RNC protesters not wasting their time

The assertion that Republican National Convention protesters are wasting their time, made by Laura Keslar in her Wednesday Issue of the Week, is completely invalid. I really don't believe that the 200,000 people marching this past Sunday in New York City were expecting immediate regime change or that their actions were going to sway the vote of the average American.

I believe that the protesters, me being one of them, were there to show that the Republican National Convention is not welcome in New York City. The basis for this convention was to pimp out Sept. 11, specifically the aftermath, as being something that the Bush administration singlehandedly got the country through and to give New York the chance to "thank him."

This is evident on many fronts, whether it be Rudy Guliani's Monday night speech, the RNC-sponsored tours of Ground Zero or the fact that my Starbucks on 35th and Eighth is overrun with the foreign Republicans. All in all, the great thing about living in New York is diversity, which the Republicans want to claim this week as being their party trait. That, in and of itself, is worth protesting.

Scott Flabetich
history and political science senior

Paul Wolfowitz quote taken out of context

In Sean Anderson's erroneous Friday article, "The real reasons for Iraqi 'freedom,'" he provides a great example of the "care" leftists take to present the truth - Michael Moore-style.

He argues that the United States invaded Iraq for oil, basing his argument on a Paul Wolfowitz quote: "Let's look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil."

Here's the actual quote:

"Look, the primary difference - to put it a little too simply - between North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options with Iraq because the country floats on a sea of oil. In the case of North Korea, the country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse, and that, I believe, is a major point of leverage, whereas the military picture with North Korea is very different from that with Iraq. The problems in both cases have some similarities, but the solutions have got to be tailored to the circumstances, which are very different."

Anderson continues, emphasizing this quote: "That is 'looking at it simply.'" Yeah, Mr. Anderson, you really presented it clearly there.

Originally, the staff of the London-based Guardian found a German transcript of Wolfowitz's speech and translated it for an article. So, it's actually an English translation of a German translation of the original quote - an honest mistake by the Guardian.

They quickly retracted the story and printed the proper quote, correcting the problem.

Eight of the top 10 Google search results for the (mis)quote - or looking at the original transcript - would have revealed the error, if Mr. Anderson had taken the time to check up on his "incriminating" quote.

Chad Mills
electrical engineering and computer science junior

Americans lack English enthusiasm

After making our way to the first football game of the season this past Saturday, my English buddies and I were left with an empty feeling inside. Yes, they won, but where was the support?

We managed to catch a glimpse of a couple of blue blokes with A's daubed across their backs, and there were at least a few people around us who attempted to keep up with the English cheering (we didn't even really understand the game, but we tried).

Where's the singing? Where's the organized chants (the repeating of "U of A!" and "D, D, D!" to me doesn't really count)? Back home, college sports are reserved for a few who get little or no support and definitely not the money that's shoehorned into every aspect of American college football. But at a club level, with the same size stadium real football (soccer) fans will raise the roof with chants, singing and no more than replica shirts and a porkpie.

Now we came to the conclusion that you all have it in you. We'll give you the benefit of the doubt - it was the first game, and it did choose to rain at the wrong time, so please prove us wrong. We'll be there the next home game, chant and cheer with us. Don't leave it to the band ... god no, please don't leave it to the band ...

Gareth Clayton
international exchange student