2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Film warns against hatred, doesn't promote it
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Opinions
To The Editor:
Did the editorial board even watch "Obsession, the Movie" "'Obsession' promotes intolerance of Islam," March 19? "…Another excuse to unite students in hate," you say?
The only hate being promoted is what the movie is trying to warn people about. Hate and intolerance is being promoted by radical Islamic groups around the world, and their actions were honestly depicted in the movie, from Islamic sources themselves. The movie "Obsession" is not promoting hate. The movie is simply the messenger. However, as in most cases in the news media today, if the message is not palatable to the sensitivities of our politically correct, liberal, tolerant, morally subjective, multicultural society, just accuse the messenger of intolerance and hate and sweep the facts aside.
My mother, who just recently passed away, was raised in Nazi Germany. She lived under that Nazi regime that brought their radical, hate filled ideas to the zenith of power. It was able to do so because of people just like you on the Sidelines editorial board, people who thought the Nazis were really not much of a threat and would not be able to gain enough power to intimidate the rest of the population into falling in line with their radical ideas.
My mother's cousin, a Christian, was put in a concentration camp. Her first husband and her mother were killed in the war, and she lost her home and possessions when it was destroyed by British and American bombing raids. She and her family cheered, though, when the Allied bombs were dropped on them, because they knew it was one more step in rescuing them from Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich."
She only wished that the lives of her family and millions of others had been spared by earlier action, before Hitler's radical ideas took root in a minority of the population and gained power over Germany.
The old saying "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it" is worth repeating here. Does the Sidelines editorial board know what is going on in the world? Have you noticed that Iran is controlled by a lunatic fringe of radical Islamists, on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons? Have you noticed that the president of Iran has asserted that Israel will be destroyed? Have you noticed the "goose stepping" soldiers of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran, and their clients in the Middle East, Hamas and Hezbollah? What does all this remind you of? Maybe you think these are just good folks having fun marching around playing soldier.
The ironic thing is that they do not need you, the editorial board of the Sidelines, to defend or deny their radical Islamic actions. They hate you as much as they hate everyone else who does not agree with their version of radical Islam. You, as journalists, if you can honestly call yourselves that, do not serve the public by accusing the movie of hate when it is actually the radical Islamists in that movie who are the perpetrators of hate. The movie is just the messenger.
We ignore the fact of the spread of radical Islam at our peril. Just ask my mother.
Michael Westphal Hiett
Director of the department of geosciences
Did the editorial board even watch "Obsession, the Movie" "'Obsession' promotes intolerance of Islam," March 19? "…Another excuse to unite students in hate," you say?
The only hate being promoted is what the movie is trying to warn people about. Hate and intolerance is being promoted by radical Islamic groups around the world, and their actions were honestly depicted in the movie, from Islamic sources themselves. The movie "Obsession" is not promoting hate. The movie is simply the messenger. However, as in most cases in the news media today, if the message is not palatable to the sensitivities of our politically correct, liberal, tolerant, morally subjective, multicultural society, just accuse the messenger of intolerance and hate and sweep the facts aside.
My mother, who just recently passed away, was raised in Nazi Germany. She lived under that Nazi regime that brought their radical, hate filled ideas to the zenith of power. It was able to do so because of people just like you on the Sidelines editorial board, people who thought the Nazis were really not much of a threat and would not be able to gain enough power to intimidate the rest of the population into falling in line with their radical ideas.
My mother's cousin, a Christian, was put in a concentration camp. Her first husband and her mother were killed in the war, and she lost her home and possessions when it was destroyed by British and American bombing raids. She and her family cheered, though, when the Allied bombs were dropped on them, because they knew it was one more step in rescuing them from Hitler's "Thousand Year Reich."
She only wished that the lives of her family and millions of others had been spared by earlier action, before Hitler's radical ideas took root in a minority of the population and gained power over Germany.
The old saying "those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it" is worth repeating here. Does the Sidelines editorial board know what is going on in the world? Have you noticed that Iran is controlled by a lunatic fringe of radical Islamists, on the verge of obtaining nuclear weapons? Have you noticed that the president of Iran has asserted that Israel will be destroyed? Have you noticed the "goose stepping" soldiers of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran, and their clients in the Middle East, Hamas and Hezbollah? What does all this remind you of? Maybe you think these are just good folks having fun marching around playing soldier.
The ironic thing is that they do not need you, the editorial board of the Sidelines, to defend or deny their radical Islamic actions. They hate you as much as they hate everyone else who does not agree with their version of radical Islam. You, as journalists, if you can honestly call yourselves that, do not serve the public by accusing the movie of hate when it is actually the radical Islamists in that movie who are the perpetrators of hate. The movie is just the messenger.
We ignore the fact of the spread of radical Islam at our peril. Just ask my mother.
Michael Westphal Hiett
Director of the department of geosciences
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Steven Disser
posted 3/26/07 @ 6:46 PM CST
You took the words right out of my mouth, sir. You said it much better than I could have.
Post a Comment