Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

Column: Olympics always were politicized

Richard M. Berthold Columnist | April 9

Once again we are hearing, mostly from conservatives and sponsoring corporations, that no matter what the abysmal human rights record of China is, the Olympic protests are politicizing the games and are unfair to athletes. Further, according to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.

Opinion

Media must stop giving McCain special treatment

April 9

Editor, Sen. Barack Obama's pastor, the Rev. Jeremy Wright, ignited a media firestorm of criticism and controversy over several remarks he made. Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain won the endorsement of televangelist John Hagee, who repeatedly rails against Catholics and demands the U.

Opinion

Americans deserve justice for flag protocol violation

April 9

Editor, I have been found guilty of a petty misdemeanor and received a stern punishment despite the fact that I attempted repeatedly to apologize and replace the Mexican flag. I ask that action be taken against the criminal act that provoked me, that of breaking a federal law.

Opinion

Center made racial issue out of flag-tearing incident

April 8

Editor, Now that the flag incident is over, we believe it is a good time to look back and reflect on what really occurred. Clearly, this was an incident that polarized most people into siding with Peter Lynch or El Centro de la Raza. Looking back, I find it hard to fault Lynch for his patriotism in not wanting the flag of another country to fly alone.

Opinion

Chinese leaders find it OK to hurt innocent Tibetans

April 8

Editor, "A wolf in monk's robes, a devil with a human face, but the heart of a beast" is how the Dalai Lama is seen by Zhang Qingli, secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Tibet Autonomous Region. Protesting Tibetan monks are called "Buddhist scum" by Chinese Public Security officials, who declare, "The next plan of the Tibetan independence forces is to organize suicide squads to launch violent attacks.

Opinion

Cuba embargo has little to do with human rights

April 8

Editor, I am glad dictator Fidel Castro has resigned. I urge everyone to watch the documentary "Improper Conduct," which exposes the persecution many Cuban writers, gays and dissidents suffered under his regime. The UNM Fine Arts Library has this video. If I had lived in Cuba and expressed my strong convictions as I do here, I would have been harassed, arrested, tortured, imprisoned and maybe executed.

Opinion

UNM housing department treats students like ATMs

April 7

Editor, The housing department of UNM has been holding students hostage instead of treating them like customers. UNM has begun a policy that does not allow residents to opt out of their housing contract at the end of the first semester, forcing them to live on campus for an entire academic year.

Opinion

Carrying weapons will only encourage more violence

April 7

Editor, I want to say that I am a supporter of the Second Amendment. But I wonder if people have thought through all the reasons for carrying a weapon - concealed or otherwise - on campus. Carrying a weapon is not a deterrent to mass shootings. People who are going to try and stage a mass killing seem to have a death wish already.

Opinion

There should be a penalty for violating flag protocol

April 7

Editor, I was surprised to read from the U.S. flag code that there is nothing law enforcement can do if the flag code is broken. I believe the Supreme Court should authorize a federal fine or penalty for anyone who violates the flag code in order to preserve and respect the sovereignty and dignity of the American flag.

Opinion

Tibetans prone to identify with Jews in the diaspora

April 4

Editor, On March 27, you published yet another hateful response by Vicky Johnson against Israel. This time, Johnson compared Israel to China and the Palestinians to Tibetans. Although the errors in most of her arguments and facts have been addressed previously by readers here, I would like to point out that many of the Tibetans actually identify with Jews in the diaspora, not with Palestinians.

Opinion

Respecting flag etiquette preserves symbol of unity

April 4

Editor, I will not argue that Peter Lynch should not have gotten any punishment for destroying the Mexican flag. Though I feel his anger was justified, destroying someone else's flag is stepping over the line. However, I feel this whole unfortunate situation could have been avoided if people were more aware of flag etiquette in this country.

Opinion

Rant against government lacks supporting evidence

April 4

Editor, I am writing in response to Richard Letnes' rant about our government and reckless drivers. Letnes, your letter has no proof or examples that support your claims. You say the U.S. government does not have the right to jam its values on anyone, and I agree.

Opinion

Government has no right to force values on anyone

April 3

Editor, Why are some people jaywalkers while others are inveterate corner crossers? I am an inveterate jaywalker. Why, you may ask. Because, in my opinion, it has become a far safer mode of transit. Pedestrians versus automobiles, bicycles versus automobiles - in every case, the automobile wins.

Opinion

Students should be able to carry concealed weapons

April 3

Editor, I am writing in response to the article about concealed weapons on campus published in the Daily Lobo on Tuesday. As the campus representative of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, I fully support the right to carry concealed weapons by those with proper licensing.

Opinion

Obama's speech on race put his pastor in context

April 3

Editor, Out of context - the famous phrase politicians use to explain the inexplicable. Unseemly quotations and wrongheaded gestures are willfully written off as taken out of context. But politicians rarely do us the service of illuminating abandoned context, of situating their purportedly misrepresented statements in their original provenance.

Opinion

Column: Pandering won't solve racism

Richard M. Berthold Columnist | April 2

"Racist" has become the most commonly used pejorative of early 21st-century America, replacing the popular "fascist" and "communist" of earlier days. This new bit of name-calling has become broad enough to use against anyone who might disagree with you, and unlike "anti-Semitic," which, as we just saw, can really only be used against critics of Israel, "racist" can be used even if ethnicity is not really the issue, as in the immigration crisis.

Opinion

America contradicts itself when it comes to morality

April 2

Editor, This letter is in response to the articles covering the scandal involving former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and a call-girl service. As a result of the scandal, the issue of prostitution is again being discussed. Referred to as the world's oldest profession, prostitution is defined as the act or practice of selling oneself for sexual purposes.

Opinion

Israel does not deserve to be compared with evil

April 2

Editor, Within two weeks, Israel has been likened to Nazi Germany by Richard Berthold and Communist China by Vicki Johnson. No evil has happened in the past or present, but that, according to them, Israel has done something similar or worse. Nazi Germany was seeking world domination with a "Thousand Year Reich," and China, a nation of 1.

Opinion

Editorial: Democrats might spoil their sure-shot election

April 1

Some people take their lucky breaks for granted. On the strength of 2006's midterm mandate, the Democrats face the first election promised to them since Lyndon B. Johnson rolled over Barry Goldwater. The party is polling well across the country and, with an unpopular Republican president and a looming recession, the Democrats stand to keep soaring.

Opinion

Efforts already underway for family-friendly campus

April 1

Editor, This letter is in response to Danny Hernandez's letter published in the Daily Lobo on Wednesday seeking support for UNM students who are parents. A number of individuals are working tirelessly to create a family-friendly campus. While neither of us writing this response can address the specific needs of today's graduate student and parent, we do address the issue as parents, UNM graduates and staff members.