Abercrombie disrobed
Great job on the Abercrombie and Fitch piece ("Abercrombie and Fitch catalog: porn for the meek," Nov. 7). It's about time someone decided to disrobe the true intentions of this corporation. They sell overrated clothing that is made by workers making 60 cents per hour, while touting a culture that hails opulent sexuality. I refuse to shop at this store, and I hope nobody else will either!
-Jamie Armani
Political Science and Psychology Senior
Cheap shot, Klinzman
Hey, nice gratuitous shot at the Iraq war in Grant Klinzman's pro-abortion column ("Courts should question Bush's 'culture of life' abortion ban," Nov. 7). Certainly, going to war and unseating a regime that buried kids alive in mass graves - still clutching their toys - simultaneously feeding political prisoners feet first into industrial plastic shredders shows an amazing hypocrisy in "respecting a culture of life!"
"Oooh! I get to whine about how Bush is against the killing of unborn babies AND how he unseated a murdering Stalin-wannabe all in the same three paragraphs!" Sheesh. Two separate issues, my friend. You'd be a tad more coherent if you tried to focus on one thing at a time.
-Bryan Ashenbaum
Business PH.D student
Scholarship discriminates
So today I get an e-mail from my adviser informing me of an internship/scholarship that is available. I read the attached letter, and when I get to the bottom I see that the return address is to the United Negro College Fund. I started wondering if I was eligible for this internship/scholarship, so I e-mailed my adviser and asked her. She replied that she didn't know and that I should e-mail the sender. Well, after I asked them if I had to be black to qualify for the internship/scholarship, they e-mailed me back, letting me know that I had to be a minority.
Wow, I couldn't believe this! I was denied an internship or scholarship based solely upon my race. This is a sickening state that we live in when people can openly contradict themselves, and no one says anything about it. Shouldn't we practice what we preach? Every person is created equal, so why can someone be denied an internship/scholarship based solely on his or her race?
I guarantee you that if I started a white college fund or white student union, all hell would break loose, and I would probably be told to disband my organization.
-Erik Gibbs
CIVIL ENGINEERING JUNIOR
U.S. needs more blame
I agree with Tommy Horejes' letter ("U.S. should shoulder all Iraq blame," Nov. 6) in that other countries do not deserve their "share of blame," but he didn't take it far enough. Only a minority of Americans was in favor of going to war against Iraq, and a huge number actively protested against it, a fact that President Bush seemed not to notice. (Bush's First Lesson to Iraq about Democracy: Don't listen to what the people of your country have to say.) In fact, the only people who should get the blame are the people of the Bush administration itself.
-Christopher Heckman
Mathematics Instructor
The irony of Russomanno
Thursday's staff editorial column touted recent Walter Cronkite Award of Excellence recipient Andy Rooney as a champion of free speech and defended his right to make off-color remarks while in the national spotlight. Fine. Wonderful.
But what about Russomanno?
So journalism professor Joseph Russomanno doesn't think Rooney should've received the prestigious lifetime-achievement award. So Russomanno decided not to attend Thursday's luncheon honoring Rooney to further, guess what, express that opinion. So what?
Although seemingly unpopular at the moment, Russomanno's opinion, too, is protected by the First Amendment.
According to Thursday's editorial, laden with unprecedented irony, "The less we allow ourselves to express genuine uncensored thought, the more silent we will be forced to become." Don't silence Russomanno. Don't be so ignorant. Be proud to live in a country where you're free to weigh in on the matter, as so many of us have, but then move on.
-Morgan Westman
Journalism & Mass Communication Senior
