Editor’s note: the length restriction on forum letters has been waived.

Accusations of racism are divisive

I, like many other students, was shocked to see the remarks that were painted in the Free Expression Tunnel. Though, admittedly I was a supporter of McCain, I must say that it was very impressive that such an inexperienced senator was able to come from so far behind in the polls, beat the Clinton powerhouse and then beat the Republican nominee.

Unfortunately I also must point out that after the Secret Service ruled that the graffiti was not a crime, the issue should be closed. The fact that the NAACP, an organization that came into existence only by invoking that pesky First Amendment in places where the majority would rather them not, is requesting punishment for students who have done the same thing makes me wonder if the article (NAACP reacts to racist messages, plan meeting with chancellor) I read in this morning’s Technician was actually cut and pasted from The Onion.

The question that I ask the NAACP to consider is why does having a black president matter? If we are, in fact, equal, then why is a black president any different than our previous 43? Obama didn’t consider race in this election, so why should we? This issue is just an example of a radical group trying to divide a community. Chancellor Oblinger has done the right thing by protecting these students. And Obama, a senator against the suspension of constitutional rights to Guantanamo Bay inmates, would laugh at the current hypocrisy.

Garrett Pengelly

freshman, chemical engineering

Race barriers come from times past

I read the Technician every day, like many students do. The past few days, I have noticed many articles concerning “race barriers” and the like. All of the articles point out, in one way or another, that we have broken a barrier.

But by whom is this barrier set? It is most certainly not set solely by the Caucasians (to keep my terminology equal) in America. Nor do I feel it is set solely by the African-Americans. Instead of our country backing a new president of the United States of America, a president for all of us, we must attach that he is the first African-American president.

If we are to stop the so-called racism, our country must stop modifying and qualifying every accomplishment achieved with African-American, Asian-American…etc. Only after this can we drop the modifier before “American.” We are all Americans in this nation and should consider ourselves as such.

On the topic of racism and happenings on campus after the election, I feel that however wrong and disgusting the slurs were in the Free Expression Tunnel we cannot focus on only one side.

Although I do not wish nor think it is appropriate for an individual writing to a paper to disclose party affiliation or race, I must in order for this to be understood. I am a conservative, Caucasian male who has grown up in inner-city environments in California and small coastal towns in North Carolina. I was disappointed by the election, but like any time our Wolfpack football loses, we are disappointed and the other team’s crowd is elated.

This disappointment was by no means hostile. At 11 p.m. Tuesday night, I decided to go for a run, much like I do many other nights with no mishaps. This night, I was repeatedly harassed by large groups of Obama supporters. My clothing could not indicate my party affiliation, I was wearing running shorts, shoes and an Under Armour shirt. How could I be singled out?

Yet cars that drove by yelled obscenities and threatened to injure me. I heard many harsh and concerning words that night on my eight mile run. I heard groups of African-Americans referring to Obama as “our president,” and “finally we have someone the same color as us as president.”

Last time I checked, he is going to be president of the entire United States of America and hopefully represent all of us equally. I would plead to the students to drop the race qualifier, and if one can’t quite advance all the way to dropping all prefixes, at least realize that we are students together. We are the Wolfpack and are all trying to get out of this place with an education and positive experiences to shape our lives.

Tyler Roberts

freshman, chemical engineering

Don’t glorify violence

I am disappointed by images in the Free Expression Tunnel Nov. 10. No, the words and illustrations were not of a racial nature. Rather, the images celebrated the 233rd birthday of the US Marine Corps.

I fully support the Marine Corps in honoring their anniversary and am endlessly grateful for the sacrifice and commitment of the men in women serving in the U.S. military. However the images serve as a misrepresentation of our armed services. The images glorified war. One such image showed a smiley face with a bloody gun-shot wound to the head with the words “ready to freakin’ go” beside it. I know that in our world, military conflicts are a reality. I also believe that war and human suffering are not to be the butt of any joke.

Lately our campus has been misrepresented as a whole. The behavior of a few individuals has painted our campus as a violent, reactive body. Let us act more deliberately with compassion and understanding. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

Carrie McMillan

senior, history