UA trains 'skills to better the community'

I cannot believe that such a leftist university and newspaper would publish such a right-wing intelligently written letter. Wow! Not only does Gavin Murphy hit the nail into his foot, there's no way he could dislodge his other foot from his mouth and get his head out of his ass. Wow, I didn't know that someone could be so flexible to do all those things at the same time!

Hey, when those poor veterans go to the hospital, where did those doctors come from? From "private little Marxist re-education camps?" Yeah that's right - right here at the UA. Not only is this institution a communist breeding ground, but people actually come here to learn useful skills to better the community. Think what this community would be like without business, or engineering, or history. Thank God that someone has learned from history that people shouldn't pay for things that they don't believe in. I do agree with Mr. Murfy on one thing: Don't hold your breath. You might pass out.

Ty Deyoe
business sophomore

Research I or higher tuition?

In response to the outcry of support for Dr. Todd on the political science department's ultimatum to honor his end of his contract, I pose the question to the students supporting him. Research brings in grant money. (Last time I checked, UA was one of the top 10 schools in the country in the amount of research grant money it receives.) Without this grant money, tuition would go up DRASTICALLY. Now you choose: $10,000 (in-state) tuition and professors who don't have to do research or $3,000 in-state with professors who do research? You choose.

Simon Albon
communication senior

Dr. Todd should get tenure

It is hard to believe the myopia of the political science department and the Arizona Daily Wildcat Editorial Board ("Dr. Todd needs to live up to his contract" - in Friday's Wildcat).

The University of Arizona political science department is extremely fortunate to have the services of Dr. Todd. During my four years at the University of Arizona, I met no professor who brought as much to the classroom as Dr. Todd. There is something to be said for a liberal arts teacher that looks beyond the scope of the course material and takes an interest in the personal intellectual development of his students.

I can think of no other professor or administrator who had a greater impact on me at the University of Arizona than Dr. Todd. The mass of letters to the Daily Wildcat in support of Jim Todd indicate I am not alone in this assessment.

It is a sad commentary on the state of education when we turn our backs on educators who have the ability and interest to nurture and empower their students. The real injustice being done is not rewarding Dr. Todd with tenure. I hope the political science department comes to its senses and begins to treat Dr. Todd with the long-deserved respect that he is owed.

Gahl Leddel
UA alumnus

Nations need respect before peace can happen

This letter is in response to the Tuesday letter "Massacre a stain in history," which spoke of "grave human rights abuses" on the part of the Israeli army during its current offensive.

Like anyone interested in the conflict, I went to see what abuses these were that they be called "grave."A human rights Web page I found indeed listed quite a few human rights problems, but their severity was minimal. They were placing Palestine civilians in undue danger.

A crime that the same page later implicates is that the Palestine militants of "armed Palestinians recklessly endangered Palestinian civilians by firing at IDF soldiers from locations that exposed the civilians to IDF return fire."

I must point out at this juncture that these instances are far less numerable and less "grave" that the repeated suicide bombings carried out on Israelis civilians. I also have questions as to the cause of some of the death and destruction. Detained Palestine militant Tabaat Mardawi estimated in his interview with CNN that they laid 1000-2000 booby traps around Jenin. How can anyone be sure that these explosives were not responsible for many Palestinian deaths? I doubt even the people who laid them could keep track of 2000 traps.

But we, in our respective journalistic endeavors, have missed the point. Where we go from here must be toward a lasting peace. Not only between the Palestine and Israeli peoples, but between the Jewish and Muslim communities worldwide. I propose a meeting of all interested parties to discuss current situation of the Middle East as well as to built bridges across unnecessary gaps between Jews and Muslims. For without a respect and friendship between our peoples, how can we ever expect to truly have lasting peace?

Perhaps it is too late in the year for anyone to be interested, but if you are, you can e-mail me reubeng@email.arizona.edu.

Reuben Goodman

computer science and psychology junior

Israel's recent actions are despicable, 'failed the Palestinians'

The world has utterly failed the Palestinians. It is absolutely disgusting to see what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians in refugee settlements like Jenin in the past few weeks. Three hundred buildings have been bulldozed and 2,000 people left homeless as a result of Sharon's "mopping up." These Palestinians, who have been forced to live in the squalor of overcrowded refugee camps, have now lost even that privilege.

As the reporters and humanitarian aid workers were finally allowed into Jenin (they had been kept out to allow Israel's actions to continue without criticism) they were horrified by the stench of rotting corpses that had not yet been removed. Innocent civilians had bled to death as ambulances had been deliberately kept out of the area. Numerous reporters, accustomed to war zones, stated that this was without a doubt the worst devastation they had ever witnessed. In the recent weeks, it has been uplifting to see that more Americans have given up their blind pro-Israeli bias and adopted a more even-handed view of the situation, focusing on the evil-doers on both sides.

However, the Bush administration has not done the same. While issuing weak statements to ally Sharon, it has done little, where it was essential to do so much. Bush's calling Sharon a "man of peace" will cause more anti-American sentiments throughout the entire world. Following is a statement made by Sharon to an Israeli newspaper: "Even today I am willing to volunteer to do the dirty work for Israel, to kill as many Arabs as necessary, to deport them, to expel and burn them · what you don't understand is that the dirty work of Zionism is not finished yet, far from it." Some man of peace. The fate of peace in the Middle East - and the world - depends on Bush standing up to the powerful pro-Israeli lobby in Washington that has had a stranglehold on our foreign policy for far too long!

The Zionist influence in our government has undermined our national security. Almost every terrorist attack against the United States has been in response to our undying support of Israel (which includes our supplying of weaponry). Until this issue is addressed and both sides are treated equally as they should be, terrorism will increase exponentially to the likes of which we have not yet seen.

Ali Scotten
anthropology and near-Eastern studies junior

Israel's actions not offensive nor terrorist but reactionary

I take issue with Mariam Durrani's Friday commentary, "Israeli terrorism continues as U.S. peace talks fail." First, to call what Israel is doing "terrorism" is wrong. Terrorism by its very nature is offensive, while what Israel is doing is reactionary. Israel is reacting to Palestinian terrorist aggression. Second, to say that because Israel will have to share a border with Palestinians they should not defend themselves, is ludicrous. If the Canadian government actively participated in, or even condoned, sending people into America so that they could hurt our civilian population, we would be completely correct in occupying parts of Canada so as to stop their aggression. Unfortunately for Israel, its neighbor is actually doing this. Third, what the Israelis and their government are going through is on the same scale as what we underwent in September. They are fighting a foe that will not stop their offensive until Israel is pushed into the sea (regardless of any pro-Palestinian propaganda you spout, that is what the majority of Palestinians want, you just have to read their newspapers to see it). On that same note, al-Qaida wants to destroy America. Both Yasser Arafat and Osama bin Laden want the same thing, just for different countries.

Finally, when you kill people by accident (i.e. accidentally bulldozing their homes while they are still occupied), it means you didn't mean to. When you strap bombs to your chest and blow yourself up on a disco floor full of children, you're trying to kill. There is a difference. Israel is not a nation built on terrorism, as any Palestinian state will be.

Silas Montgomery

history freshman

So long, Ms. Winsky!

I thought I had picked up a copy of the "The Nation" when I read the two bottom headlines on the front page of the Wildcat on Monday. First, I read about a hippie parade held on Fourth Avenue, one of the most liberal areas in Tucson. I think it is ridiculous that a parade with so few people gets front-page headlines when events that are pro-military are not mentioned at all. It isn't too hard to believe coming from such a biased paper. Not when liberal Democrats like Bill Clinton state, "A lot of wonderful people love their country and hate the military." Below the parade article was another about dear Barbara Lee's visit to the university. She was actually compared to Martin Luther King Jr.! The only reasons she voted against the military response after Sept. 11 were 1) to get publicity (she has received two times as much campaign money this year from Hollywood liberals) and 2) because she represents Berkeley, Calif. Berkeley had more people voting for Nader than they did for President Bush in the 2000 election! Had she represented any normal district, her vote would have sealed the end of her term of office.

It is no surprise that corporate America is discontinuing its funding for many UC campuses across California. Not when they have professors being interviewed on The O'Reilly Factor calling flag bearers "idiots" and teaching classes called "sex and terrorism." UC Berkeley College Republicans had $3,000 worth of newsletters stolen by leftwing groups and this sort of agression against anyone that does not believe in Marxism continues even on our own campus.

I cannot tell you how many people have said to me that "I didn't leave the Democratic party, the Democratic party left me." If you feel this war isn't the answer, then that is your First Amendment right to say so, but it is also my First Amendment right to call you a radical lunatic. One girl stated at the protests that there are thousands of other responses besides war.

How many of those are reality based? Try NONE! Reality never plays any role in the minds of liberals. They are all about feeling and no brains. Finally, I would like to wish Ms. Winsky good luck wherever she goes after graduation. I am sure that after she begins working in the real world, she will become more moderate, hopefully. We may disagree (even more than with Mr. Dale because I cannot stand McCain) but we got a dialogue going that got people interested in politics. I will miss your commentaries, Laura, but there is still Ms. Durrani and Ms. Hall to respond to!

Charles A. Petersen
history sophomore