Editor,
I am deeply troubled by the humiliation of Professor Richard Berthold at UNM in recent days. I do not know the man, so I cannot speak definitively about the intent with which he uttered his fateful remark on Sept. 11.
I nonetheless know what came up for me in relation to his comment.
It had to do with contempt for a symbol of American imperialism, not a perverse joy taken in the deaths of 188 people and the devastation wreaked upon their families.
To equate the two is simpleminded.
Nor do I believe this was an exhortation to further violence.
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This man is not a monster. He is not the enemy. We mustn't turn on each other in this way. It is disgraceful.
The patriotism engendered by the recent attacks on America ought not serve as an excuse for intolerance.
Instead we could pause, feel our wounds and grieve our losses.
We could inquire deeply into the source of a desperation and disconnection so profound that at least 19 young men in the prime of their lives saw fit to take them and thousands of others to make a point.
Where does this impulse reside in each of us?
What is its cost?
Who are we willing to take down in the process?
What fundamentally do we want?
Do our lives and those of our institutions reflect our cherished values?
Where does the Pentagon fit in?
Where does compassion for a man who has served the University for more than 30 years fit in?
Melissa T. Holt
Former UNM employee
