Sunglasses issue has become phenomenon, needs to end

On the afternoon of April 15, I casually opened the Wildcat to the mailbag section, whereupon I was shocked to once again see the ever-present sunglasses debate. But this was something new ... we have now reached international fame! Congrats Wildcats, we have continued a debate that should never have started for over three weeks now, and now it has reached even greater proportions. People are writing from out of state schools to complain! Seriously, am I the only one who thinks everyone is reading too far into this "issue?"

It boils down to this ... all Mr. Sonnenberg was trying to say is that women are beautiful in their own way, and don't need to have makeup to please men. Men who judge on outer appearances alone are shallow. Mr. Sonnenberg was saying that women shouldn't feel the desire to conform to everything, but rather should express themselves through their own unique ways. Isn't that what modern feminists fight for? Perhaps Mr. Sonnenberg didn't convey his message clearly enough, and that is his own doing, but people were saying that he "hated sorority life" and were "just jealous because I am beautiful." When did he say this? He doesn't hate women, is not a bigot and is trying to say what activist feminists all over the United States are saying now: Women should express their beauty through individuality, and not through conformity. He was simply trying to convey a modern message through a pragmatic example that we here at the UA see all the time. So, how about we let this "sunglasses" issue go, huh?

Matt Winter
classics and journalism sophomore

Mudslinging shows lack of intelligence

I am ashamed when I read the opinions section of the Wildcat. I am ashamed that I will be graduating in May from a supposed institute of higher learning that breeds this type of closed-mindedness.

I say this as a general response to the majority of the letters that have appeared in this section. This is not a personal attack on any particular product of the UA who feels they have such a witty tongue that their arguments are irrefutable. Nor am I not addressing the sarcastic columns, those are hilarious especially when others take them serious.

This is to those that call each other names. The mudslingers that label others liberal or right-wing conspirators. Now let's step back for a second. Last time I remember the UA was a land-grant university with intentions of supplying the residents with a higher education. A higher education so that they can apply critical thought, logic and rationale to everyday situations. So that as an educated people, they can participate in the theory of democracy.

For without an educated populous democracy fails. So as you roll your eyes at me like you do at your professor and scoff at my editorial like you do when someone says a differing opinion than the almighty superior truth that is known in your pea-brain, I ask you this: Why are you here? If you fail to think about, much less even listen to others' ideas, why are you here? Is to warm my seat? Is it to please Daddy so you keep your allowance? Stare at the beautiful women who roam the campus?

Jake Messing
chemical engineering senior

Lack of classes calls for protest

I came to a great realization and understanding when I was registering for classes on Sunday. Well, if you can call it registering, I was able to get two of the five classes I needed. The rest of the classes I needed were not available.

Suddenly it dawned upon me. We could all have the classes we want and need! Impossible, you say! Maybe it is impossible, but if it is impossible, it is because we are making it so.

Collectively, we as students (and consumers) of the UA have buying power, and we don't use it. From in-state to out-of-state students, each individual spends anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 per year to attend this school. Yet we spend that money as if we were buying a $1 soda. Why don't we spend it like we were buying a $30,000 car?

As the buyer, we have the purchasing power to make the sale work for us. We can shop around for the best price and we can haggle to get more for our buck, but we don't. The inherent problem is that the there are fewer than 500 students here that do or say anything about where their money is going. That's not enough to make a difference. 36,000 - now, that could make a difference.

Why don't we stand up, protest, make a statement, do something, do anything? Does anyone in this generation care? This is our money and our future that we are not fighting for. We are consumers spending thousands of dollars a year, accepting whatever is handed to us. We can have more classes, but we're not bargaining for them. When will it get so bad that people will start caring enough to say something? What if we stop it before it gets that bad? What if we say something now - that might just work.

Doug McConville
media arts freshman

Rock, paper, scissors not a sport

This is in response to Kris Cabulong's article about the rock, paper, scissors tournament. While speaking about the participants in the tournament, you referred to them as athletes. Rock, paper, scissors is not a sport. Thus, the participants are not athletes.

Have some respect for real athletes who play real sports (hockey, football, baseball, basketball and soccer). Golfers are not athletes. All they do is walk. Cheerleading is not a sport. They stand on the sidelines of the sport being played. NASCAR isn't a sport either. The cars do the work. I don't care if it's on ESPN occasionally ... they air the Spelling Bee and billiards.

I'm not saying there isn't skill involved in these activities, but that doesn't make something a sport. Surgeons are very skilled, but surgery is not a sport.

Let's be more careful about who we call "athletes."

Rob Monteleone
media arts junior

Rugby team, coach deserve more attention

As a native Tucsonan and UA alumnus I was fortunate to have been a member of the UA Wildcat rugby team for three years. My friends and local Tucson contacts (I now live in Florida) tell me the program is better than ever. I try to keep up with the team's performance as often as possible. Yet, nearly 20 years later I am still surprised at the lack of serious media attention that is provided this wonderful game - and specifically the Cats. I have no doubt that David will best this most recent challenge. I hope that David's condition and your article might allow some people to rethink their ideas about rugby and its supporters.

Dale Bridges
alumnus, former rugby player

Cars as dangerous as guns

"It was not fair to put the right to bear arms ahead of the right to public safety and welfare," is not a fair quote. The right to bear arms and public safety and welfare are cut from the same cloth, one protects and preserves the other. The fact that a person cannot drink while carrying is significant. If a person driving a car is allowed in a bar, and then can drive legally if they have not been drinking, what is different about a person carrying a firearm? Both are deadly and both require skill and clear thinking to be handled safely.

Jody Scott
alumna

Democrats not liberal, liberals not Democrats

Thanks to Mr. Riches for pointing out an essential political truth: Democrats, despite their rhetoric, are not a "people's party." However, in his bid to please Dave Horowitz by using "liberal elitism" in a sentence, Mr. Riches doesn't fully distill this point into its essential message: The Democratic Party is not liberal. Further, few liberals are actually Democrats. Real liberals vote Democratic for the same reason many real conservatives (e.g. Libertarians) vote Republican; they find one candidate slightly less disagreeable than the other.

Indeed, despite his implication and an assuredly unbiased quote from The American Enterprise, the Republican Party is not a people's party either. Sure, some NASCAR dads vote Republican, but they also like to sit in the sun and watch cars drive in circles. The NASCAR vote was easy to shore up: tell them Kerry wants to queerify the nation and will take their guns (Check the pre-election issues of the NRA's 1st Freedom magazine). As my fellow rural Midwesterners can attest, these visceral issues will supplant any nebulous talk of the hows and whys of the rural poverty seemingly supported by both parties. The United States has no people's party. Both major parties are simply outlets for the über-rich to divert our attention while they bend us over.

Christopher Haney
environmental sciences graduate student

Mills showed courage

We live in a new era of sports where there are many distinct ways to get your name seen across the headlines. When you think of the athletes who make the news today it is usually those who are boisterous, excessive, linked to scandals or who need more money to their existing multi-million-dollar contracts. Let's imagine a world where there were different criteria to make the headlines. What if qualities such as having a heart of gold, a humble attitude, courage and an inspirational spirit were what people really wanted to read about? With this fantasy in mind, let me inform you of a man who would always be on the cover of every sports page. This man is Sam Mills.

Have you ever thought that you don't have the mental or physical attributes to achieve something? Allow me to prove you wrong. Most people would never think that a man who is 5-foot-9 could play linebacker in the NFL. Think again. Sam played 12 incredible seasons for the Saints and Panthers that included five trips to the Pro Bowl.

When it was discovered that Sam had cancer in 2003 he was informed that he only had a matter of months to live. Don't tell Sam that though. For a good part of the next two years of his life Mills coached the Panthers' linebackers. This included going to many practices after he endured grueling chemotherapy treatments. That 8 a.m. class doesn't sound so bad anymore does it? I had the pleasure of being good friends with Sam's son Marcus when I was a kid. My memories of him include his wonderful character and his love for everyone, especially his family. I recall how he would try to personalize all his autographs to the receiver and always include "best wishes" right before his name. Hopefully more athletes will aspire to replicate Sam's character and one day we might be reading different headlines.

Kevin Brown
communications senior