Letter falsely called good friend a racist

I was amazed at the comments made by a UA alumnus, Kris Henley. I have known Chris Rodgers for nine months now since we met at the Student Recreation Center this past summer. Over this time period we became friends, and he has never shown me the side that Mr. Henley claims to have witnessed.

I was there, and not at any point did Chris say the racist comments that he claims that he said. Chris has never shown nor said anything to anybody that might be considered racist, disrespectful, or derogatory. Actually, he has always made an effort to talk to UA fans and promote the UA basketball program. I cannot count the numerous times that we would be together and he would willingly sign or talk to people who recognized him. Case in point: he was the only basketball player that stayed after the Wild Chair Charity game and signed autographs for kids in front of McKale Center.

I have seen worse inappropriate behavior at the Student Recreation Center that has gone unmentioned at best and not checked. Players have cussed at each other, fought and developed clicks of playing only with their friends on teams. Although he is much more talented than most people, he has played with "regular" folks for the love of the game ÷ even though he risks injury from doing so. I have not seen any other men's basketball player show up so consistently and develop relationships with non-athletic-related students.

I am from Africa, and where I'm from has never been an issue or a detriment to our friendship. We have a mutual friend that is Asian-American and he too would certainly say the same. He has been very open-minded about where I'm from, other cultures, places and religions. I couldn't say the same thing about other people I have met at UA/Tucson. I would like to remind Mr. Henley that it is common courtesy that if he had a problem with Chris he could at least have tried to talk to him about it. To base his facts on a single so-called "event," hearsay, or people who might not like him or know him is wrong. I think that to slander someone's name, character, and reputation in a newspaper is not only inappropriate but also disrespectful. I do no think that it is the suitable medium of communication. Would he do the same thing if it was another gravity-bound, air ball throwing, wannabe baller?

Aime Maulid
Tucsonan

Mall just a bunch of dirt, needs revamping

Has anybody else noticed the huge dirt spot in front of our beautiful new union? I remember the plush green grass that was there in prior years. Students would sit with friends and engage in conversation. The beauty of the Mall was one of the reasons I came to Arizona. I think it is sad. What was once so beautiful is now just a vast dirt mess. God help us when the monsoons come; then we will have an enormous mud puddle. Maybe some of that extra tuition money can go toward restoring the Mall to the old days, when it possessed a majestic presence.

Jonathan Moore
agricultural business management senior

Ribbons are Îsilent, selfless' ÷ not public

To boil the yellow ribbon argument down into a monetary issue is both irrelevant and neither right nor fair. To say that I should write a check to some relief organization just because I am a Republican, and therefore must have money, to show support for my troops instead of hanging a yellow ribbon on a tree is an uneducated argument. And to say that because I am a Republican I do not support and defend the civil rights of my domestic peers is insulting to me as a person, regardless of my party affiliation. "Why don't you defend the rights of a gay person?" You know absolutely nothing about me or why I am a Republican. Do not stereotype me as a rich, gay bashing racist simply because I am a member of the Republican Party.

Never, at any time, has the historical purpose and tradition of yellow ribbons during war been a means of ranking the value of one life over another. Coming from a military family myself, walking through campus and seeing a tree wrapped in yellow is both a comforting and sobering feeling. Just knowing that someone, somewhere, is supporting you through the simplest of gestures is a humbling experience. Yellow ribbons are not solely reserved for soldiers overseas that will never see them. They are for the families and friends of those soldiers who are home, anxiously awaiting their safe return.

The simplicity and anonymity of the yellow ribbon is the point of their being. It is not a public forum. It is not a stage for debate and an overtly intrusive political message; it was never meant to be. It is a silent, selfless way to comfort those who do not expect to be comforted.

I am a Republican and will join the military after I graduate. Like my father, uncle, and both grandfathers before me, I will dedicate my time in service to fighting for my country, not just for those who share my same political and social ideologies. If you think that mailing some marine a tube of Blistex is a more righteous show of support, fine; that is your opinion. Do not stand on your soapbox and flex your moral superiority over me because I was in favor of the war against Iraq and you were not. Do not tell me that my way is wrong simply because it is not the same as yours.

Ryan White
political science junior

ÎMamma Mia' trip back to adolescence

Wednesday night when the curtain went up for the opening night of "Mamma Mia" at Centennial Hall, the curtain took me on a journey back in time, enabling me to relive some of the fondest memories of my childhood. It was very much a nostalgic trip down memory lane, as I was transported back to those times when I used to dance to "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" and "Mamma Mia" with my own dear mamma!

I grew up in India listening to ABBA ever since I was old enough to recognize any form of music. Especially in the early '80s, when ABBA had just split up, their songs were still the rage all over India. And it would definitely be in the fitness of things to say that their popularity remains undiminished over time, despite the emergence of various other groups, as well as different genres of music.

The multi-layered sound that they had perfected over time, as well as the overtly romantic and heartbreaking theme of their lyrics, endeared them to the public's imagination like no one else had ever done since the Beatles. And for a nation that was just beginning to get widespread exposure to Western music, this was just what the doctor had ordered.

I have actively followed all the happenings in the ABBA world ever since, always with the fond hope that the group would reunite and recreate their erstwhile magic once again for their fans, though the hope has since diminished to a large extent. But all credit to Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus for finally bringing their immortal hits under the umbrella of one delightful musical.

For even though ABBA as a group may no longer exist, the magic that they have created with their music and lyrics will continue to haunt the public imagination for a long time, making their work truly timeless. "Mamma Mia," does show again just how much we all miss ABBA!

V. Sharatchandra Bhargav,
management information systems graduate student

Fall class availability Îabsolutely ludicrous'

I would like to see a Wildcat story about the availability of classes for the upcoming fall 2003 semester. I currently have one class scheduled for next semester. It is not that I am being picky about times and classes that I take: I am willing to take anything that I can find. There is not one general education class available, whether it be Tier One or Tier Two.

My adviser told me to start next semester with no classes, and the first week of school come in and ask to be added. There is no way that this university is getting my out-of-state tuition money if I do not have a full and complete schedule come payment time.

It is absolutely ludicrous that students cannot sign up for classes. Tuition is going up, but

classes are being cut? What kind of sense does that make? I'd rather go to Pima.

Joanna Duda
economics and political science freshman

Don't blast animal rights effort; join it

This letter is in response to the letter submitted by Matt Dieken on Tuesday, "Animal Rights Groups Hypocritical." As the founder and spokesperson for the Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, I want to thank you for your informative letter on the mice shredded and/or poisoned in the process of harvesting grains. Yet, I would also like to encourage you to gather more information before passing such harsh judgments against animal rights groups. Having been involved in the Animal Rights Movement for several years now, I can tell you that the horrors that animals face in factory farms, in laboratories, in entertainment and in the wild are innumerable.

All we as activists can do is try our very best to raise awareness about these issues, pursue changes in legislation and hope that people will begin to realize that their consumer choices can impact millions of animals. If you took time to find out more about our organization, you would find that we campaign for a variety of issues, including protesting many of the major grocery chains for their unethical and inhumane policies toward animals. Certainly, ending the gruesome tests performed on animals at Arizona's universities is one of our central goals, as we are a

student organization. However, I can assure you that there is little high-profile attention. Despite our best efforts, most students are unaware that their tuition dollars are helping to support labs at UA that do painful and unnecessary tests on dogs, cats, primates and many other animals. Furthermore, Mr. Dieken, we are in constant need of committed volunteers. So rather than writing letters criticizing activists that give up their free time to help animals in need by whatever means they can, I encourage you to come join our ranks and help save the field mice that you care so deeply about.

Reasa Haggard
UA alumna

Animal abuse shows absence of morality

Protesters challenging animal testing, Dr. Susan Sanders (UA director of animal care), or, even better, animal abuse, shows the hypocrisy of animal research. Sanders said all of the research animals in university facilities are well cared for and treated humanely, but in animal testing, just as in human medical procedures, a certain amount of pain is involved. Inflicting pain on a nonhuman animal is equivalent to treating these animals inhumanely. Any morality that does not encompass animals is really a rationalizing bigotry. Pain has significant value to the sufferer, no matter the being's ability to comprehend it. There is a similarity of interests between both nonhuman animals and humans ÷ that of avoiding suffering.

Moreover, the Nuremberg Code and the Helsinki Accord, both of which require the university to test any new drug on animals before it can be tested on humans, are edicts by our institution to obey a rife form of prejudice. This morality of humane experimentation is a contradiction in terms. It's time for the university to live by its own morality, to disobey the immorality of the government, and to give animals their sacred right of freedom. This university needs to reevaluate its policies and take into account morality instead of research.

Not only is Susan Sanders hypocritical, but also is the very government that provides her with a morally exemplary job. Sanders states that if we find that an animal is in pain or distress, then it is our job to work with the researcher to treat or eliminate it and to euthanize the animal if necessary. The morality of allowing animals euthanasia is a clear indicator of their inconsequence. Ironically, animals, in all their inconsequence, are granted a right that could only be used by a morally free agent. No humans in the United States have the right to euthanasia because the state regards the individual as invaluable. Animals cannot and do not use this right on their own volition. It is stuck down their throats by the government, McDonald's, Burger King and consumers. Their euthanasia is done with knives sliced across their throats. Animals are forced to abide by a right to be sacrificed to the majority, the humans. Is this the kind of morality we want for animals? How can we stand by and watch this blind consumerism?

Daniel Greenspan
philosophy and political science freshman