Shame on Wilson for anti-ribbon column

The origin of the tradition of hanging yellow ribbons in support of troops is muddled. Some believe it started when wives of U.S. Cavalry soldiers wore the ribbons in hopes that their sweethearts would return from battle. Others point to its origins in the1917 song "Around Her Neck She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," from which John Ford found a name for one of the greatest westerns of all time. What is not in dispute is the fact that the piece of yellow cloth has served for years as a way for people to remember those in uniform who serve in places far removed. It is a way for the public to be reminded that there are those who are perhaps paying the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedom of those at home and abroad. And it is also a way to remember that these soldiers are leaving behind loved ones in order to preserve and protect the rights of a nation such that they can be truly free from fear.

A yellow ribbon can serve in other ways as well. If one is in support of the war, it is a reminder to continue to voice that support. If one is in opposition to the war, it is a reminder to continue to voice that opposition such that these troops remain out of harm's way. But to criticize the yellow ribbon is an insult of the highest form, regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, for it criticizes the fundamental job those troops are attempting to do: preserve and protect the rights and freedoms of Americans. Mr. Kendrick Wilson's partisan attack on the College Republican's act of decency and patriotism is an embarrassment to this community, for while he may not agree with the war, there is no good reason not to offer support for our troops, doing their duty, and perhaps paying the ultimate sacrifice. Without this sacrifice by so few for so many, it would be impossible for Mr. Wilson to continue on with such dastardly commentary.

Will Harris
molecular and cellular biology senior
ASUA senator
2nd Lieutenant, United States Air Force

Matt Harris
pre-business sophomore
ASUA senator-elect

Not all homosexuals tout liberal beliefs

I am sick of gay/lesbian campus leaders like Jonna Lopez attaching their organization title to their own political views in her Tuesday letter. As much as gay/lesbian groups try to ignore and suppress the idea, some of us in the gay community are proudly both gay and Republican. Many of us voted for President Bush and continue to support him and the cause in the Middle East. Not all homosexuals blindly hand over their vote to liberal Democrats; some of us detest all the added bonuses like abortion and socialist schemes.

We also do not appreciate voting for individuals who, as Ms. Lopez demonstrated, consistently use class warfare tactics to push their agenda. Pride alliance has an obligation to stop alienating gay/lesbian Republicans and begin practicing the respect towards diversity that they advocate to heterosexuals. When your group's focus is to help homosexuals cope with the many aspects of their sexual orientation, the last thing you or your leaders should do is isolate them with your politics. Side note to the College Republicans: There is more to supporting the troops than ribbons. Moreover, at least use sturdy ribbon and stop wasting volunteer time using that cheap yellow crepe paper.

Charles A. Peterson
history sophomore

Hall, Îleave SUVS, yellow ribbons alone'

This is in response to yesterday's Caitlin Hall's opinion. Displaying yellow ribbons is "dumb," "childish, melodramatic showboating," is it? "A ridiculous procession of press alerts, crepe paper and video cameras," would you? I've never been so appalled by a young American's lack of loyalty. Who do you think is protecting your liberties from despots like Saddam Hussein and those "Reds" in the Orient? Our troops, that's who! And we can't even support them by tying ragged strands of pale yellow crepe paper around palm trees? Heaven forefend! And by the way, if I wish to drive an obnoxious SUV that consumes an inordinate amount of the world's resources, that's my business. Hell, that's America's business! So you leave SUVs and yellow ribbons alone.

Jeremy Daniel Cook
creative writing senior

Thanks for ribbons, College Republicans

Every day I am faced with the daunting task of coming to work at a place that is seemingly filled with resentment toward the job that my husband is doing and a lack of understanding of what I am going through.

My husband is in the Army. He is my joy, happiness, love and desire. His absence leaves a huge void in my life that is accompanied by misery, worry, anger, love, pride and anticipation. But that is what he means to me. To his soldiers, he is a constant source of support, care, laughter, recreation and stories of home. Everyone he comes into contact with is left with a smile.

One day (probably last week, but a week seems like an eternity) while walking to work, I looked up and noticed two palm trees with yellow ribbons tied to them. It brought me to tears of relief that someone on this campus supported my husband and his family. I finally felt welcomed back to my alma mater. Thank you, College Republicans; your gesture had a positive effect on at least one person.

In Tuesday's Wildcat, Yusuke J. Banno said, "(Putting up the yellow ribbons is) not about supporting the troops; it's about supporting government agenda." These are the lyrics that started the yellow ribbon campaign decades ago: "I'm coming home, I've done my time, and I have to know what is or isn't mine. If you received my letter, telling you I'd soon be free, then you'd know just what to do, if you still want me. Oh tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree. It's been three long years; do you still want me? If I don't see a yellow ribbon Îround the old oak tree, I'll stay on the bus ÷ forget about us. Put the blame on me. Bus driver please look for me, 'cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see. I'm really still in prison, and my love she holds the key, A simple yellow ribbon's all I need to set me free; I wrote and told her "please." Now the whole damn bus is cheering, and I can't believe I see a hundred yellow ribbons, 'round the old, the old oak tree."

So, when anyone says, "If you really support the troops, you wouldn't want them over there," I would respond with "precisely the point." As the song states, the yellow ribbon says I still want him in my life, in my arms. They mean UA wants our Reserves to return to their education. It's neither tacky nor a waste of time. If you really support the troops, wear, hang and display yellow ribbons everywhere you can.

Amber Soergel
physiology student recruitment and retention specialist
UA alumna

Î1 Day at UA' photos made UA look boring

I was startled by the publication of the center section of Tuesday's paper entitled, "A Day in the Life." To me, this addition to the paper was almost anti-UA. It made our school and its students seem boring. The photos were bland and not up to UAcaliber.

I, for one, enjoy my life here and think it is very interesting (off the hook!). One of the captions beneath a picture said, "Typical college life, just relaxing and not doing much." That sounds to me like something the typical boring person might say.

I don't mean to offend anyone, but I think students should take advantage of some of the opportunities this campus has to offer. There is a ton of people to meet at this school, and some of them are even cool. Take some better pictures of some more interesting people and try again.

Keith Grevenitz
media arts sophomore

Letters need to stop talking of injustices

While reading my Wildcat everyday, I am always startled at the number of people who complain about racial injustices and discrimination. Have we not come to the point in our society where we can simply agree that racist and discriminatory people are simply idiots and take away the joy these people get by reading our rebuttals? These individuals' only goal is to get a rise out of you and a little recognition for themselves, and as they say in Hollywood, "Any publicity is good publicity."

One day, I would like to see a letters to the editor section free of finger-pointing and mud-slinging between religious and ethnic groups. Someone has to take the high road, and as my beloved mother used to tell me when I got my ass kicked for my lunch, "If you keep your cool and refuse to give them the satisfaction of a hasty reaction, they eventually go away." This may sound too optimistic, but I've been enjoying my lunch ever since.

Nik Turner
business management senior

Hazing hotline shows no respect for greeks' rights

As many students are aware, the university has a hazing hotline, with which anonymous tips about hazing violations can be reported. What most everyone is not aware of, however, is the unfairness and illegality of this policy.

Any report of hazing from the hotline is immediately investigated and furthermore, the fraternity is not only investigated, but also punished by suspending all of its activities until the case is examined further. These activities include all events, even those with philanthropic purposes. By using this hotline, the university has created a system where any fraternity, for any reason, can be arbitrarily and unfairly punished for unproven allegations.

Fraternities are outraged, and they have a right to be. Imagine if an individual citizen, based on an anonymous tip to the FBI, came under investigation for a crime, and additionally, the person was prohibited from performing their normal activities until the investigation was over. Would this stand up to either public or judicial scrutiny? No. So why should the greek system be subjected to a different standard?

Even more absurd, the hotline allows and encourages anonymous tips! Isn't the possibility of abuse of the hotline enough reason to remove the anonymity from the policy? Under the current system, any person, without accountability for their claims, can call and report a hazing violation, whether they are telling the truth or not. What results then is that fraternities that do not violate hazing rules are punished simply because a person with a grudge against the greek system or just a chip on their shoulder called and reported a false incident. I recognize that some hazing reports are true, but the fact that some fraternities transgress the hazing rules cannot justify the inequitable treatment of fraternities under investigation.

I can only hope that all students, both greek and non-greek, will recognize and fight against the wrongful and illegitimate means used to prevent and report hazing by the university. When fraternities endanger the safety and well-being of their pledges, that's wrong. But what's worse is when the means to stop such actions punish and infringe upon the rights of people who have done nothing wrong. Fraternities, just like normal citizens, should be considered innocent until proven guilty. It's a double standard, it's unfair, and the university knows it.

Dan McGuire
political science and journalism sophomore
fraternity member

U.S. should keep reflecting on death penalty ÷ ban it

Kirk McGettigan would like to see more meaningful statistics on racial disparities in the death penalty according to his Tuesday letter. It just so happens that Amnesty International has released a new report on this subject on April 23. I quote directly from their report, which can be found on their Web site: "Eighty percent of people executed since judicial killing resumed in 1977 were put to death for murders involving white victims, although blacks and whites are murder victims in almost equal numbers in the U.S., according to the report." In addition, according to the American Bar Association, there are some jurisdictions in America (but not all of them) where a black man is much more likely to receive the death penalty for murder than a white man.

Personally, what seals the argument for me is that 95 percent of the people who are sentenced to death cannot afford their own attorney (Source: Amnesty International). In this country, who is sentenced to death is determined not by the heinousness of their crime, but by the ineptitude of their counsel. People have been sentenced to death while their lawyers slept during the trial (example: Calvin J. Burdine) or showed up drunk to court (example: Judy Haney). Death row inmates have seen their lawyers later disbarred for incompetence, yet had appeals based on the incompetence of their lawyer thrown out (example: Stephen Wayne Anderson). In such a system, how can we guarantee that we are not executing the innocent? How can we say that our justice system is fair? The American Bar Association has called the death penalty "a haphazard maze of unfair practices with no internal consistency." Whether or not we abolish it permanently, we certainly need a moratorium to allow ourselves time to examine and repair its flaws. One executed innocent is one execution too many.

Jennifer Crispin
Soil, water and environmental sciences graduate student