Marriage should be out of love not logic

In Mariam Durrani's commentary (yesterday), she claims that the Western way of marrying for love isn't working and that an arranged marriage could be more beneficial. Americans may have a high divorce rate, but 90 percent of American adults are not divorced.

I guess I'd rather be divorced than have to be stuck in an arranged marriage that my parents felt was good for "the family."

Marriage is not a business decision; its not like Hewlett-Packard saying, "Hey, let's merge with Compaq because we can combine our assets." Marriage is a special union of two people to create children and should be about love, not about the fact that some middleman thinks your families would make a good union. The fact is that in countries like Pakistan and India (where arranged marriages are normal) there are plenty of people that want divorces, but don't get one because their culture frowns upon it.

While arranged marriages may be logical, they are not emotional and marriage should be about love, not logic.

Seth Frantzman

history senior

Kunnie commentary irresponsible

After reading the article "Afghanistan attack 'immoral,'" I was outraged that our newspaper would print such left-wing garbage. I accept that America has the right to free speech and free press, but this article was not about reporting the news or printing opinion responsibly. This article was an attempt by the writer to downplay what this war is "actually" about.

This war is about freedom. The fact that some Afghans are getting killed is a result to the population being free. A great man, Patrick Henry, once said, "Give me liberty or give me death." Sure Americans sympathize for the Afghans dying, but if death is required for a few individuals to allow a nation to be free, so be it. By the way, if have you been watching the news, the men are extremely happy to be allowed to shave their beards, and the women are ecstatic not to be forced to cover their heads. That's the freedom Afghans are receiving from the war.

What freedom the world will receive is not fearing being killed by terrorists. That is ultimately what the campaign against terrorism is about.

All I ask out of Americans is that we question everything. This involves researching what one is about to argue. So Julian Kunnie, I would appreciate you doing a little more research into the "real truth" of what this war is really about before turning our paper into a bunch of political propaganda to sway people against the war. Then one would agree with Patrick Henry; "Give me liberty or give me death."

David Goltz

undeclared freshman

American actions just

How can anyone look in the faces of the men listening to music over Afghan radio for the first time in many years, of men shaving beards they were forced to keep because of Taliban beliefs, and of women casting off oppressive veils and long, hot garments to breathe free and see the actions of the United States as revenge? See the United States as war-mongering bullies?

As I watched the news footage of the Afghan citizens literally dancing in the streets of Kabul, I can only feel that in some small way not only was Kabul liberated, but the souls of the thousands lost in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon have been liberated as well.

Justice not revenge.

Cynthia Mullaly

facilities management

Cesar Chavez a role model

Something monumental happened on Tuesday: The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to create a paid holiday in honor of Cesar Chavez.

This holiday will be a priceless tool for organizing around issues of social justice. Most people probably don't know much about Cesar Chavez, so this holiday makes it much more likely that folks will learn about what Chavez did and what he stands for.

A native Arizonan, Chavez and Dolores Huerta founded the United Farm Workers to improve the lives of thousands of produce pickers, most of whom lived in abject poverty. He led a 340-mile march from Delano, Calif. to Sacramento to win the first genuine union contract between a grower and the UFW. Chavez's battles often included long fasts (the longest was 36 days), which probably resulted in his early death in 1993.

His words offer inspiration to all those who struggle for an improved world.

Rachel Wilson

psychology graduate student