Editor, Lately, I have become increasingly frustrated by people who still think it's OK to talk on a cell phone while driving. I can't tell you how many times in the past few weeks I have almost been run into by some moron who is paying more attention to his profoundly unimportant phone conversation than watching where the hell he or she is going.
Editor, It is said that what is lacking most in the world is justice. This statement suggests that the primary cause of problems among humans is injustice. Justice must be something great if it can bring more peace and harmony to the world. Justice must be a fundamental ingredient to living a truly human life.
Editor, The idea of collective punishment is not only illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions, but it is a form of evil and brutal oppression that is placed on people who have no control over a certain situation. In January 2006, Hamas was elected by the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
Editor, The Hawaii legislative session is considering House Bill 2680 and Senate Bill 2506 to ban the artificial sweetener and neurotoxin aspartame. This is wonderful news coming from Hawaii. The legislators and their bill drafters saw the merit in keeping almost all of the same language from the 2006 and 2007 New Mexico bills, especially regarding the state's rights and its obligation to protect the citizens' health, which are not "pre-empted by massive failures at the FDA.
Editor, Long before "spin" made its way into the vernacular, we were taught to tell the truth and do what's right. But today where "truthiness," meaning sounding like it could be true, is the standard used by many of our leaders and opinion is as good as fact, it is no wonder that the Albuquerque Journal can write that Mike Collins, David Schmidly's personal spin-meister, was contracted to create a "media plan," which is part of "good communications," which "are essential to transparency.
It seems impossible that a region with almost twice the population of Albuquerque should have to suffer a blackout lasting 24 hours, depleting medical and food supplies, and an almost complete scarcity of transportation fuel. This fate befell the Gaza Strip after Israel enforced a hermetic seizure that cut off supply of essential commodities to the region following Hamas' firing of more than 130 rockets, only half of which landed in Israeli territory.
Editor, It is with brutal ambivalence every year that this nation celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The slain king of political ethics, the prophet of justice and the prince of peace is the American version of a Catholic saint. Whom do we celebrate and mourn when we remember King? We must ask this question especially to those whom King's pointed criticism singles out for their stubborn, pathological and systematic perpetration of violence in the name of democracy.
Editor, What drives the use of steroids in sports? Is it the obsessive desire to obtain millions of dollars and celebrity at the expense of an even playing field? Or is there a more serious underlying problem with entertainment in general? One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers.
Editor, I would like to address Bob Anderson's letter published in the Daily Lobo on Jan. 14. There are several debatable statements in Anderson's letter, but I will address only a few. Anderson suggests that we pump water from the Datil area to supplement the drinking water supply.
Editor, I am writing out of concern for programs for students with disabilities at UNM and in public education in New Mexico. At this point in time, it is likely that UNM Accessibility Services is actually serving less than 10 percent of the disabled students attending UNM.
Editor, The spring semester starts today with students already enrolling in classes. But several courses, which are meaningful to both the community and UNM, hardly have any takers. Such courses may be scrapped for want of sufficient numbers of students. This is a scenario that has dogged me and several of my colleagues at the Research Service Learning Program.
Editor, Isn't there something wrong with our water scene? Down the road, a bit in the Datil area, there is enough groundwater that it could supply the city of Albuquerque for maybe several hundred years, if not less. But the city of Albuquerque, thanks to a past plan of Mayor Martin Chavez, is going to tax its residents to the tune of half-a-billion dollars for a diversion system that will have us drink polluted waters of the Rio Grande with all the sewage and waste from Rio Rancho and radio nuclides from the Los Alamos plutonium production.
Editor, The big buzzwords for the presidential campaign, particularly in the Democratic camp, are "experience" and "change." But let's not overlook the most important word: judgment. If we've learned anything from the past six years, it is to try to understand the candidates' approach to leadership.
In a speech he delivered in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 13, President Bush reasserted America's commitment to freedom and the cause of democracy. He cited America's involvement in Asia, particularly Japan, which had helped the proliferation of democracy in that country, ostensibly hinting that U.
Editor, ASUNM President Ashley Fate talks out of both sides of her mouth in "Fee board clashes over chair's actions," published in the Daily Lobo on Wednesday. First, Fate complained that Tuesday, a school day, is a bad day for students to participate in a meeting where their student fees are allocated to various departments.
Editor, Samantha Scott's review of the film "Waitress" prompts me to write. Adrienne Shelly's death was tragic and untimely. Shelly, who wrote, directed and starred in the film, was a highly talented individual whose only mistake was in requesting that a maintenance man hold down the pounding while she and others were editing and fine-tuning the film in post-production.
What role does race play in public education in New Mexico?
Editor, I'm writing to let readers know about the most recent collection tactic employed by the Bursar's Office. As I understand the writing on the wall in the Bursar's Office, if a continuing student has a balance of less than $200 on a bursar's account, they must show up in the Bursar's Office on Dec.
Editor, I've been reading the Opinion section in the Daily Lobo since 1986, and it seems that our campus, like much of our culture, splits into three main camps. First are the traditionalists. They stand for order, purpose, one absolute truth and one code of conduct.
by Richard M. Berthold Daily Lobo columnist There are a number of institutions and organizations at UNM, the nature of which you might think you understand. But after 31 years on the faculty, I can assure you that in the Alice in Wonderland world of the American university, not all is what it seems.
Solutions by The State News
