Opinion

UMaine should stand by professor

Allen serves as example of strong-minded individual

By Amber Kapilof

Posted on Oct. 02, 2006, at 12:00 a.m.

At the University of Maine, students are encouraged to find what we believe in and stand strongly for it, and we are taught through example how to be courageous and steadfast in these beliefs.

This is not a school of ignorance. It is not a school where we sit and watch life amble by. We learn how to make an impact in this community so that when we are adults we can make a substantial impact on the world.

Doug Allen is a great example of the strong-minded, involved adults that we should aspire to be. When he believes strongly in something, he says so through his words and actions. He never stands still when something can be done. He does not back down if his point has not been heard; he definitely does not pass up an opportunity to help change the world.

This is a small town we live in. Our voices are often not heard by the big “leaders” that govern this country. So when someone like Allen comes along, we need to do everything in our power to help support and fight with him. When he was arrested on Sept. 21, we all should have been right there next to him, wearing handcuffs, but making a statement.

The article in the Sept. 25 edition of the Maine Campus was ignorant and disrespectful. It stated that Allen’s arrest was a “blatant publicity stunt meant to draw more attention to himself than his cause.” Apparently there are people who know little about this world we live in today. Apparently there are people whose eyes must be closed, because there is a war going on right now. There are innocent people being killed.

For those blind people out there, the government is not listening. They are not reading the polls that say 70 percent of Americans are against the War in Iraq. Right now, no one should be more concerned with Allen getting reprimanded than with stopping the war.

If you are one of those people, then you need to get your priorities straight. And if this is the case, consider yourself just as deaf and blind as the man who calls himself “president.” As Allen stated at Wednesday’s peace rally, “.inaction is an action. Not taking a position.” If Allen had left Snowe’s office when it closed, he would not have been taking the stance he wanted to take. He said that he wanted to be arrested for civil disobedience, not for criminal trespassing. While no one wishes to be arrested needlessly, it does make a strong statement and makes every peace activist question just how far he or she would go.

Allen was not trying to get publicity. He was simply doing what he felt was necessary in order to make people acknowledge his opinions. He is one of the few people I know who is willing to go so far as to get arrested for his beliefs, and we should all be proud of him.

Amber Kapilof is a second-year English major.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 2nd, 2006, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.