Opinion

Reflecting a changed world

Today, the world will again begin to turn: Ballplayers and fans will fill stadiums. Stock tickers will churn out prices. Airplanes will fly over Madison. In short, this Monday will resemble last Monday.

Of course, that’s only on the surface. Inside, every American feels the hurt, fear and anger tapped by last Tuesday’s terrorists. Life moves on, but now with an awareness of evil among us.

As life moves on, so will our coverage. Already, we are resuming regular Sports and Arts coverage. Believe it or not, other news happened last week; in the coming days we will do our best to report it.

At the same time, we recognize the world changed very dramatically last Tuesday. Our newspaper will do its best to change with it: Look for expanded News and Opinion sections all week, as the demand for information and a forum for discussion are overwhelming.

With the vigils and memorial services this weekend, America?s formal time for grieving is nearing an end. But the time for reaction is just beginning. Already, students have started a lively debate about the causes of and appropriate reaction to last week’s events. As always, I encourage everybody to participate in the discussion. We will do our best to publish everybody’s opinion — even those that seem to question America’s goodness and innocence. Those opinions can only be countered if properly aired.

As we titled last Wednesday’s special issue, these acts were an attack on freedom. As an American and an editor, it is tempting to silence the voices that would sympathize with the terrorists? goals. But if we censor any opinions, our freedom truly will have been sacked.

Americans are a fair and civil people. It’s important not to point fingers at our neighbors. When angered by somebody’s ideas, it’s important to resort to civil debate. We will do our best to provide such a forum.

Have a thought? We welcome your input, but please be polite and stay on topic wherever possible. Your comment may be deleted if it is inappropriately off topic or promotional or if it is unnecessarily rude or contains personal attacks. We may delete comments for other reasons as well. Just keep it simple and focus on your points as respectfully as possible.

We allow and encourage comments employing satire, wit and irony to make points. Do not flag comments just because you disagree. Flagged comments will be immunized from further flagging unless they stray far from the guidelines and do not add to the discussion. Before flagging a comment you think is offensive, consider your time might be better spent rebutting it than censoring it.

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