Delta Delta Delta celebrates life, mourns death of sister

The women of Delta Delta Delta would like to thank the university community for their overwhelming support in our time of need. A week ago, we lost one of our sisters whose contributions were not just to our sorority, but also to the University of Arizona as a whole. Marissa Eileen Kinney was a fun-loving, gifted and spirited young woman whose love for life touched everyone around her. She will be deeply missed by her sisters. The death of Marissa will be felt not only by our chapter, but also by the athletic department and UA.

The Women of Delta Delta Delta

UA men's basketball team has given campus great four years

I wanted to write to the Arizona men's basketball team and their coaching staff and thank them for four great years that I had while at UA.

Some of my fondest memories of my college career have been those of watching the Arizona men's basketball team with friends during away games and at home at McKale. Not to mention that getting up at three in the morning and waiting in front of McKale for tickets was well worth the wait. I wanted to say thank you to all of you for all of your hard work and dedication. It has been a blast watching you guys and cheering for you. You have made my four years so much fun, and you have provided a great deal of entertainment not just to me but to the entire UA community. I wish all of you nothing but the best, not just now but in the years to come, and I will forever continue to be a Arizona basketball fan. Go Wildcats!

Amy Callaway
psychology senior

Despite loss, team should be proud of its accomplishments

The grass is not as green today and the sky is not as blue. UA basketball has been something that has consumed the university since November. This team captures fans everywhere because these guys are such amazing players with talent that meshes so well together, hence the reason they were No. 1 in the nation for most of the regular season. I have been a hardcore Wildcat fan my whole life and never have I seen such leadership from our seniors, such excitement and explosion from our freshman, such talent and improvement from our sophomores, and such understanding and compassion from the rest.

This team is the premier example of a number one college basketball program with coaches that give their all to see that our players succeed. Lute, you've done an amazing job over the years from shocking the nation as a No. 4 seed to win it all in 1997, to creating and coaching a team to rise to almost every occasion like you did in 2003. It's over now, but this season will never be forgotten. This is a group of champions, maybe not to the nation, but to me and many other die-hard Arizona fans.

This season will be remembered for the riot outside McKale at 4 a.m., the home games that brought this school together as a family and the outstanding legacy of leadership. Congratulations, Wildcats on a season well done and accomplished! You are still number one to me!

Claire Ostapuk
undecided freshman

Hypocritical Campbell column lacks facts, provides opinions

This is in response to Steve Campbell's column in last Tuesday's paper. I would think after you criticized protesters that you would focus on facts, but you didn't. My first objection with this war is that we acted outside of the U.N.; our coalition has reached 50 countries out of 200, so approximately 25 percent of the world supports us. Your first "point" is that Iraq has WMDs. You claim they do because we found a military building. Although Iraq may have WMDs, they do not pose an immediate threat requiring swift military action. The U.N. believes this could be resolved peacefully, so I don't think war was necessary.

Your second "point" is that protesters claim that 100,000 Iraqis will die. I don't know where this number came from, but you seem to believe that killing 200 civilians isn't a lot. Remember the Oklahoma City Bombing? That was only 168 people, so that must not be a big deal either. But it is only the first week; I'm sure there will be more.

Your third "point" is that this won't cause a humanitarian disaster. It already has. Basra has no food, no electricity and cholera, and the U.N. is stepping in to fix these problems we created. You also claim that there are no refugees, yet there are many refugee camps with a lot of people. Just because one is empty doesn't mean the camps aren't necessary. Once again, it is the first week; I'm sure there will be more.

Your final "point" is that we are there to liberate Iraq and they want our help. Quoting two Iraqis is not sufficient evidence to prove they want us there. By the way, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" is a name used to cover up our intentions, and I don't believe this is over oil. Everything the U.S. does is for our own short-term benefit. During the Cold War, we put the Taliban in power because Afghanistan was at war with the Soviets, and the Soviets were our main enemy at the time. We trained and aided the Taliban, knowing they were fundamental Islamists, and democracy was not a priority. We only cared that they hated Soviets, were willing to fight, and were willing to trade. Now did we stay and make sure everything was all right for Afghanistan? No, they served our short-term goals, and need I remind you of what the Taliban did? Another example was in the '70s, when there was a fundamentalist Islamic revolt in Iran. Iran was our big enemy in the Mideast, so we helped bring Saddam into power to prevent a revolt in Iraq; we brought him in because he would trade with us. This story ends up with the U.S. "liberating" Iraqi people from someone we helped bring into power. Will we put someone into power that serves Iraq's interests or ours? You be the judge.

Alex Lacy
business management junior

Column distorts truth about peace groups

I was one of the people interviewed by Erik Flesch. His Friday column demonstrated a very tenuous grasp of basic facts, but most importantly, it was a collection of misrepresentations and lies, not to mention laziness ("Vita" Kowalski's name is Veda, something which a 30 second check would have revealed).

We made it clear that the students there are participating as individuals, not as representatives of other groups. Mr. Flesch is simply using the despicable tactic of guilt by association to slander all of the progressive groups on campus. For example, the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, which did not have any of its members present at the interview and about which Mr. Flesch clearly knew nothing, as an organization has absolutely nothing to do with anything Mr.Flesch associates them with.

Moving on, nobody said anything about "armed revolution." This is plain and simple a fabrication, a flat-out lie, and this raises the question of whether Mr. Flesch should be allowed to continue as a columnist.

Mr. Flesch attacks us for the amplified speak-outs, but fails to mention that anybody can say anything they want, either for or against the war. We are simply providing a forum open to anyone. There is no "blockade" or "physical intimidation." I have personally encouraged members of the armed forces to participate in the speak out, to add their voices. Given this, what becomes clear is that what bothers Mr. Flesch, what he has contempt for, is free speech and dissent.

This is made even clearer by his argument that to oppose the war is to support Hussein, and thus support, among other things, Stalin. Which means that to dissent is to be like Stalin, which means that instead we should all be quiet and fall lockstep behind our leader. My 12 year old nephew could see how inane this "reasoning" is, not to mention that it demonstrates a closer affinity to fascism than anything resembling democracy. The rest of his arguments are similarly embarrassing and aren't worthy of response.

Of course, we don't have the right to demand intelligence from Wildcat columnists, and Mr. Flesch has every right to continue to be oblivious to historical reality, repeat government propaganda-like dogma while hypocritically parading as a friend of the Iraqi people. We do have the right to demand integrity, to be represented accurately and honestly. We have the right to demand that he be held to the basic standards of good journalism.

Greg Knehans
political science graduate student

Column about peace activists lacked facts

Obviously Erik Flesch shows contempt for every bit of journalism ethics in his Friday column. He wrote in "Peace advocates intimidate campus" that the Alliance for Peace and Justice in the Middle East shows "contempt for the founding principles of America's capitalist social system." He went on to describe anti-war protests on campus with which we have had no official part. Perhaps Mr. Flesch should have spoken to us about our opinions and actions on campus, rather than making invalid assumptions. In addition to this, he is obviously an opponent of free speech, and is so awestruck by our government's black and white, good and evil view of the world that he is unable to see his own hypocrisy and ignorance.

Mr. Flesch, the next time you want to write about APJME or any other group on campus, please contact people in those organizations rather than basing your articles on hearsay and your own bias. University of Arizona students deserve more honest coverage of campus events than you

provide. For more information on APJME, visit our web site at www.apjme.org, where we have considerable information on our political opinions and some insightful information about the war in Iraq.

Noah Haiduc-Dale

Vice-President, APJME
Near Eastern studies graduate student

War protesters ignore human rights in Iraq

Erik Flesch's March 28 column, "'Peace' advocates intimidate campus," laid out perfectly the hypocrisy and true agenda of the anti-war, anti-capitalist crowd.

Respect should be given to those who oppose the war who at least bother to document Saddam Hussein's never-ending list of human rights abuses. But there should be no respect for any protester whose only mission is to use the war as a method of getting out their pet political message, without even acknowledging the evils of Iraq's dictatorial butcher.

Amid a group of a dozen or so "peace" advocates on the Mall last week, there was a flag that read, "capitalism is the problem." As if there were any doubt before, this gives us a clear indication of exactly where these guys are coming from.

While the Greens, socialists and Marxists (which make up a good 80-90 percent of these people) display their maturity by blocking intersections and constructing their cowardly "die-ins," our soldiers are off facing the real thing, protecting their freedom to do so. Attempt to initiate a protest or a die-in in Iraq, and notice how promptly Hussein's men cut out your tongue, gouge your eyes, tear out your fingernails, shock your genitals, and put you through a plastic shredder (it's true) while your fellow protesters wait in line and watch.

Mr. Flesch was right in indirectly describing Iraq as a socialist nation ÷ Iraq's information minister himself referred to Iraq's ruling party as the Ba'ath Socialist Party. He was also correct in echoing President Bush's remark that Hussein is a student of Stalin. It would seem the protesters and Hussein have something in common.

In support of the war, a group of Iraqi exiles said in a letter to Tony Blair, "We are praying you will stick to your resolve to liberate our country from a dictatorial tyranny of over 30 years which has caused the deaths of nearly two million men and women, sons and daughters." It seems, unsurprisingly, that the protesters and the bulk of Iraqis have different interests.

There was another sign on the Mall last week that read, "People are dying. Why aren't you doing anything?" Here's what I'm doing: I'm supporting my country and my military who are in the process of risking their lives to liberate tens of millions of Iraqis from a murdering madman.

What are you doing?

Shane Dale
political science senior

War has little to do with ROTC program

I'd like to address a common misperception about the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which has arisen with the increased attention currently paid to our military forces. With a few exceptions, ROTC cadets and midshipmen are in absolutely no danger of being called into military action. The exceptions are some who are also members of the Reserve or National Guard, or who entered ROTC through special programs aimed at giving enlisted members (soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who are the "worker bees") the chance to become officers (the managers and leaders).

ROTC cadets are just students, here to earn their degrees just like everyone else, who are simultaneously enrolled in a training program which leads to a commission in the armed services. They do not actually enter real military service until they graduate. They are not trained killers, and almost all of them will need more education after graduation to learn their actual jobs; for example, pilots generally start with a year in basic flight school, and then spend more time afterwards learning to fly (and "employ") their assigned plane or helicopter. Most ROTC graduates are required to spend four years in the service, but may opt to stay in longer. Some incur long commitments for training; for example, new Air Force pilots must dedicate ten years.

While in ROTC, cadets and midshipmen focus on learning communications skills, customs and courtesies, and most importantly, developing the discipline and leadership skills that they will need as military officers. They spend many hours outside of regular coursework planning and participating in physical and mental training, not unlike student athletes. During the summers, they often travel to military bases or ships to experience a taste of the "real" Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps. Upperclassmen in Army and Air Force ROTC attend mentally and physically tough summer training camps in which they spend a month or more honing leadership and teamwork skills under pressure. As a result, these cadets and midshipmen learn more about themselves and push their own limits further than many other students who have not experienced such opportunities.

While ROTC is certainly not the only way to challenge yourself or learn leadership skills in college, it's the path chosen by the students who wear the uniform, whether they joined for the scholarship money, the desire to serve our country, or both. Once commissioned (after graduation), they'll be guarding your freedoms ÷ including your freedom of speech.

Anne E. C. Johnson

Captain, USAF Reserve and ROTC alumnus
SIE PhD student