First, the accepted students

are used as tokens so that the University can tout its diverse status.

Second, the denied students miss an opportunity that was theirs to begin

with.

Of course, when anyone speaks

out against such an injustice as this, he or she is accused of bigotry

and hatred; however, when Jessie Jackson does it, he is acclaimed as a

hero and an architect of equality.

This all boils down to one

thing: amalgamation. To reduce the students of Georgia to the lowest common

denominator seems to be a great goal to defenders of affirmative action.

They believe that by denying the smarter in favor of different, we will

achieve harmony and happiness.

But what about achievement?

What happens when the will to achieve is replaced by the sole desire to

be the same?

We all know that minorities

can achieve the same heights as everyone else. It seems very backward

to push one down in favor of the other. In this time of extreme racial

sensitivity where people cannot address their whiteness without shame

or lowered voices in order not to offend others, we need to realize that

we too have rights.

We must drop the assumption

that we are all the same. The fact that we are different is the reason

this country is so grand. Don't let our children grow up ashamed to be

white. Let them represent a new generation of white people in Georgia,

white people who are not bigots and proud to be white Americans. It's

OK.

Joshua Shelton

[email protected]