Letter on Ch‡vez full of opinion, short on facts

In his letter to the Wildcat on Tuesday, Mike Sousa calls the Student Objectivist Society and the College Republicans "liars" and "double-speaky." Mr. Sousa's letter is full of emotion but short on fact. First, the use of vague terms like "double-speaky" lends no credence to Mr. Sousa's attack. He fails to specify what he means by "double-speaky," instead assuming readers will understand a negative connotation without any clear explanation. Second, Mr. Sousa chooses to ignore a number of facts, preferring instead to call names. It is documented that Ch‡vez and his followers participated in and threatened violent action against business owners and non-union farm workers. Mr. Sousa denies this, but then goes on to imply that if Ch‡vez and his followers were involved in violence (wink wink), then such action was justified. Mr. Sousa then accuses Ch‡vez detractors of being pro-violence: Why else would the SOS support U.S. action against Iraq? Using this reasoning, Mr. Sousa implies the SOS has no right to denounce Ch‡vez's use of force ÷ not that Ch‡vez condoned or initiated the use of force against anyone (wink wink). Those opposing Ch‡vez's ideology would argue there is a clear difference between Ch‡vez's violent scare tactics against free people and U.S. military action against a belligerent country (i.e., Iraq) with a repressive dictatorial regime and a capacity to threaten free countries. Third, Mr. Sousa asserts that because only six persons were present to protest the renaming of the Economics building, versus the hundreds there to celebrate it, the six must be wrong. Right and wrong are not determined by the majority. Was Rosa Parks wrong on Dec. 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white man? She was one standing against the majority of millions ÷ but she was right. [Read article]

Thanks in part to the work of Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, members of the UA community will know if there are registered sex offenders living or working on campus.

This extension of a federal law, which was enacted earlier this month by the Arizona Legislature, will contribute to a more peaceful, open environment on campus.

Many sex offenders continue to prey on victims after they leave prison, and students and staff have a right to know if they might be in danger. [Read article]

Everyone is entitled to his or her point of view.

But there is a time and a place for expressing controversial views.

The Baptist Collegiate Ministries crossed the line when they invited a speaker whose message centers on converting gays and lesbians to come to campus in the middle of Coming Out Week.

The speaker, North Carolinian Tim Wilkins, claims he was gay until he became more involved with his church. [Read article]

As the anniversary of last year's murders in the College of Nursing draws near, the classroom where two professors were killed has been transformed into a state-of-the-art teleconference room.

It's a fitting tribute to the professors, whose service as teachers, researchers and friends won't soon be forgotten.

Rather than turning the room into a simple memorial, the college changed it into a room that will allow future nurses to interact with fellow students around the state. [Read article]

Lately there has been a lot of commentary about Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that primarily puts recent college grads into low income and rural classrooms across the United States. In previous years, Teach for America not only offered its workers full teaching salaries and school loan deferment, but also educational awards of more than $4,000 per year to be put toward continuing their education. [Read article]