Commuters need to watch out for students walking to class

The finished parking garage has solved many problems on campus; however, it has also created a new one for those of us who choose to walk down the South Oval and not drive on it. The people who loop around campus to get to the new garage should realize that pedestrians and people on bikes have the right-of-way, and that includes the people getting on and off the Lloyd Noble Center shuttle.
I also hope that commuters understand that 40 mph is not a safe speed to be moving a half-ton object around when there are people walking throughout the entire area. While I am not looking for a pedestrian free-for-all, I would greatly appreciate it if more cars yielded, like they are supposed to, to those of us on foot. Then we can all get to class on time and in one piece.

--Jack Franklin
engineering physics senior

Romero column lacks compassion and ignores responsibility

I've just finished reading the abortion rights opinion of Carlo Romero and I'm absolutely flabbergasted. Not only does Romero contradict himself on many levels, he fails to support his point sufficiently.
As he begins his argument, it appears as though his point is that the US government should not impose morality on citizens. Imagine my surprise when he ends his argument by saying that the government's position should be one of "Thou shall not judge." Last time I checked, that was a Biblical teaching.
Again I was puzzled when he claimed that his stance was one of compassion. Someone bust out the dictionary because I don't think you'll find a picture of a doctor sucking the brains out of an unborn child next to that definition. I think the compassion he speaks of would be better seen in the act of letting innocent human beings have a chance at the lives we live each day.
Though I'm not sure what weight protesters carry in an argument for abortion, I feel the points made in the article are worth addressing. For example, while I understand that women who have had miscarriages are distraught at their loss, I hardly think they would be offended by anti-abortionists. Wouldn't it make more sense that these women who have experienced such great tragedy would, themselves, fight for children's rights? If they are upset at the accidental termination of their own pregnancies, why would they support the deliberate termination of the pregnancies of others or oppose the protest of these acts?
Finally, if the government needs to stay out of the abortion issue to prevent the imposition of morality, there are a few more laws they may need to look at. Without using some sort of moral guide for law making, there is anarchy. Carlo, you may want to consider picking up your pro-life banner again because whatever you had was definitely not an epiphany.
--Elizabeth Rae Miles
University College freshman


Politicians want minority vote, not issues relating to minorities
Having read the column by Sister Ossum, I think she misses an obvious point: neither Republicans nor Democrats care about black people. In fact, they don't care about white people. What they do care about are rich people. And since, for the most part, African-Americans rarely have enough money to garner the attention of the leadership of the parties, they are an afterthought, similar to other minority groups.
As such, the same politician (of either party) that will sing the praises of Bob Johnson will complain about the continuing welfare status of Shuwanda Jenkins as an example of the need for welfare reform. My advice to the young columnist and pachyderm is to use her talent for the improvement of a people who can use all the help they can get and not to waste time debating who is least likely to betray her behind her back.
--Stephen G. Butler
graduate student
Iraq and North Korea are not the only oppressive regimes
Cassandra Showell wrote eloquently about the need to dispose of tyrants. Historically the United States has not cared who the tyrant was as long as he was serving our interests. During the cold war we fought proxy wars with the Soviets with all kinds of ugly, murderous, crooked Third World tyrants at our command.
Yet, she conveniently and sanctimoniously forgets our own role during the past 50 years in installing and manipulating all kinds of tyrants, dictators and murderers and ignoring every violation of the cardinal laws of humanity.
Tyrants come in all shapes and forms. What happens when our great nation, which ostensibly stands for freedom and democracy, supports tyrants for its own gains? What about our own nation, which has a sordid history of overthrowing democratically elected governments by underhanded means? What about soldiers of our own nation who have massacred innocent men, women and children?
I suggest she read up on the My Lai massacre. On March 16, 1968, the angry and frustrated men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, American Division entered the village of My Lai. "This is what you've been waiting for: search and destroy, and you've got it," said their superior officers. A short time later the killing of innocent men, women, elderly and infants began. It took a long time to expose this sordid crime against humanity. The murderer who led the massacre only got seven years with parole in two years for a crime of such magnitude!
Showell should also read up on historical events (particularly during previous Republican administrations) which led to a loss of thousands of innocent lives in Chile, El Salvador, Iran and other places where we arrogantly interfered as if we were playing God.
People should examine the role of the United States when Saddam the demon was gassing Iranians by the thousands. We were supplying him military intelligence and material support because he kept the Iranian "Axis of Evil" member at bay.
Not a tear was shed by Republican or Democratic administrations then. Self-righteousness would be great if the United States did not have heaps of skeletons in its own cupboard. So who actually has the divine right to call names?
--Mano Ratwatte
management information instructor
hello there & you too