Comic mocks Holocaust

As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, I found the cartoon on Page 4 of Thursday's paper extremely offensive. Genocide is not an appropriate subject matter to make light of, no matter the context. Even though I know I shouldn't, I expect better judgment from your editorial staff.

Daniel Blinick
business management senior

Don't confuse piercings, advice for healing

I was very disappointed after reading "Pleasure and pain" and "Body art tips: safety first, second, always." While both articles appeared to be researched, there were a few critical mistakes that need to be cleared up. The first occurred in "Pleasure and pain" in regard to the clitoral hood piercing being referred to as a piercing which goes through the clitoris. A clitoral hood piercing goes through the clitoral hood, which is the tiny bit of skin that covers and protects the clitoris. A piercing where the clitoris itself is pierced is called a clitoral piercing and is extremely rare as very few women are built for such a piercing. In addition, there are very few piercers skilled enough to successfully carry out such an advanced piercing. In the article "Body art tips: safety first, second, always," the writer advised those healing piercings to regularly wash the piercing with alcohol. Alcohol should never be used to clean a piercing. In addition, the author made it sound as if keloids were a common healing problem. However, keloids themselves are extremely rare. What most people believe are keloids, among other things, are hypertropic scars which are caused by trauma to the piercing, such as bumping the jewelry. These are easily dealt with, and while removing the jewelry may stop them from getting bigger, it will not make them go away. Only diligent aftercare and properly fitting jewelry will solve that problem. Just because a piercing doesn't heal properly, doesn't mean it won't. The road to a healed piercing is usually a long and trying process, but a very rewarding one. Furthermore, the metals that should be used for a piercing are surgical stainless steel, titanium, niobium or occasionally gold.

Jennifer Kanc
microbiology senior

Evangelist, students left Heritage Hill trashed

While walking with a friend to the union Tuesday night, I was a little more than disgusted to see Heritage Hill covered in everything from tin foil and cigarette butts to McDonald's bags, KY jelly and condoms. It was no coincidence that among the discarded articles was a partly burned copy of the evangelist Jed Smock's book. Having listened to a bit of Jed's preaching the day before, (and being a devout Christian myself) I too was offended, and shared in the general resentment of his words. From what I could deduce from the burned book and the trash left behind, it appeared that there was something of a small protest at some point on Tuesday. While I applaud my fellow students standing up against the radical ideas of the Rev. Smock, I am saddened that in the process they choose to trash a very lovely part of the Mall. Many a day has passed, and people sit on the hill to eat lunch, study, have a smoke or take a nap, and never have I ever seen it so thoroughly covered in garbage. My point is, that standing up for what one believes in doesn't provide an adequate excuse to litter and soil a public area. At the least some respect for the UA is due, considering that, in one way or another, we all are paying for it.

Jay Croswell
sociology freshman

Evangelists views not far from mainstream

I enjoyed Natasha Bhuyan's article "Evangelist, students debate." It's a beautiful thing that Jed Smock has the freedom to express his views on the Mall, and that I have the freedom to write to the Wildcat and call him an asshole. But let's not kid ourselves by calling Brother Jed's remarks "politically incorrect." A delusional Christian fundamentalist who is proudly anti-gay, condemning others for actions he himself enjoyed as a youth; this sounds strangely familiar in current American politics. Take note of the Bush-Cheney sticker on Smock's briefcase. It's a scary thought, but Brother Jed's values are more popular than you think.

Philip Knittel
media arts senior

Women attend for education, not looks

This is in response to Mr. Nik Turner's letter in Friday's Wildcat: Excuse me? I hate to burst your bubble, but some of us actually come here for an education. Whether anyone, male or female, works out is none of your business; I certainly wouldn't want you checking me out. If this letter is a joke, it is in the poorest taste I have seen in this paper yet.

Sadly, I must admit that we have one thing in common - being ashamed of being a Wildcat. However, my reason is different: If being a Wildcat means being a sexist pig, maybe I should be learning at a different university.

Jennifer Wyatt
linguistics sophomore