This guy would not like Camp Randall

Madison’s pride in a well-earned football victory has been tarnished by so-called fans.

These immature, self-centered adolescents created an afternoon of embarrassment to those of you who proudly claim to be Wisconsin supporters.

The group was in the upper decks in the south end zone at Ohio Stadium. Their refusal to be seated and allow those behind them to see the game led to stadium security being called. Then, the Ohio Highway Patrol, which handles security at state facilities, needed to tell these people to be seated or be ejected. Hardly a proud moment for the Badgers.

Things got worse with the “cheers” which ranged from the juvenile “High School Band, High School Band” before the OSU band performed to the obscene “You f*ked up” anytime the Buckeyes made an error on the field.

All of these things could be dismissed as childish behavior if it stopped there. But the nadir of rudeness came when the Ohio State Alma Mater was played and sung. More than 100,000 people either sang the Buckeye hymn or stood respectfully quiet. But not these Wisconsin visitors. They shouted their own song (your alma mater?) in utter disdain of their host school.

Imagine how a group of Americans would feel if Afghans in the audience started singing their national anthem as the rest of us sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a gathering in New York City.

I am not a graduate of Ohio State, so I don’t take it as a personal affront. But I know boorish behavior is unacceptable any place, any time.

The sweet taste of your football win has been soured by the memory of these Wisconsin losers. I’m sure most Badger fans are as well behaved as your football team. Unfortunately, all we could see and hear in the stands were your bad examples.

Bob Bender, Marion, Ohio

Solving terrorism can’t be done with bombs

Bombing Afghanistan doesn’t solve anything. The people who ultimately committed the terrorist attacks died on the planes. It doesn’t seem killing innocent civilians, and maybe even a few, if not all, of the terrorists will solve anything. The problem of terrorism is obviously from a deep-seeded hatred for the U.S., and bombing countries only intensifies that hatred and provides the fuel for an even greater spread of terrorism in the future.

As unbelievable as it seems, terrorists aren’t born terrorists. Nobody is saying what these people did is in any way justifiable, but that shouldn’t mean the United States should naively argue that terrorists intrinsically hate the U.S. Conditions in Afghanistan and conditions in much of the world are hidden from the United States. People around the world live in poverty and starvation, while they see Americans flourishing.

At the same time, many of these people are told by their governments that their poor situation is a direct result of U.S. policy. For example, U.S. sanctions against Iraq cause thousands of people to die every day. Policies such as these allow Saddam Hussein to scapegoat the United States for Iraq’s situation. These conditions facilitate people’s willingness to form and join radical groups such as those of Osama bin Laden.

Clearly, there is absolutely no military tactic to permanently prevent the rise of future terrorist organizations. If we somehow do manage to kill all of the terrorists whom committed these acts and allow the status quo situation to continue, the United States will only await the rise of an even more vengeful terrorist group.

The only true solution is one that includes the improvement of the conditions of U.S.-Islamic relations and stops U.S. policies that punish populations and not governments. Such a course of action will allow the truth to emerge for both sides: nobody or no group is intrinsically “evil.” The United States isn’t out to destroy Islam, and the U.S. isn’t an intrinsic foe. This is a solution that takes years, if not decades, but too many are blinded into the idea that “with enough guns and bombs” you can solve any problem, as if life is a video game of sorts. Well I’m sorry, but life is no video game, and its time that the United States stops modeling its foreign policy like a twelve-year-old kid trying to beat Rambo on SNES.

Ankur Shah, UW sophomore