Rachel Corrie's tragic death, frequently discussed on campus and in The Falcon, has focused attention on an ongoing debate with the Caterpillar Corporation. Caterpillar sells bulldozers to Israel -- the same bulldozers, in fact, which ended Corrie's life and have rendered thousands of Palestinian civilians homeless. Critics of Caterpillar, including Corrie's family and a group of Roman Catholic and Jewish activists who attempted to push a resolution at the annual shareholder's meeting last week, maintain that the company is violating Palestinian and human rights by selling bulldozers to a nation known for using them violently.

Caterpillar's board of directors responded to the issue, saying they have "neither the legal right nor the means to police individual use" of their products.

Certain SPU students have become involved in a praiseworthy effort to lobby Caterpillar to change its policy and stop supporting human rights violations. Last week in Martin Square, a booth was set up and letters were passed out for students to sign, each individually requesting that Caterpillar change its ways.

Due to the unfortunate nature of the United States' foreign policy and economic setup, Caterpillar does, indeed, have the legal right to sell its products to Israel. What the company is encountering here, however, is the tension that exists between operating according to the rules and doing what is right when the rules do not demand it of you.

In this case, the answer is obvious: Blatant misuse of these bulldozers by the Israeli government dictates that any company with a sincere concern for human lives and human rights sever connections with Israel. If the company had the courage and compassion to make this symbolic and significant gesture, it would be a firm statement on the part of a major corporation that destroying homes and lives is not something that American businesses will endorse - even if we can make a buck off of it.

Companies, just like individuals, can find ways to avoid responsibility in almost every difficult ethical situation. We can all cite circumstances, difficulties and concerns that excuse us from action in a given situation, and this is what Caterpillar is doing. Unfortunately, this sort of thinking is also what allows thousands of human lives to slip through the cracks.

In their recent meeting, Caterpillar's shareholders had the opportunity to take a symbolic stand against the killing of their fellow humans. They failed to do this, citing abstract, bureaucratic drivel when very real people are dying and homeless. There's no excuse for this.

So we would like to extend a hearty thank you to the students who organized to lobby Caterpillar; we would like to lend our prayers and support to the family of Rachel Corrie as they take legal action against the company; and, most of all, we would like to add one more voice to a movement demanding that American business not sacrifice human life on the altar of capitalism and convenience.