Today we met with the Algerian Ambassador who was a very interesting person with very good ideas regarding peace in the Middle East- which to him can only happen with a resolution to all conflicts involving Israel. Ted Koppel spoke at the seminar as well as Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune. Koppel was rather monotone but interesting none the less. I thought Page was an intriguing intellect as well. His humor was very witty and he made for an entertaining hour. I would say that today was the best day so far aside from Dana Perino. She made a comment that upset me and deeply insulted me as well. When she was speaking to the crowd a student asked her about the administrations frequent use of the words “terror,” “terrorists,” “weapons of mass destruction,” and other words related to 9/11, terrorist attacks and lines that were used as fear tactics by the Bush administration. Perino came back to say that perhaps we did not remember the 9/11 attacks or the weeks and months that followed. Whether she thought we were too young or just didn’t care at that time is what I am assuming she was implying. I thought about this alot today and the more I thought about it the more I was insulted. To begin with, I was in 8th grade when this happened. I can tell you exactly where I was when it happened, who told me and what I was doing. I remember the footage on tv, the interviews, the pictures, the towers falling and above all I remember staying in front of the tv for days with my family. I remember deciding what I wanted to do with my life at that point- the ultimate motivator, at that time, for why I was going to join the Army. I remember the ultimate sense of pride, anger, and frustration that I felt and which I still feel today. For this to come from the Bush administrations press secretary only left me with two feelings- more disappointment in the administration and a deeper and greater hope in the newly elected.
