I knew when sending in my previously published, conservative letter that I would definitely get bashed hard, since most college students are strongly liberal. I know not everyone listens to Michael Moore seriously, but many do. We live in a society dominated by the media and many people just assume the media is automatically correct, which is something that people should never do. That being said, allow me to retort to some of the things people had to say:

n “People who think the same aren’t sheep.” – Not all are, but how many students actually know why they support Kerry? Research says that our age group has a pitifully low number of voters. This low number of voters, combined with the fact that almost every college kid acts like they have an opinion means that not all these kids really mean what they say. This does essentially make them sheep, because they are just trying to fit in with everyone else.

n “Saddam isn’t our era’s most tyrannical leader.” – I suppose you could argue that there are other, “more tyrannical” leaders. However, Saddam has had this coming to him for a very long time. The United Nations has warned him time and time again to comply with procedures, but he just ignored them. Do you honestly believe that someone of Saddam’s character does not have some sort of weapons development program? What do you think he used to kill so many of his fellow countrymen? Saddam was just as oppressive to his people as Kim Jong Il. The people in Iraq weren’t allowed to watch TV, think freely, or voice their opinions. If they did, they were butchered. Kim Jong II has made threats, yes – but what has Saddam done? Oh yeah, he went to war! He invaded a country, killed people and caused billions of dollars of damage. These are real actions, not simply hollow threats.

n “The Iraq war was a bad idea.” – Don’t make hasty decisions until the ordeal is over. Do you think most Americans thought entering World War II was a good idea? They most definitely did not. There were many people against the U.S. entering into that war, but it turned our country around and really saved us. I don’t like seeing Americans get killed, but I also didn’t like seeing Saddam in power. Kim Jong II is a joke and is simply seeking fame; he doesn’t have the guts to do anything.

Tom Olson

sophomore in business