Wildcat Mexico travel advisory justified

Roberto Nungaray's reply to the Wildcat's advisory for U.S. tourists to be cautious in Mexico, seems to lack some important elements. First, it was not just the Wildcat who issued this warning, but in fact, it was the State Department. It is simply a cautious warning issued to alert future tourists to Mexico of the recent rise in crime. What Mr. Nungaray is doing is addressing so many more issues and veering off-track from the actual warning itself. Secondly, Mr. Nungaray states that maybe the terrorists have a reason for killing innocent American people. Well perhaps the reason is that they had waged a war against the American people as a whole, because of our collective identity that differs from theirs. One might call it a cultural war; a war waged on our beliefs and customs. Conspiracy theorists like Mr. Nungaray like to believe that the American people are responsible for all the world's problems and that is why some foreigners tend to hate Americans. Lastly, Mr. Nungaray needs to follow some of his own advice and think outside of the conspiracy theory box and stop assuming that there are always motives behind something as simple as a warning of crime in Mexico.

Carla Bishop
sociology junior

Democrats disrespectful of Bush

In his column on Thursday, Dillon Fishman embarrassed himself the same way that congressional Democrats did during the president's State of the Union address. Not only were the Democrats in the chamber rude, but they also made their own foolishness obvious. Social Security, the crown jewel of the democratic social agenda, is in a state of peril. Anyone who can add can figure out that if something doesn't change, Social Security is headed for disaster. The risks and the dates are real, despite the charges of so many unbelieving Senators with (D) after their name.

Fortunately, we the people elected a strong leader in George W. Bush, and he has a plan to fix this dying program in order that it might be preserved for the future, not eliminated as Mr. Fishman claims. On Wednesday night, the American people saw a confident, focused president assessing the real facts about a threat that everyone, except maybe Ted Kennedy, knows to exist. They also saw a group of congressional Democrats shout out rejection to the president's bold and noble plan to ensure that Social Security is still alive by the time Americans our age reach retirement. The Democratic Party isn't exactly in its prime right now anyway, and if they continue to be a barrier to progress when it comes to Social Security, the American people will not forgive them.

Michael R. Huston
political science freshman

Column captured spin of Bush address

Thanks to Dillon Fishman, whose keen eyes and great political acumen, perceive that which escapes the credulous masses. Certainly few among us could ever have seen how American politicians use rhetoric in speeches, particularly a sitting president in the course of a State of the Union address. Despite the bumper sticker quality of it, such novel uses of rhetoric in political speeches embody a "new weapon of mass distraction."

Thanks also to Fishman, as he dispels the myths of Social Security's imminent collapse. Sadly, the president and his merciless republican disciples are not privy to Fishman's wisdom and prudence.

Fishman's inquiry, "Is Social Security the new Iraq?" cuts straight to the quick, and the answer is an explicit: yes. Doubtless, the president's odious plans to purge Social Security and its beneficiaries soon will manifest. Grandmothers will be wrenched from the bingo halls, as their Social Security checks and ink daubers are pried from their wrinkled hands. Grandfathers from Miami to Green Valley will be flushed from the OTBs, helpless as their meager spoils from the day's quinielas, trifectas, and daily-doubles are seized. Stealth aircraft will rain down bombs over every retirement community, condominium and golf course in the Sun Belt, from San Diego to Florida. Then the parasitic, Neocon usurpers will implement their most depraved policies, as the repulsive, dystopian nightmares, before only seen in "Brave New World" and "Soylent Green," become our new reality.

Thanks to Dillon Fishman, his observances never condescend or drip with sanctimonious unction, and rarely are obtuse. Through his benevolence our eyes have opened; only now can we perceive "our own apathy, laziness and lack of vigilance toward our government." Like that great bumper sticker says: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

Patrick McNamara
journalism senior

"Swan and Sunrise" basketball fans

Please bring the student section back to McKale Center. Nothing is more frustrating than watching the Cats on national TV only to see the "Swan and Sunrise" folks sitting down and showing no emotion or involvement in the game. Please tell Livengood that we need a student section like that of UCLA or Stanford. It makes a huge difference to the players, the alumni and actually shows the world that the Cats have some fans that care!

Keith Bardel
alumnus

Don't allow encroachment toward Davis-Monthan

The main problem with the landswap article on the cover of Thursday's Wildcat is that the reporter left out a pivotal fact: The land in question is south of the Davis-Monthan landing strip, in the approach and takeoff corridor. The Air Force and Sen. McCain have said that the biggest factor contributing to a base's being closed is "encroachment" - i.e. when land uses not compatible with a military air strip are taking place too close to the base or airstrip.

Our Air Force base is used for training pilots, not only ours but also fledgling pilots from other countries. As other bases are closed there will be more planes and more training taking place from our landing strip. There will also be new jets. Instead of being twin-engine jets they will be single engine, which are less safe (it helps to have a spare engine). These planes will also be more powerful. All of this adds up to the fact that these jets should not be flying over a densely populated urban area. The Air Force and the city land-use plan acknowledge that. Back in 1978 a jet crashed where the Student Recreation Center is now. The jet was a twin-engine model, piloted by an experienced pilot who stayed with the plane long enough to veer it away from Mansfield Middle School, which it narrowly missed. At the time the site where the jet crashed was a practice field. Nevertheless, two students were killed as they were in their car waiting for the light to change at Highland Avenue and Sixth Street. The Air Force and the city together made plans for how to avoid such a tragedy, or a worse one, in the future. One of these plans was to leave the area to the south of the landing strip free of development. Parallel runways were on the drawing board, so that jets could both approach and take off to the south of the city. Now that the number of jets will be multiplying there is an even greater need to implement that plan.

The only side of the Davis-Monthan air strip that is still relatively open and could safely be used for training takeoffs and landings is the area south of the airstrip, where KB, the university and the city propose that homes should be built. This will constitute big time encroachment. If that side gets built up our chances of being able to keep DM open plummet. Let's keep that area free for our pilots to have an appropriate training ground. Let's set the stage for Davis-Monthan to remain open for decades to come.

Lauren McElroy
program coordinator emerita

Library needs new decorations

While I'm grateful for our wonderful library, I wonder if some new decorations would be too much to ask for. Somehow I find the offensively bright orange and faux wood paneling in the elevators irreconcilable with the modern glass walls and exposed air ducts on the first floor. The crotchet window coverings on the top floors look like they were knitted in a hippie commune. Worst of all are the ventilationless bathrooms where decades of stale funk and excretory disasters have ingrained a foul odor into the tile itself. How 'bout taking up a collection for some air freshener? Bret Reed
senior majoring in English

UAPD needs to be more present on campus

Why doesn't UAPD set up some sting operations throughout campus to catch the criminals? And once they are caught and if they are a student at the U of A, "Kick them out of school!" We don't need losers like them here. Really, what does UAPD do other than pull people over for speeding and DUIs then cite them and let them go? Oh by the way, UAPD are no "CSI," every other report on Police Beat says "Check for finger rints but none found." I have never read that there were fingerprints found and an investigation will be followed. We need real cops on campus, not Campus Security eating Krispy Kremes. What we really need is for UAPD to get off their fat asses and patrol on foot or on bikes where it really matters. You know how hard is to find a cop in the middle of campus at night? Almost impossible....

Greg I. Stanek
alumnus

Bible not the basis for all

I wanted to applaud the article in Friday's Wildcat "Fallacies from the religious right" by Damion LeeNatali. It is about time that someone articulately addresses the issues of these people on campus and why most of us as pay no mind to them. Currently I am an atheist, but I come from a Penecostal background, so I know the workings of these individuals through and through. They want to save the world, person by person, until we are all one conformist, close-minded sect of Christianity. They are quick to embrace the concept of diversity (sexual orientation, race, belief system) yet the minute you are in the fold, you have to adhere to their moral beliefs and standards. Now I am atheist, as said above, and I have a very strong moral code, and it is completely independent of religion. Overall, I believe we all need to think for ourselves. The extreme fundamentalist right (not all Christians) only spews dogmatisms, without question and never contemplates reason and science. The Bible is their basis for all, and that is simply flawed when you look at history and the things that influenced those who wrote the Bible. In essence, it is really a shame.

Colleen Dugan
pre-computer science junior