Opinion - The Daily Lobo

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.

Opinion

Changes to policy would remove needed coverage

April 1

Editor, I feel fortunate to have the type of cancer I am living with. How many UNM staff can say that? Cancer and other catastrophic life-altering diagnoses are becoming the norm these days. And as I review the catastrophic leave policy that is currently out for comment by staff, faculty and students, I am stricken by the fact that the proposed changes do away with much of the coverage previously afforded to my co-workers struggling with chemotherapy, dialysis or other intermittent out-patient care for their diagnosis.

Opinion

UNM making statement by charging group for cleanup

April 1

Editor, I am astounded that the only story that made it to the front page of the Daily Lobo was not about the 600 or so people who demonstrated peacefully against the UNM war research facilities March 15, but rather about a few individuals who apparently did some silly graffiti in the area.

Opinion

Cleaning and babysitting not responsibility of police

April 1

Editor, I always get a kick out of what crazy leftists say, but Terry Riley's letter published in the Daily Lobo on Friday arguing that Stop the War Machine should not have to pay the fine by blaming the police really made my day. He seems to be upset that the police didn't get involved during the event to stop any of the destructive behavior.

Opinion

Israel-Palestinian outcome will be two separate states

March 31

Editor, I am rather amused by Vicki Johnson's letter comparing Israel to Communist China published in the Daily Lobo on Thursday. Let us take a step back from these absurd comparisons. It is never wise to compare the complexities of one region to another very different region.

Opinion

Torture incidents in Israel don't compare to China's

March 31

Editor, Vicki Johnson's letter published in the Daily Lobo on Thursday contains refugee figures extremely inaccurate and four to six times higher than the numbers given even by the Palestinians and the UN. Following is the highest official UN estimate: In 1948, there were 726,000 Arab refugees, according to the Final Report of the United Nations Economic Survey Mission for the Middle East published by the United Nations Conciliation Commission issued on Dec.

Opinion

Military dishes millions for UNM's weapons research

March 31

Editor, The story "Campus was vandalized during protest, police say" published in the Daily Lobo on Wednesday makes no mention of exactly why approximately 600 students, activists and community members from 50 different organizations choose to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq on UNM campus.

Opinion

Entertainment is not free; music should have a price

March 28

Editor, I must respond to the latest letter in the Daily Lobo by a student complaining about the Recording Industry Association of America's lawsuits. Marco Gutierrez, in his letter published Wednesday, employs an emotionally loaded analogy comparing being served with a lawsuit to extortion and even a contract murder by the mafia.

Opinion

The base of education is in values, never just the facts

March 28

Editor, This letter is in response to Johnny L. Wilson's letter published in the Daily Lobo on Thursday. Wilson, I appreciate your statements, though I do not agree with the position of your organization. I am not writing to criticize those positions but to make sure that readers of your letter do not unfairly distinguish between moral values and factual information, as though they are opposite.

Opinion

Contrary to popular belief, hookah smoke is not safe

March 28

Editor, The beautiful picture on Page One of Tuesday's Daily Lobo was a great shot of spring arriving on campus - a young couple, a picnic cooler, a beautiful spring day. We hate to be the ones to offer a discouraging word, but someone has got to do it. The only thing about this beautiful scene that calls for comment is the hookah.