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Show MONDAY • MARCH 12 • 2007 WWW.NETXNEWS.NET One person's opinion The good, the bad and the Putting the pieces back together As citizens recover from shooting, they take time to forgive Justin Ritter '.'•• Opinions Editor •-• . v . " •"'• ' • ; •--••• - ; -,-V'--^'# 1 -S I t has been a month now since 18-year-old Bosnian refugee Sulejman Talovic walked into Salt Lake City's Trolley Square mall and opened fire, killing four people and wounding four others before being gunned down by police. The shooting and its aftermath produced reactions of pain, sorrow and anger, and understandably so. But for all of the hurt the incident has caused, it is impossible to overlook the sense of hope, forgiveness and resilience that has emerged. Of course, there are some who have responded with anger and intolerance, much of which stemmed from the revelation that Talovic was a Muslim. Though the FBI ruled out terrorism as a possible motive, there was still a barrage of venomous letters to the local papers, as well as an unfounded claim by Rep. Chris Cannon that Talovic shouted, ''Allah akbar," (God is great) as he aimed his gun at his victims (Cannon later acknowledged his error). Fortunately, such people seem to be in the minority; the majority, though confused as to why someone would do something so terrible, have reacted with kindness. Take Jake Freeman, a student at Utah State University who set up a fund for the grief-stricken Talovic family, or Nathan Ellis, whose wife was killed in the shooting. Ellis told a gathering of mourners, "I forgive the guy who shot and killed those people. It was a tragedy. We don't know what he was thinking, what his fears were, what his childhood was like. But we can all forgive, just as she [Ellis' wife] would have forgiven." Timothy Hanson, whose brother was wounded in the attack, was reported as having said of the Talovic family, "We cannot know the pain they feel, but there is no anger in this heart, just sorrow for all who have suffered from this tragedy." There could not be a more poignant example of how to deal with tragedy —feeling sorrow without feeling anger. Another commendable response to the shootings has been the public's support of the Trolley Square mall. Though the massacre y V.' The Good I League title win • v . si UVSC'smens' basketball team won the United Basketball League championship, finishing the season with a 22-7 record. Still, it will be two years before UVSC will be allowed to play in postseason tournaments. / ' ^ • • " • - ' ^ • ' ' - • • , " • •••'• • " • , ' " • . • •" • • " . - * • ' • ' TfciiP , Trolley Square was not an act of terror, it would not be surprising to see shoppers avoid the mall for fear of a copycat shooting, or even simply because of the eeriness of what happened there. Instead, the opposite has happened. Since the mall's reopening, its stores have been swarmed, evoking memories of the holiday rush and boosting the spirits of the employees and store owners who weathered the attack. Tragedy brings out both the best and the worst in people, and this time, though there were more than a few cases where people's worst was on display for everyone to see, the best prevailed. Utahns will never forget what happened at Trolley Square; hopefully we will not forget what happened afterwards-the good and the bad-and learn from it. Hats off to the good people of Salt Lake City for showing that even in the face of a terrible, incomprehensible tragedy, one can be resilient, have hope and forgive. r"••••••"> The Bad i tWUM 1 Material marriage A recent study by BYU assistant professor Jason Carroll reavealed that couples in which at least one spouse is very materialistic are 40 percent more likely to have financial problems, even if they are wealthy. i i i The Ugly prr :-J 1i UtahJrug abuse «v V. A federal study shows that Utah led the nation in prescription drug abuse in 2004 and 2005. According to the study, a whopping 6.5 percent of Utah's population is using prescription drugs without doctor's orders. Letter to the editor 1 It is our responsibility to preserve decency Decency: what an interesting subject for a college newspaper. It seems today that's the last thing on a student's mind. What a blessing it is that UVSC still has a very decent campus. And students here sincerely try to show respect for each other. Can we do better? Absolutely! Stop and think for a moment what happens when a beautiful dame or a handsome gent passes you by in the hallway. At UVSC, this happens often. Ask yourself these questions: What do your eyes do? What do your thoughts do? After you've analyzed the answers, ask yourself: Do my actions represent my very best self? Am I being respectful? If you're like the average person, you probably cringe when you read these questions. Nobody is perfect. But why is it so difficult for us to treat everyone with the highest standard of decency? The answer is sitting in your neighborhood grocery checkout line. We've had forced exposure to indecent magazine covers, store displays, newspaper advertisements, Internet pop-ups, etc. since we were children. Young minds are fragile things and they learn visually; thus, children are extremely susceptible to indecent media. When a child sees something indecent for the first time, they feel uncomfortable. It is confusing to them when adults display themselves publicly in a very promiscuous or indecent way. Children cannot choose what they are exposed to. We must be responsible and make decisions that will protect their innocence. That is why Students for Decency and Morality was created. We invite everyone to join our club and take real, personal action to protect children, families and our own minds from indecency and moral disrespect. — Aaron Bylund Students for Decency and Morality UVClubs office (801)836-3955 sfduvsc@gmail.com CALL FOR LETTERS The College Times wants to hear your opinion. * £-Mail letters to uvscopinions@hotmuil.com * The NetXNews room is located on campus in SC220. * All letters become property of NetXNews and may be edited for content, specifically clarity, length or other concerns al the discretion of the editor. * Letters between 50-250 words are encouraged, and those letters marked by their succinctness are more likely to be published. * Letters must be accompanied by full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes (contact information will not be published). *Anonymous letters will not be published. |