I have been spending some time recently at the Light of Hope vigil at the Allen Street gates. Many of the people who walk by seem to be hostile to those who are participating in the vigil. People yell "Bomb Iraq!" rudely from car windows, as they drive away. Even though the vigil is made up of pro-war and anti-war participants, the public seems to regard the vigil as a "protest."

In reality, the Light of Hope is a place to mourn the dead on all sides, while providing a place for expression of the opinions of all members of the community. Free expression of political opinions is one of the rights afforded to Americans under the U.S. Constitution. I realize that one may support the legal right to express an opinion, but may be strongly against the opinion. It would be nice if, in addition to providing legal rights to protest, the nation would embrace a more tolerant attitude toward the dissenting opinions of its members. It is this tolerance that is lacking in State College. Respectful, free dialogue between diverse sections of the population is one of the greatest assets of the United States.

I am sorry to see the instances where respectful dialogue is broken down by a divisive "us and them" mentality on the part of the students. Both sides of the war issue could gain from a mature conversation about the issues at hand. True peace can only come through understanding and mutual respect between people.