these people and issues, it is critical
that we interact with students on all three campuses.
The students and staff of TCJC will play a vital role in
helping The Collegian reach its goal.
Applications for writing positions are still being accepted
for the upcoming semester.
All TCJC students and staff are welcome to stop by CAB
119 on NE Campus to meet the editors and staff of The Colle-
gian or to communicate through campus mail or by calling
788-6392. Ideas and comments are always welcome.
Violations reason
to cease trading
The United States should cease trading with foreign coun-
tries that continually violate human rights.
China, one of Americas largest trading partners and, coin-
cidentally, one of the world’s worst violators of basic human
rights, recently held a conference on the changing roles of
women in the next century.
The United States, despite protests from human rights
groups, sent delegates seemingly without a qualm.
Tiananmen Square was not the first instance of China's
killing its own people. China imprisons, kills and tortures citi-
zens for their nonviolent expressions of political and religious
beliefs.
China also often exports goods made by political prisoners
in brutal forced labor camps; yet the United States ignores this
action and continues to offer the country the coveted status of
most-favored-nation.
Countries like China, which continually ignores pleas from
other nations to respect human rights, will respond only to
meaningful, economic threats.
If the United States initiated a widespread trade embargo,
China would lose its export markets. The resulting economic
hardship and unemployment would force changes in its human
rights policies.
When the nations of the world united to cut off trade with
South Africa because of the unfair treatment of black citizens,
it hastened political reforms, improved human rights and led to
a government where the majority rules. Why can we not help
oppressed people in other nations as well?
Only a country as powerful as the United States can pro-
tect the rights of the worlds oppressed. It is our duty to bring
China under international scrutiny for its violations of the
basic liberties of its people. If we allow our pursuit of money
to replace our protection of human rights, then we, as a nation,
have lost our soul.
not, but their sacrifices
are not only forgotten
but pushed aside as
less important than the
bomb victims.
Also forgotten are
the atrocities perpe-
trated on America by
Japan at the beginning
of the war. Japan ag-
gressively attacked cit-
izens of Asia for al-
* most a decade and
killed American sol-
diers before the United States en-
tered the war. Nothing is shown on
television about the beheadings,
abominable living conditions and
death marches American prisoners
suffered.
Although Pearl Harbor started
out as a rallying point for many
Americans, previewing the first of
many Japanese aggressions, it soon
faded into the background; and it
too was forgotten.
Other important pieces of the
puzzle are pushed aside and ig-
nored for the convenience of plac-
ing blame. For example, Japan was
stalling negotiation for one reason
while working on a bomb to use on
America.
Also, although Japan was al-
ready beaten, she refused terms of
peace twice and sworn to use every
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
The Collegian (Hurst, Tex.), Vol. 8, No. 1, Ed. 1 Monday, August 21, 1995, newspaper, August 21, 1995; Hurst, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1186628/m1/4/: accessed June 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarrant County College NE, Heritage Room.