Friday November 2, 2001

Pedestrians cause of bad traffic

I would like to give Jason Aillaud two enthusiastic thumbs up for his letter on bicycle riding around campus. I feel bicyclists have been given a bad rap around campus and are seen as the only campus traffic hazard. The truth is that they are not. When getting around campus, bicyclists are sometimes guilty of not following the road rules, but people fail to see that pedestrians are equally guilty.

Every day, I see pedestrians walking in designated bicycle lanes on campus while traveling between classes. That is not the only way pedestrians fail to be careful where they walk. Around the Mall area, bicycle riding is not allowed on the sidewalks, so bicyclists need to ride on the road section. Pedestrians fail to use these sidewalks and then complain that bicyclists are in their way. Of course, one may argue that a pedestrian needs to eventually cross the road area. If that is the issue and the reason that pedestrians fail to use the sidewalks, maybe the university needs to look into providing pedestrian crosswalks.

In sum, bicyclists are not the only problem. If both pedestrians and bicyclists got around campus responsibly, everyone would be very happy getting around campus.

Vanessa Zirakzadeh

communication junior

College Republicans rude

"United We Stand," or so I thought. I have had the entire afternoon to ponder this phrase, and what it means to me as a college student and elected official for the Young Democrats of Arizona.

Today, while the voter registration drives took place, I had approached the UA Young Democrats to exchange chit-chat about our progress of registration for other "to be" Democrats, when I took it upon myself to step over to the UA College Republicans booth. After the introductions, I began to ask the vice president of UA College Republicans what her major was here at the university. The vice president went on to tell me about how horrible Paula Aboud, the Democratic city council candidate, is and how we should avoid electing her into office.

She then went on to talk about how in general all Democrats are "closeted Republicans," which I truly believe to be false, and that she doesn't understand how we could vote for someone who, in her view, "isn't fit to run for office." I truly felt that the vice president thought I was some enemy or something of that nature and that she didn't intend to be friends with the college's Democrats, or anyone else for that matter.

I am hurt and appalled by the behavior and attitude shown by the UA College Republicans' vice president. I could not believe my ears at the amount of bashing she was showing. With the amount of time she spent bashing Democratic members, she could have spent that time telling me about Republican candidates and their good qualities. Maybe then I would have voted Republican; but instead, I feel compelled to support Paula Aboud.

I wonder if, in fact, the vice president forgot about the national phrase "United We Stand" and instead thought "separation is the only way." Honestly, I think that people should be allowed to think how they want about people. But sitting and bashing isn't the best way to win the vote. Instead, I believe we should focus on the good points and the best qualities a person has to offer: integrity, honesty and personality.

Jonathan T. Bengel

political science sophomore

Waging war during Ramadan is going too far

Ramadan is not a holiday. It isn't a religious celebration. It is a month of fasting, abstinence. That also, technically, includes abstaining from waging war on infidels, if you will. I would agree with (Wildcat columnist Zack) Armstrong that this may be the best time to wipe them all out, from a tactical standpoint, but just because you have the right to, as some people seem to think, does that really mean you should? And does that make you any better than them, or are we to believe that Americans are no different from the people who do fly planes into buildings?

I like (columnist Cory) Spiller's view that the rest of the Muslim nations will continue to align themselves with the "winning team" aka. the Americans. It is true. We'll whine and cry, but we'll fall into line with you. But I hope that you'll think twice before stepping into an airliner again. It may have been a single faction of Muslims the last time around, if they were Muslims at all, but who's to say what the future will hold?

(Columnist Shane) Dale is all for giving the Taliban a day. "As long as America continues to target only strategic Taliban military facilities, there is no moral reason to stop the airstrikes for an entire month," he said. The last that I heard, they were blowing up hospitals. I heard nothing about military facilities. So as long as America is willing to admit that this is a genocide, I say, go for it! Half-hearted admissions of respect are hardly appropriate.

This war was, in my opinion, hasty and biased from the very beginning. So far as I can tell, the FBI scanned through the passenger lists and picked out any Muslim sounding names, and stamped al-Qaida all over them. To continue it during a sacred month is just going too far.

Syed Ahsan Salahuddin

computer science junior