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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday April 14, 2003

Wildcat Îirresponsible' to mention Kunnie's lawsuits

I was dismayed by the Wildcat's coverage on April 10th regarding the UA Police Department's disturbing mistreatment of Professor Julian Kunnie. The Wildcat noted that Dr. Kunnie, head of the Africana Studies program at UA, has been involved in lawsuits by several other faculty in Africana Studies.

This information regarding the lawsuits is irrelevant to the police actions against

Dr. Kunnie ÷ which is the subject of the article ÷ and it is highly inappropriate that they were mentioned. What is being insinuated here? Wildcat staff should be ashamed of themselves for this irresponsible journalism.

David N. Gibbs
associate professor of political science


Kunnie should be grateful for his freedom, position

Just curious · isn't there some place that Professor Julian Kunnie, Director of African-American Studies, could reside that would allow him the freedom to fight all the inhumanities that appear to afflict him on a daily basis? Or a country where racism and segregation are discouraged, maybe even against the law?

Perhaps a township that would get the authorities off his back so he could spend more time living life joyfully? A place that offered him good money, free speech, an opportunity to really get his message out? So people could hear what he has to say, ya know?

Oh wait, I'm sorry, he already does. Keep up the good fight, Professor Kunnie, because I doubt many other places in the world would offer you the same salary, the same voice, the same opportunity to walk down the street after all the ill-advised commentaries you have authored.

Stefan Walz
Arizona Health Science Center Library
support systems analyst


UA conductor should check her soul after bad decision

Lisa Hunter's decision is a mistake. There is no better time for Holocaust remembrance than during a time of war. By canceling a memorial, she is saying that it is okay to forget the six million lives lost to the atrocities of National Socialism. Hunter is committing a moral sin; she is disobeying what Emile Fackenheim (a post-Holocaust theologian) calls "The Commanding Voice of Auschwitz." She is giving potential protesters a preemptive victory and allowing Hitler a posthumous one. If she truly deserves the title of "conductor" ÷ if she truly makes music from the heart ÷ the thought of canceling such an important event would never cross her mind. True musicians play on; music is the vector for the triumph and misery in their souls. Perhaps Ms. Hunter's is empty.

Chris Marcum
sociology junior


Kudos for Îoverdue' article about Park and Speedway

I would like to commend you on the long overdue article about the insanity we call the intersection of Park and Speedway. I do understand that the proximity of Euclid and Park creates a nightmare for Tucson traffic planners. That is no excuse, however, for the hassle and death they have caused Tucson for years. Mr. Planner getting paid 80k a year? Do something! Mountain Avenue is almost as bad as Park. There is no northbound left turn arrow. After trying a few days to get to my job near UMC, I decided the best way to get to work was use the left turn on Euclid and then drive all the way to UMC through neighborhood streets. This saved me a lot of time and headache.

Why not?

All the overpaid, under-qualified tuition-raising UA administrators get a left turn arrow on Mountain. We as tax-paying citizens need to take matters into our own hands. Who in their right mind would sit through four or five lights just to turn south on Park? I don't. What everyone needs to do is: use alleys, U-Turns, cut through neighborhoods, or use alternate modes of transportation.

Finally, I wish no one ill will, or the consequences they have dealt with due to the poor planning. I have seen the laziness firsthand of students living within two miles of the UA. My solution to alleviate some of the problem would be to deny all garage/lot privileges to UA students AND faculty/administrators that live within two miles of campus. Those with disabilities with would be excluded. I love cars, but they are a problem. I only truly feel free around the UA when I am on my bicycle. Try one ÷ it will make a world of difference.

John McAllister
Tucsonan


Read-a-thon cancellation shows terrorists' victory

The cancellation of the English Department's 24-hour reading marathon and the ongoing ban on overnight events because of security concerns are examples of how the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks have succeeded beyond the wildest dreams of our attackers. Every pathetic and pain-in-the-ass modification to our regular daily lives made by institutions completely unrelated to national security is proof that we are a population that has indeed been wholly and completely terrorized. The slew of cowardly decisions made by those in positions of authority from the government on down to the university have done nothing but show we are incapable of keeping our chins up in these difficult times. To the Dean of Student Life responsible for this decision: Shame on you for hiding with your tail between your legs.

David Jackson
history senior


Film review took unfair jab at campus comedy group

I don't disagree with Mark Betancourt and Lindsay Utz's review of "Anger Management" in this past Thursday's issue (despite the fact that I would not have sent either of your critics to this film, given that they most assuredly would not allow themselves to enjoy an Adam Sandler movie simply on principle), but I do heavily disagree with the lame, unwarranted potshots taken at the University of Arizona's oldest comedy show, Comedy Corner. I don't know where Mr. Betancourt thinks he gets off tossing throwaway insults at the club, but since his judgment is clearly impaired these days (giving Roman Polanski's world-renowned Academy Award-winning masterpiece "The Pianist" a "C" was the best example of how completely out of touch and totally in love with his own bullshit Mr. Betancourt is), I'd rather see him, if you insist on publishing his "Nothing's good enough for me, I'm a film student"-style film reviews, stick to the topic at hand.

Comedy Corner has already had a rough year, with the self-worshipping Charles Darwin Experience trying to kill their time-honored SICK festival with some backhanded and clunky (and ultimately failing ÷ thanks, Andy Dick!) ASUA manipulation. They don't need the smug likes of Mr. Betancourt taking shots at them when clearly his own sense of humor is obviously severely lacking. In closing, I believe you're being paid to review the film, Mr. Betancourt, and since 90 percent of the time you can't even do that properly, kindly keep your other criticisms inside your head where they belong. Your half-assed, snotty film "reviews" aren't a tenth as entertaining as even five minutes of Comedy Corner's worst material.

Zac Bertschy
media arts senior


ÎBlue Balls' should offer Înew crap' to its audience

This letter is in response to the Wildcat comic strip "Blue Balls." Primarily, it is sophomoric and exclusively showcases a narrow array of poo-related humor. My guess is that the comic's writer is doing it just to see what he can get away with, as an inside joke with his poo-minded cronies. The comic is disgusting and never funny, which is okay, I guess; I don't consider myself the arbiter of humor.

The problem is it's extremely offensive as well. I have thought this for quite some time, but never wrote in. Now, however, I see that the creator of Blue Balls has decided to re-run his "greatest hits." Pardon me, but what greatest hits?

The comic has only been in the paper for several months, and has never once run anything that even qualifies as quality. C'mon Blue Balls, if you're going to give us filthy uninspired crap, at least give us new crap!

J. Thompson
art and communication senior


Letter and Nazi comparison unfair attacks on Israelis

Greg Schnaar's response to criticism of the movie "Jenin, Jenin" reveals ignorance at best, and complete indifference toward those affected by the Holocaust at worst. In his letter in Friday's Forum, Mr. Schnaar refers to claims that no "massacre" occurred at Jenin as an eerie reminder of the claims of Holocaust deniers. Mr. Schnaar's letter thus does two things. First, it discounts the significance of the worst atrocity in human history, and second, it draws a grossly inappropriate comparison between Israelis and Nazis.

As a young man, my grandfather, Eduard Harris, was taken from his family and placed in the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald. He was one of the few who survived; most of his family, along with 6 million other Jews, were murdered at the hands of Hitler's brutal and inhumane regime. He was a victim of the Holocaust, a policy of deliberate and precise extermination of an entire race of people.

There is no comparison between the Holocaust and Jenin. To be sure, many people on both sides died during the fighting at that refugee camp, including innocent Palestinian civilians. But the IDF's objective in Jenin was the capture of terrorists and organizers of suicide attacks, not genocide. The IDF incursion was executed in a manner aimed at keeping civilian casualties as low as possible, even though this left Israeli soldiers more vulnerable to casualties. One Palestinian fighter who survived described the use of ground forces, rather than aerial attacks, as a gift from God, because it would enable him to kill more Israelis.

Mr. Schnaar would likely criticize me as unfairly labeling all criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism. To all those who would, all I can say is this: you cannot be more wrong. As an avid supporter of free speech, I firmly believe that speaking out against those things that you oppose is both a sacred right and a duty. But attacks on Israel that attempt to compare Jews to Nazis should be taken for what they're worth ÷ disgusting garbage.

Bradley Pack
UA law student


ÎInhumane' perspective on war justifies small deaths

Chris McDonagh's commentary "U.S. invading Iraq: Not genocide, terrorism or racist," which appeared in Friday's Wildcat, was very logical and right, for the most part, although the war is terrorism by being inhumane. The necessary conclusions of his pro-war logic, do, I fear, only hurt the justification of war, for it justifies indifference towards death. This is inhumane.

Mr. McDonagh states, "Iraqi civilian deaths are as tragic as those of Sept. 11 were." He says that he lacks outrage, "not because he values Iraqi life less, but because he is thankful the coalition has limited civilian casualties." That number is cited in his column to be from 1,152 to 1,388. He justifies lacking outrage because of a seemingly small death count. Unfortunately, he implies that this number is paltry, or inconsequential. It is very inhumane to view the situation this way. When people look at situations from that perspective, without outrage, any number of deaths will seem inconsequential.

By using this perspective of looking at mass murders, there is a justification to be indifferent to a seemingly small number of 911 deaths, and to have a lack of outrage towards that monstrosity. Inhumane as this lack of outrage is, there's more. This logic would also view American casualties in the war as inconsequential. This perspective of indifference toward a huge death by defining it by saying it's smaller than something actually consequential is inhumane.

Moreover, by imputing Mr. McDonagh's perspective toward death to Bush, Bush then appears to be a zealot of freedom, fighting with guns and military in an age of democracy, in a frenzy of corruption; a crusader seeking wealth, democracy, and freedom, all at the expense of sacred human life.

A crusader with no feelings for death, but for wealth heads our nation.

Inhumanity is at the root of our system and our administration. Men having no moral sense are in control of our weapons and military; they're also indifferent to our beliefs, to the beliefs of other nations, and their people. Indifference is the sentiment of our government. Our administration creates a world of destruction to achieve a goal no one wants such a sacrifice for. Martyrs are in control of our government, fighting for a noble cause, but achieving it in morally destructive and barbaric ways.

We should pursue freedom embracing morality, embracing the sacred value of human life. Humanitarians of the world, unite!

Daniel Greenspan
philosophy and political science freshman


Letter incorrectly interprets GOP-sponsored labor bill

George Nilsen's letter published on Friday represents an emotional liberal reaction to false information. Bill HR1119 may be Republican-sponsored, but it is hardly anti-labor. Mr. Nilsen erroneously mentioned that private companies will be able to "force employees" into accepting paid time off instead time-and-a-half for overtime worked. Rather, the bill states that the employer and employee must first agree on the substitution. This will allow employees more freedom in their choices. Specifically, parents will be able to spend more time with their families. Public employees already enjoy this benefit.

With regard to Mr. Nilsen's comments about the proposed Department of Labor changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the language defining the "learned professional" is virtually unchanged. In fact, the proposed higher salary requirement needed for exemption states that workers making up to $425 per week will be eligible for overtime. This means that more, not fewer, lower-paid workers would have access to time-and-a-half pay. Mr. Nilsen should actually check the facts before claiming that all Republican-led efforts are anti-labor.

Justin Cranmer
UA Alumnus, 2002


Patriotism article accurately describes country's Îdisease'

I would like to applaud Caitlin Hall's Thursday column, "Patriotic fever" for its razor-sharp insight and brutal honesty. It was an excellent description of the "disease" that grips many Americans in times of war at least. But really, it's not a fatal disease, not more fatal than Richard Nixon, Rodney King or the Red Scare anyway, and personally, I kind of like it. It's a sort of sweetly endearing and naive quality, like the first few years of Alzheimer's disease, but without the nasty after effects. Mostly because Americans have already got a short memory, and a longer one is just going to turn us into a bunch of unhappy cynics raving like lunatics about U.S. terrorism at anyone who will listen.

Maybe forgetting about state-sponsored terrorism in South Vietnam and ethnic cleansing in Iraq is a bit less humorous than grandma forgetting your name, but you can't really do much about either. All this anti-war nonsense is about as effective as beating a dead horse in front of the Arizona School for the Blind. What I mean is, people who still care better start trumpeting against U.S. foreign policy in a way that doesn't have them standing on street corners looking like a bunch of wild-eyed prostitutes hungry for a car to stop and "talk." Because as sad as it is, Orwell was right and Bob Dylan was wrong. "The times they're aren't a-changin'."

Brooks Kary
agricultural economics sophomore


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