When I saw all the white crosses placed in front of Smith Chapel resembling a cemetery, it definitely struck me, the idea of how many people on both sides will be dead after this war is over.

However, when I saw them all down I had an idea of what could have happened, though I refused to believe it. I really didn’t think that something like that could happen in our college nowadays. But then the “Issues Of Respect” e-mail from Dean Thorius detailing past incidents came out revealing the sad truth.

Probably many of us haven’t grown up in many aspects, but a couple of days ago I would have said that at least we were able to respect each other.

What’s going on with throwing stones or stealing peace signs? What? Can’t you deal with the fact that there are people who think war is wrong? Well, I have some news for you. There are people who don’t support the war (like me) and are willing to show their disagreement by attending protests, making signs and other actions. It’s our right.

A right that you also have to express your opinion about the war.

If you want to make a clear statement of your support for the war, then do it, but not by taking down the signs that express the opinion of others. It’s like going back in history to the times when burning crosses and intimidating people were the means for white people who didn’t want the segregation laws to be changed. I’d like to think our society doesn’t need to do wild things like these to express what they think.

Doing these kind of acts only demonstrates how poor and weak in character a human being can be. Why don’t they do it when everyone is looking at them? Because they know they’re wrong and they couldn’t find a better way to express their opinion instead of vandalizing someone else’s property or invading their privacy with anonymous calls.

There’s nothing brave in sharing your ideas about the war hiding from people in the dark. It’s an easy way to do it without taking responsibility of your acts.

That’s why the people who put the crosses and sign outside of their house deserve respect. They did it the right way, without hiding from anyone. It’s this openness and nonviolent action what make their acts valuable and valid.

Want to do something to express your support for the war? I’m confident the school will let you do it as long as it doesn’t offend or harm anyone.

I’ve always been a strong supporter of free expression and respect. I think we all are able to respect and treat others fairly. When I was young my mother used to say that my right ended when someone else’s right was being affected. Why don’t you do the same?