Editor:
Through the barrage of simple-minded racial commentaries which have crossed the pages of the Wildcat over the past few weeks, I have held my peace. The time has come, however, to end my silence. It passes logical understanding why the Wildcat has continued to lend its space to such asinine commentaries as that of Denise R. Frank ("Farrakhan's sermon won't bring equality," Oct. 27).
Ms. Frank delivers a stern warning against the danger of Americans following Louis Farrakhan's "racist" ideologies "like sheep." Yet, is not the blind devotion of the "dittohead" crew of such political elitist, covert racists as Rush Limbaugh equally as dangerous? Yet, Ms. Frank draws no such parallels. She does, however, take care to compare Louis Farrakhan's doctrine to that of the Ku Klux Klan. At this rash comparison, I almost laugh. The logic in such a comparison is lacking. The Ku Klux Klan has actively and openly terrorized "undesirables" (especially black folks) for centuries through merciless beatings, lynchings, bombings, castrations and torture of men, women and children for no reason at all. I challenge Ms. Frank to identify just one such attack by the Nation of Islam on white people.
Equally insane is Ms. Frank's obvious lack of understanding of the crack cocaine prison sentencing issue. In her column, she states that "offenders should not be let off because they couldn't afford higher priced drugs." She conveniently ignores that no one, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, is arguing for "letting people off" for doing drugs. The issue is equal prison sentences for the affluent (who more frequently use powdered cocaine) and the poor (who more frequently use crack cocaine). Currently, crack cocaine users suffer stiffer penalties than powdered cocaine users, though illegal drug use is, in Ms. Frank's own words, "a crime, plain and simple." Thus, as we attempt to make drug use in general unattractive to people through legal penalties, what sense is there in administering the consequences in a biased fashion? I refuse to believe that Ms. Frank is banal enough to understand this concern.
In sum, I would exhort the Wildcat to use more prudent judgment in publishing nonsense. After all, newspaper ink is a terrible thing to waste.
Johari A. Parnell
Marketing Senior