Retaliation comes at expense of suffering

First, let me say that it is my opinion that those Palestinians and Israelis who insist on perpetuating the familiar chaos in the Middle East are acting like feuding children with war toys who are only outshined in dangerous immaturity by North Korea.

It's the ordinary, everyday people in the Middle East who have my sympathies, and those who peacefully stand up for what they believe who have my respect. I refuse to choose sides between Israel and Palestine, but am all too eager to choose between hawks and doves.

That said, I believe Ms. Barakat's Friday column, "A summer of bearing witness to grief and pain," is a wonderful example of one of the major stumbling blocks in the way of Middle East peace.

She uses those unfortunate children to paint Palestinians in general as victims of the vile Israelis, not once making mention of the suicide bombers who actively participate in the violence, nor those innocent Israelis whose lives are similarly caught in the crossfire. It takes two to tango and at least as many for lasting peace. The Palestinians and the Israelis both look at their respective situations from the wrong end. The Palestinians, as Ms. Barakat describes, day in and day out are made to suffer at the hands of those wicked Israelis. Hamas, for example, won't stand for it, and decides to stand up against its oppressors by recruiting people to loose uncontrolled kinetic energy in a coffee shop.

Or Mr. Sharon sees his citizenry being killed by wackos with C-4 undershirts and decides to protect his people from these followers of ill-advised fashion by · throwing Tomahawk missiles at apartments.

Each side sees retaliation as an endpoint, an answer to the question. What they don't see is that retaliation is the real question, and the only answer is human suffering.

When this is fully realized, perhaps the participants in this deadly game may show some restraint out of respect for the innocents who ultimately suffer.

Kevin Fisher
electrical and computer
engineering graduate student

Israel's treatment of Palestinians inhumane

According to the Guardian newspaper on Sept. 25, a group of Israeli pilots announced that they would refuse to fly any mission that would harm innocent civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

I find it hard to believe that if Israel were innocent of any human rights violations that the pilots, who could potentially be the ones flying missions to "liquidate" targets, would be speaking out against just such a policy.

Israel's policy toward Palestinian civilians has been inhumane, from bombing buildings holding suspected militants and confirmed civilians, to humiliating people at roadblocks and checkpoints, to shooting journalists and to cutting off Palestinians from their land with a fence that is encroaching far into territory that, according to international law, it has no place being.

So, along with a few journalists here in the United States who seem to be awake and paying attention to what is going on in the rest of the world, I would like to lend my support to their decision to make a choice based on morality and what is right.

Aaron Ostrovsky
biology and psychology senior

Barakat commentary omits crucial events

How conveniently Fadyeh Barakat presents only one side of the issue. Perhaps she should read today's headlines: "Suicide Bomber Kills 18 in Israeli Port." If the Palestinians truly wanted peace, then such headlines would cease.

While the average person such as Ms. Barakat may want peace, it will never happen until those amongst the Palestinians who are truly evil choose to sit down and discuss peace instead of attempting to be martyrs by blowing up the innocent.

Marc Tischler
department of biochemistry and molecular biophysics professor and associate head,
Minority Access to Research Careers director

Likins too Îout of touch' with UA football fans

It seems to me that President Likins is far more detached from the athletics program and its fan base than I thought. I knew that President Likins was out of touch with the athletics program when John Mackovic

wasn't fired directly after 40 players stood in his office and complained about their coach, but now there's a new problem.

Luckily, after a hard fight from all of us, Mackovic is gone.

Now, when a large part of the fan base says it would like to see either Rick Neuheisel or Mike Price at least considered for the job, it's time to listen, too. You don't have to hire either of them, but at least consider it.

Sure, both men have made mistakes in the past year, but both are unlikely to make those mistakes again. Both men have apologized. We fired John Mackovic because he didn't win games. Neuheisel and Price are proven winners and should be considered for the job. Everyone wants it and the administration won't listen.

Winning might not be that important to you, but it is to all of us. If we hire another loser, you can say bye-bye to UA football for a long time.

Michael Dupuy
political science junior

All-Aboard plan much more efficient than debit

This is in response to Mr. Vincent's complaint Thursday that the student union should accept debit and credit cards.

As a cashier at U-Mart, I have served lines of people (mostly during passing times between classes) that stretch around the counter, out the door and seemingly all the way to ASU. Since most of these customers, at U-Mart at least, are in a hurry and making small purchases ($3 per customer is a rough estimate), the use of debit and credit cards for such transactions would slow our speed of service considerably, and would result in our frequently rushed and annoyed customers feeling even more rushed and more annoyed.

Think about it: Would you like to find yourself in line behind someone who is waiting to be approved by VISA for a Klondike bar? How about five people? 10? What if you're late for a final and all you want is a quick Frappuccino? Would it really be prudent to yell at the cashiers because the credit card machine displays the message "Authorizing ·" for too long?

The All-Aboard plan is by far the fastest and most efficient method of paying, and once you have money deposited onto the card, it's even quicker and easier to use than debit ÷ no pin number; just one quick swipe and off you go.

Any All-Aboard food purchase is even tax-exempt, now how cool is that! Also, the Meal Plan Office does accept both debit and credit for deposits to CatCards. As for the small debit/credit transaction fees you wonder if the school does not want to pay, I don't know either. Ask Likins.

Jacob Lingofelt
UA dining services staff

SafeRide not that big on safety or dependability

I just wanted to say something about the (un)SafeRide program on campus. I don't know about anyone else, but I have had too many problems with it. Don't get me wrong; I am all up for programs to help the students. But if they are going to be called "SafeRide," they need to make it safer for the riders.

Thursdays are supposed to be the busiest nights for the program, so why don't they hire more people? Get another car? Why can't they organize more about where and when they are picking someone up? I remember sitting out on the Mall at 9:45 p.m. waiting for a ride last Wednesday. I called in at 9:40 p.m. and they told me it was going to be a 15-minute wait.

Fine with me, but when a car drove in to pick me up, she kicked me out of the car even though no one else got in. She said that there were other people waiting somewhere else and she drove off.

I sat there waiting for another 15 minutes and finally someone else took me home. Then last night an operator told me that there would be a car picking a friend and I up in 10 minutes.

We called at 11 p.m.; they didn't get there until 11:30 p.m. How safe is that? That is enough time for some guy to come along and rape, rob and/or harm me. I am pretty sure that I am not the only person that has to deal with this problem.

Lena Hollen
philosophy sophomore

U.S. has responsibility in Mideast due to Israel aid

More than 20 human rights groups have condemned aspects of the Israeli occupation: closures, curfews, assassinations, collective punishment and other human rights abuses.

On the other hand, the Palestinian Authority does not have a stellar record, either. However, it is silly to compare the PA, which is on the verge of collapse after three years of siege and the destruction of computers, files and buildings, to a fully functioning government.

Israel is not a democracy in the sense that all people are equal.

All of the people within its borders do not have equal rights, nor do they all have voting rights.

The statement that the Palestinians were "put (on the land) by the Arabs · after the Balfour Declaration," absurdly proposes that this fertile piece of land was somehow vacant for approximately 1,950 years.

It ignores historical facts including the Nabkha, the removal of Palestinians from their lands, the Absentee legislation (turning any land vacated during the war over to the Israeli government) and the fact that there was a Palestinian society present in the Holy Land before the beginning of the 1900s.

The United States gives more aid to Israel than to any other country. That makes us responsible for what Israel does with the power we give them.

Israel could not exist without either making peace or American aid to continue the occupation. I would prefer to see peace.

However, ignoring the facts or putting up a smoke screen of propaganda merely pushes peace to the fringes. So, please, let's have serious discussion of the issue rather than regurgitating propaganda that we have heard.

Finally, there have been two good lectures on this topic over the past week that have had low attendance. I would encourage people to come to future lectures and take the class that is offered on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Joel Saylor
geosciences graduate student

Humor of ÎOn the Spot' provides welcome relief

It sure is nice to pick up a copy of the Wildcat in the morning and turn the crisp first page to find Nathan Tafoya's column, "On the Spot."

In the midst of articles ranging from the war in Iraq to abducted and intoxicated students, I find it refreshing to spend a few minutes indulging in a little old-fashioned humor.

So thank you, Wildcat, and thank you, Mr. Tafoya, for allowing me to chuckle a little bit while I await the beginning of my English class. As sad and pathetic as it may be, my dream is to be interviewed by Mr. Tafoya before I graduate. In the meantime, I sure am having a good time reading the silly dialogues every morning.

Jenna Jensen
undeclared freshman