Problems range from college to immigration

So, my parents have been pestering me about graduating from college, but I tell them to mind their own business. I mean, I pay my own tuition, I schedule my own classes, and I still know how to dress myself in the morning. What more do you want to know? Yeah, I want them to be proud, but really, are gold stars still necessary?

I like watching the world news. Now with Brian Williams on NBC he seems to fill Tom Brokaw's void quite well. He really delivers the day's dire news with a certain "je ne sais quoi?" Is it that all-knowing smirk, or maybe just his smartly-tied Oxford double-knot? What a tool. Tsunami what?

I'm sure you are aware of the fact that the United States is still deeply divided regarding the presidential election. President George W. Bush was just re-inaugurated. Surprisingly, at the inaugural dinner, the party strayed away from typical Texas fare, which typically includes possum-wrapped goat cheese and spanicopita enveloping boar's tongue and opted for a more tradition dinner including hummus, olive spread and yak butter. W wouldn't want to alienate his most prized constituents.

Obviously, a huge problem that exists in the United States is our immigration policies. Personally, I enjoy depriving hard-working, determined people entrance into the land of opportunity. Green card, working permit or will, fuck them - I would rather the scum of America sit back on their ass and refuse to contribute to society and pay them Social Security while turning my back on the capable and willing. Que paso?

Joseph Kumer
senior majoring in English

Canada still preferable, regardless of election

I assume you're being sarcastic, but your first paragraph is incorrect. One cannot just pack up and move to Canada, and no one who applied to emigrate after the election could have been accepted yet.

My partner and I decided to move to Canada no matter who was elected in 2004. We began the application process last March and are still working through it.

No one needs romanticize Canada in order to prefer it to the United States. Many of us find it preferable in many ways.

Laura Kaminker
blogger

'Big issues' important because people are divided

This letter is in response to Mr. Farley's "analysis" of Mr. Fishman's letter. While attempting to overcome any form of political bias, Mr. Farley clearly has set an irresponsible precedent for the very actions he seems to criticize. While pointing out "as a nation we audaciously represent our preferred political party's position, as opposed to the reciprocal-our political leaders representing the thoughts and opinions dictated by the citizens (which is precisely what a democracy is intended to do)," he seems to have almost forgotten his own comments earlier in the letter "The recent re-election of Mr. Bush should clearly illustrate that performance is not a factor." Seems somebody is the pot calling the kettle black, now doesn't it?

Now while I will agree that educated dialogue is not the solution, but education itself on the issues is and always will be the only solution to whom is the best candidate in any election. Maybe it should be said by someone that we are looking at this "Great Divide" of our country all wrong. For example, while most of America disproves of the war in Iraq, this is not a new trend. Most of America disproved of the war in Vietnam, the Korean War and the Civil War (History does indeed show that Lincoln was the one of most unpopular president by America, now revered as one of the best). Every "Big Issue" is only big because people are divided on it. If this was not the case, life would be easy and there would be no hard decisions. We, as a people, should just embrace this fact, we will have to sacrifice to gain, and we will have be wrong to be right.

Tom Deakin
industrial engineering sophomore

Reporting on presidential inauguration unfair

I am appalled at the lack of fairness in your reporting in regard to President Bush's inauguration. You show no aversion to publishing/highlighting stories of the ugly protesters. Where is your coverage of the event in its positive aspects?

You need to show the patriotic sides of students and professors, even if they don't exist at the UA. I know they exist, but perhaps they don't meet your criteria for reportable material.

Frank Liebsch
UA alumnus

Conservatives as smart as liberals

I have read in the Wildcat too many times about how conservatives aren't as smart as liberals. I am sick of this illiberalism.

The fact of the matter is that knowledge is independent of political affiliation. There are both very smart conservatives and very smart liberals.

Would you call Ben Stein (who was valedictorian of his 1970 Yale Law School class) stupid because he is a conservative?

If academia truly wants to be diverse and liberal (i.e. tolerant of other ideas), it must include an equal distribution of conservative and liberal teachers. No more indoctrination. It is in the best interest of everyone and for the future generations that follow.

David Horowitz (a former leftist/communist who is now conservative) said it best: "You can't get a good education if they're only telling you half the story."

Thomas McFarren
physiological sciences junior

Bush protesters need to get over it

Frankly, I think the people protesting the inauguration need to find better things to do with their time. They are sore losers, plain and simple.

Bush won. Get over it. If you don't like Bush and don't like the way he runs this country, you're free to leave.

Oh wait, I see how it is. You can take advantage of our economic and education system, but you hate everything else. I guess beggars can be choosers.

Dan Parmelee
management information systems sophomore

UA basketball needs better student section

Last week while watching the men's basketball road trip through Oregon, as a basketball fan I couldn't help but think to myself, "Man, I wish I went to one of those schools." Not because I would get some kind of sick pleasure out of seeing the UA kick the crap out of my team, but because the crowd seems to be having so much fun. I watched as the Pit literally bounced with excitement. I listened to the wonderfully vulgar taunts coming from the Oregon State fans. This is the stuff that college sports fans live for. Not that there aren't great fans at the UA; we have some of the best fans in the Pacific 10 Conference, but our taunts and chants are easily drowned out by the constant buzz of defibrillators coming from the alumni/octogenarian sections.

Now why would one of the best college basketball programs in the country have a joke for a student section? There are a couple of possibilities. The first possibility is that Lute Olson requests the current amenities because against a backdrop of the elderly, he appears much younger. However, the real reason for our current situation is more likely the only thing that UA decision-makers seem to care about: money.

Well here's the solution: Take the closest 30 rows along either length of the court back to their retirement homes, sell single game student tickets and take students to the cleaners on them (I couldn't imagine the UA would have trouble ripping off poor college students anymore than they already do). A true UA basketball fan would have no problem paying four or five times more than what is currently charged for student tickets.

As a senior about to leave the university, I would rather watch a basketball game sitting on my ass at home, not being able to hear the announcers over the roar of the crowd, than sit on my hands in the current alumni sections.

Michael Reed
accounting senior

Protest important to democratic process

I'm responding to some quotes attributed to UA College Republicans President Danielle Roberts in Cassie Tomlin's article "Students to protest swearing in of Bush." As a citizen of this country and someone who has participated extensively in the democratic process, I'm offended by Ms. Roberts' contention that the protesters "are not only sore losers, but they don't appreciate our system in that we are a democracy." To define protesters as sore losers because they are marching for peace and justice or because they are concerned about the political process is neither accurate nor acceptable. Regardless of what one may think about people who don't support the president, peaceful protest is one of the most democratic processes we have. Perhaps Ms. Roberts should study her history. She also said "it sounds like they're just whining that they lost the election." Voicing one's opposition to government policies is not whining - it's what happens in a democratic society. This is not, much evidence to the contrary, a dictatorship. Lest we forget, Bush has the least public support of any recent incumbent president. It is significant that almost half of the voters didn't vote for him. That many voters can't be ignored, nor can they be expected to just sit down and be quiet because the president knows best. I encourage Ms. Roberts to be a little more careful with her words in the future and to recognize that we all have to live in this world together. Name-calling doesn't help.

Christine Hannum
wildlife science senior

Ideological affirmative action a bad idea

I'm glad Jonathan Riches didn't cherry-pick his data for his Wednesday column. Who'd have thought there were liberals in New York City? And in the social sciences, no less! Why not show status for the business departments?

The newest Republican (read: not necessarily "conservative") crusade is to claim that the reason educated people often vote democratic/question Israel/question the status quo is that they're being indoctrinated by a cadre of "ivory tower" liberals in public universities. Their solution? Ideological affirmative action. They want conservatives, or at least conservative ideas, proportionally represented, regardless of their quality, merit or applicability to the topic. The Republican flavor of conservatism is a system of black vs. white, United States vs. "terrorists," where all poor people are lazy, terrorists are simply madmen and Israel is always right. An ideology where there are definite "right" and "wrong" answers is fine for mathematics, but elsewhere creates the false dichotomies discussed in an earlier column. While this doesn't mean conservative ideas should be shut out, it does preclude them from being useful in much of academia.

Christopher Haney
environmental microbiology doctoral student

Professors not liberal because of brilliance

I just read Jonathan Riches' "Liberal students suffer from academic monopoly" and was pleasantly surprised to read such an articulate and completely true article, unlike the constant liberal spin and whining I always read in the Opinions section. I couldn't agree with Riches more, and I thought I was the only one who wondered about impressionable students eating up and believing everything their liberal professors say (the side comments professors make annoy me the most). My favorite part was, "Conservatives have been forced to examine, rethink, and sharpen their political beliefs because during their time at the university they are forced to defend those beliefs." So true! It's like conservatives are the only ones thinking critically and not just criticizing something at face value. I also liked: "When professors assign Karl Marx one week, Adam Smith should follow." A professional teacher presents topics in a fair and balanced manner, just like the teacher he mentioned. Keep up the good work, Jonathan, and I will be looking forward to your articles in the future.

Katie Christy
communications senior