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opinion
Honesty best policy
Gov. Gray Davis was
highly scruti-nized for his public warning on possible attacks
on California bridges. He warned that a terrorist attack might
occur on one of the California bridges during rush hour between
Oct. 2 and 7.
Soon after the
warning, National Guard troops and Highway Patrol officers
surrounded the Golden Gate Bridge, the St. Vincent Thomas
Bridge, the Coronado Bridge and other Bay bridges. The governor's
sources were later deemed not credible, yet he stood behind
his decision to notify the public.
I feel relieved
that the governor made the suspicion public. Public hysteria
is always a risk, yet we as a people need to be kept in the
loop.
The governor thought
the sources were credible at the time and felt the public
might be in danger. Many people would have been angry had
the bridges been attacked and the governor said nothing. The
governor made the best possible decision in a no-win situation.
Being told about
the bridges was a feeling of trust in the American people.
Sure I would not travel down one of those bridges in the near
future yet now I feel more informed. I am a tax-paying citizen
and would like to know if the bridge I travel on everyday
to go to work is in danger.
Many people argued
that the governor did not make sure his sources were credible.
Yet if he had enough information to get on national television
and warn the public, I'm sure he weighed the ramifications
and chose public safety.
Today, many Americans
are afraid to fly, to leave their home and to trust foreigners.
I would not like to add the government to the list of institutions
I do not trust or have faith in. The government must trust
the American people in order for us to trust the government.
So I would rather be told the truth.
Denise Jaurequi
is a journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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