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Show editorial October 9, page 4 Sadat: peaceful intelligence falls to violent ignorance It has been said that those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Yet for some unfortunate reason in our society, some men of peace have died by brutally violent means. With the tragic. assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he joined the ranks of the two other Nobel Peace Prize winners who died by other than peaceful means'. The death of Sadat warrants grief, remorse and regret from all. Not only was Sadat a great leader, he was truly a man of courage, foresight and honor. Some who were in disagreement wth his political philosophy are rejoicing at his death, but these individuals are no better than the men who actually were involved in his assassination; they would do well to take a good look at themselves. The test of a truly honorable individual is the capacity to recognize and respect the rights and opinions of others, in spite of personal differences or disagreements. How presumptious were Sadat's assassins to assume that, because they did not agree with his political methods or idealogy, they had the right to deprive the rest of the world of a great leader, a true man of peace. Differences have never been settled by guns, wars or violence in an equitable manner-for violence necessitates a winner and a loser and someone is unhappy. The current situation in the Middle East is no different. Two polarized viewpoints exist. Past wars did not solve the dispute, and future wars, unless one side is totally annihilated, will be no more successful. Sadat was a man of foresight, one who understood the deleterious consequences of warfare and the fact that his nation and his people could not survive another conflict. He realized that negotiation, although not a placebo for all problems, is a superior alternative to conflict. The assassins, however, were unable to deal witn Sadat on his own terms. They were unable to logically and legally make a point. Any time one must resort to violence to prove a point or to avoid confrontation, he proves not his own strength but rather the strength of the postion which he seeks to destroy. The assassins thus added no legitimacy to their cause, but instead reduced their own credibility. One characteristic of Sadat that deserves special admiration was his courage and his capacity to stand up for his convictions, even in the face of fierce opposition. It was a very hard task for Sadat to make his historic visit to Israel in 1977. He realized and understood the back-lash, alienation and criticism which he would personally receive, but he was also able to forsee the possibility that his actions could produce a better and more stable world. Although other leaders may have realized the futility of further violent conflict, Sadat was the only one with courage enough to act. Sadat was faithful to the end. He did not bow or bend in the face of political pressures nor would he ever desert a friend. While nation after nation turned its back on the exiled Shah of Iran for fear of Dossible repercussions, Sadat was true to his friendship and ited him political asylum until the Shah died. Even in the face of the ,ssins' gunfire, Sadat refused to dive for shelter, but insteau stood in defiance of the bullets that drained the life from his body. Sadat was a great man, a great crusader for world peace. He demonstrated his courage and love consistently in his actions. He may not have been popular, for he sought to reach compromise between two very rigid views, but popularity does not necessarily signify greatness. It took a huge man to stand for an unpopular belief, to travel to Israel and to negotiate for peace in the face of much criticism and little support. Only a small man could rejoice at his death. Class schedules roadmap for the lost Jill Niederhauser staff by Eunice Schlenker By now students should be jogging to class without having to take periodic lapses to peek at that vital roadmap, the Course Request Card. They no longer have to scan the horizon to find the sun's path to know if they're headed in the right direction on Monday at high noon. But by the time things have reached this pass, there's a little footnote to jolt your complacency MIDTERMS are just around the corner. It only takes the average senior three weeks to assess his record, determine his goals, and decide if these really are the classes he elected, and then to wonder why. Having safely cleared that hurdle, there's another stumper lurking in the background: the mysteries of the Monday - Wednesday - Friday class combination that has been worked into more weird mindbogglers than a computer can assimilate. At least that's what it used to be before the class plotters wised up and decided to do something about the sheer monotony of it all. Now it's been varied to read something like this: Monday through Thursday (4 hr. -Honors class). It takes an honor student to understand why they discriminated against Friday, but then, nobody goes to class on Fridays much anyway. Just to keep your attention and wake you up by Tuesday, there's now the Monday - Tuesday-Thursday combination. Right after you think you've got that one licked, there's the Monday - Tuesday-Friday gameplan. But students finally figured that one out, and started appearing in the right class on the right day, so the emergency committee decided something had to be done about that. The planning committee worked overtime to head off this impetus, put students in their place, and keep them confused. Thus the Monday - Thursday - Friday cycle was passed and unanimously approved to make Monday take the lead as the bad guy. Now that school is rapidly hurtling into the fourth week, some of us still have to glance surreptitiously at that crib note. It could have been memorized by now except for that Mon - Tues - Wed - Thurs - Fri. tangle. Already I'm beginning to make some sense out of Fridays and I regard that as an accomplishment worthy of note. I expect to have it knocked by the time I don't need it any longer-namely until that ugliest of words-FINALS. Mercifully, there are only 5 days and eight hours per week to cope with or some of us couldn't hack it. And once having mastered that enigma, the student needs to set new goals; that is, to understand enigmas, the student needs to attempt to understand the numbering system in the Social Science Building-long a puzzler for the best brains on campus, including the teachers. However, the most shattering blow to me personally was the first time I was exposed to Building LL not a misspelling for library as one tends to think. Nevertheless, I made a desperate pass through there anyway, but found the numbering system out of joint. So, as the sun climbed higher in its orbit, I got later in mine. I had hoped for a divine revelation to figure out the abbreviation for "LL," as nothing logical would do it. Having combed the lower levels of educational buildings, I trudged up to the Bonneville level where some scientific mind had "LL" located and in custody. But things could be worse-it only took me four years to find the restroom lurking around the corner from the Signpost, and I no longer have to make a trek across the U.B. So another school year hoi begun with all its trials, tribulations, challenges, class cards, and new freshmen. But the greatest of these is still the uncanny numbering system in the Social Sciences Building, and the maze of days. Perhaps by the time today's quota of computer science students graduate, they will have made some sense of it. Letters... Utahns not selfish concerning defense In response to your editorial, "MX Missile Decision a Sellout," I'd like to offer a few comments. Utahns are not unpatriotic or selfish. A list of the military-related projects in our state will indicate this. First, we support, along with any major "pressure groups," one of the most strategic U.S. Air Force Bases in the world. I've been told that things are done at Hill Field that are not done at any other base in the world. Second, we support Fort Douglas in Salt Lake. Third, we support the Tooele Army Depot which now houses the Weteye bombs. These bombs were transferred without any significant local opposition besides the the governor.Fourth, we support Thiokol, a missile factory. Fifth, we have reserve centers here in Ogden. Sixth, we support the Defense Depot of Ogden, which would be strategic in time of war. Seventh, we support the I.R.S., another place which would be critical in time of crisis or war. There's more to the MX racetrack than meets the eye. Southern Utah has a very fine ecological balance which, if affected, could upset the system of environment, including water, which would affect the whole west, including California. In such a critical situation, isn't it stupid to put the MX in a place where destruction would threaten the lives of tens of millions instead of a place with less of an environmental responsibility? I'm completely behind the United States and its defense. I've joined the Marines as part of that personal committment. But the most powerful weapon against tyranny the United States has is respect for human life and rights and belief in a higher just power which aids the worthy. Michael J. Tupa Editor Bryan Shifter Managing Editor Gigi Holmes News Editor Jill Niederhauser Sports Editor Tony Ritchie Entertainment Editor Production Manager Photo Editors Eunice Schlenker Copy Editor Wm. H. Conlon. Ill Business Manager Julie Sumner Sports Staff Bryon Saxton Don Williams Ads and Layout Ramona Basinger Christie Eldridge Joe Cha Susan Reichmuth Mike Knowlton Lee Hicken Robbie Fields Photograper Rodney Wright Reporters The Signpost is published twice weekly throughout the academic year Steve Largent by the WSC Media Board and the Associated Students of Weber State Scott Wheeler College. Editorial comment appearing in this publication is that of the Bill Mcgaha Signpost staff or an individual writer and not necessarily thai of Weber Clint Wardlow State College. Offices are located in the Union Building Room 267. Joan Wilcox Mail correspondence to WSC Signpost. Weber Slate College. Ogden. UT 84404. The Signpost is distributed to students on Tuesday and Friday free of charge and is available by subscription at a price of $7 per quarter or $20 annually. |