Opinion

Kerry botched his joke, doesn't need to apologize

Editor, Let me get this straight - President Bush is demanding an apology from Sen. John Kerry? If anyone deserves an apology, it's the innocent Iraqi citizens, families of brave military personnel and journalists who have sacrificed their lives in an ill-advised crusade to advance the agenda of greedy oppressive profiteers who are in control of the Republican money machine and orchestrated the Iraq debacle in the first place.

Soft efforts in Afghanistan causing U.S. to lose battle

Editor, While most of the electorate is focused on Iraq, what it fails to realize is why we are losing the war on terror. Our soft efforts in Afghanistan are a great example of why the U.S. will continue to lose this battle. At one point, we were told that Afghanistan was a success and that the U.

Eliminating steel traps starts with this election

Editor, This Election Day, each of us has a unique opportunity to vote on a humanitarian issue that can prevent unspeakable cruelty to animals on state lands. The race for state land commissioner pits Jim Baca, a strong environmentalist, against incumbent Pat Lyons, a rancher whose financial support comes largely from big oil and gas interests.

Students need to be told when parking unavailable

Editor, I have just mailed a $20 check for a parking ticket due to unfair circumstances. On Oct. 19, I approached the Cornell Parking Structure to deposit my car so I could attend a geography lab. I was turned away, the attendant saying all the spaces had been rented out to a special event.

Genetic characteristics nothing to be afraid of

Editor, Shame on you for publishing a picture labeled "Albino from the future" in Wednesday's Daily Lobo. Is being an albino supposed to be scary or something? You wouldn't publish a picture of someone suffering from cystic fibrosis or cancer, would you? Likewise, you wouldn't publish a picture of a Halloween costume titled "Asian from the future" or "American Indian from the future," would you? People are born with these characteristics.

Letter: Good night's sleep better than the best sex, books

Editor, I treasure good sleep. Early to bed and early to rise truly helps to make us healthy and wise. Years ago, I foolishly stayed up late many nights and then felt like crap the next day. Now I like to go to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. and to get up between 6 and 7 a.

Column: Local produce less noxious

by Stephanie Keno Daily Lobo columnist Popeye may have saved the spinach industry from collapse in the 1930s, but a savior for the 21st century has yet to come forward. As our country's agricultural sector becomes dominated by corporate producers, more consumers are becoming increasingly susceptible to noxious diseases such as E.

Letter: Tax cuts for the wealthy weaken education at UNM

Editor, UNM is an excellent institution of higher learning but is declining simply based on the fact that the neoconservative Republicans are cutting aid for students who are not among the entitled classes. Cuts to education have occurred so that the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans can get tax cuts.

Letter: Euphemisms help justify aborting human beings

Editor, It is time to call a spade a spade. An abortion kills a developing human being. Anybody who tells you different is either lying or completely misinformed. At the moment of conception, a new human life has begun. While the destiny of that fertilized egg is unknown, there is no doubt whatsoever that it is a human being.

Ed toons

Letter: New Mexicans can erase stain in state's history

New Mexico voters have an opportunity to repeal the Alien Land Act in the upcoming election. The law, adopted in 1921, amended the New Mexico Constitution to prohibit land ownership for all immigrants ineligible for citizenship. This was part of the wave of anti-Japanese immigration sentiment that swept across the U.S. in the early 20th century.

Letter: Alcohol abuse prevention starts with the community

Editor, For those who regard drinking and getting drunk as a harmless rite of passage, a thoughtful reading of Thursday's Daily Lobo should dispel any such illusions. Contained in this single issue are three separate accounts detailing the negative impact of alcohol misuse: a bust by campus police of a drinking party in a student residence center, an alcohol-fueled brawl at the Frontier and a student's letter recounting the connection between intoxication and unsafe sex practices that may have resulted in an 18-year-old's unintended venture into parenthood.

Letter: Exhibit by Justice For All displays false information

Editor, We in the section of reproductive health of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the UNM School of Medicine are writing to correct some of the misinformation presented by the Justice For All exhibit displayed on campus last week. This exhibit, already repugnant for the specious comparison between abortion and the Holocaust, its sensationalist graphics and intrusive display, is most reprehensible for its deliberately inaccurate medical information.

Letter: Archaic views of abortion endanger individual rights

Editor, It mystifies me why an undeveloped fetus is worth more than a 12-year-old girl impregnated by her father, whose physical, mental and emotional development will all be compromised by her being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. When medical abortion was illegal and reliable, birth control was not available, induced abortion was still practiced by nonprofessionals under hazardous conditions, killing or maiming many women, whether they were desperate or not.

Letter: State Land Office loyal to big oil; time for a change

Editor, Though we spend the majority of our time on a concrete-and-plaster campus in the middle of this state's largest city, everyone at UNM has a vested interest in the wide, remote expanses of New Mexico. These areas, nearly 9 million acres of state-owned land, are held in trust for the University and every other public school, meaning that interest from revenue gained in leasing this land goes into a special fund for schools.

Letter: Opinions without evidence are bad examples to follow

Editor, Joel Hobbs' letter on Friday made an intriguing point about the recent campaigns of Rep. Heather Wilson and Attorney General Patricia Madrid. After viewing many commercials steeped in flashy colors, pictures of contorted faces, out-of-context information, deeply serious narrative voices, poor attempts at subliminal messaging and little to absolutely no factual basis for claims, I also have opinions about the campaign methods in the race for New Mexico's 1st Congressional District.

Editorial: Vote early or bring a book while you wait to feed R2

I'm not paddling into the rivers of the debate flowing on this opinion page to tell you that you have a civic duty to fulfill by voting in this year's election.

Letter: Quote in veteran article came across as ignorant

Editor, I was featured in an article about veteran students in Friday's Daily Lobo. I was quoted as bad-mouthing philosophy majors. To clarify, Joshua Curtis did not misquote me, and I was pleased with his article. It was an accurate quote, but it came across as pompous and ignorant, which is unfortunate.

Letter: Politicians will represent people who cast ballots

Editor, I am responding to the letter by J.P. Farish in the Oct. 20 issue of the Daily Lobo. I must admit, on election day, one is tempted to settle down in front of the television with a delicious Frito pie, telling oneself that corrupt politicians will feel the wrath of the nonvoter's statement.

Ed toons