Editor, The Daily Lobo deserves praise for publishing an article Wednesday that makes people aware of the problems that gay people are still facing as a community. All too often, people look no further than the Bible for resources. They turn to the Bible, which has been interpreted and reinterpreted by priests, pastors and parents over and over again through the years.
Editor, Students are well-known for voicing opinions about lack of satisfaction with politics, the war in Iraq, global warming, nuclear proliferation, the use of University resources to proliferate nuclear weapons, energy alternatives and many other issues confronting us today.
Editor, As a commuter student who takes the shuttle from Zia Lot every day, I was distressed to hear that parking and transportation services decided to close Zia Lot starting Monday. Parking is a huge issue here at UNM, and I shudder to think of the overcrowding and inefficiency that will result from eliminating 500 to 600 parking spots in an already bloated and overcrowded parking system.
Editor, I feel I must address Rachel Berardinelli's letter about the potential smoking ban. She raises two issues. The first is valid - Friday's issue of the Daily Lobo presented a bad case for the smoke-free campus initiative. Opinions of people like Alex Hansell, who have no valid reason aside from their dislike of smokers to rid the campus of smoke, are not representative of the UNM Smoke-Free Campus Coalition's position.
Editor, As a smoker, the debate over eliminating smoking on campus seems almost entirely one-sided, so I thought I would throw in my opinion. I would like to comment on the smokers that showed up at the forum last Thursday. It was certainly out of line for them to do what they did, and I'm sure that most people will agree with that.
Editor, I was appalled at the coverage of the demonstration for justice that took place Thursday. Before the protest, I saw no announcement in your newspaper that it was to occur, though I do know you were notified. The photograph you showed was not at all representative of the diverse crowd of people that participated.
Editor, In response to the question of the week about smoking in Friday's issue of the Daily Lobo, I wonder if anyone asked Alex Hansell what she thought of African-Americans, gay people, Jews, skateboarders, cyclists and people who don't speak English. I just want to know if her bigotry is limited to people who smoke, or if it's a general hatred of traits that are different from her own.
Daily Lobo, I got a question about coffee intake.
First, I'd like to say that I think the Daily Lobo is usually a great way for the UNM community to get its news. However, Monday's issue made it clear that it presents a one-sided view of certain issues. For example, Greek life on campus.
Editor, This is in response to the letter by Rachel Shreve about abortion in the Oct. 2 Daily Lobo. Speaking as a female scientist, I would like to agree that generally there is no debate that biological life begins at conception. Yet, life in the biological sense just means that a cell is able to metabolize nutrients, produce energy to grow and reproduce.
Editor, Thursday's Daily Lobo article on the smoke-free forum neglected to address two important subjects. It first failed to provide any of the information on the consequences of secondhand smoke that was presented by the panel of experts in the field, and it also neglected to mention the disrespectful behavior of the students who attempted to represent at least some of the smokers on campus.
Editor, I am a citizen of New Mexico, so UNM is my University. I am appalled that the war planners are using my University in my state to promote genocide. I come from a long line of military people. My father was a B-17 pilot and firebombed Germany, and he came home and killed himself because he had participated in that horror.
Editor, In Thursday's Daily Lobo, student Estaban Sena wrote, "Without the continuing need for improved military technology, New Mexico would not have much else to offer the nation." The truth is that while the national laboratories support the economic welfare of some people, what they create is not beneficial to our nation in general.
Editor, In Dean Vera Norwood's letter to the Daily Lobo on Friday, she stated that there was adequate opportunity for the public to comment on UNM's involvement with nuclear weapons and other issues brought up at the meeting where Robert Anderson was arrested.
Editor, Maybe we just don't understand how President George Bush is trying to defeat the terrorists. Bush frequently tells us that the terrorists hate us because of what we stand for and that we must defeat them. Is it possible that instead of defeating
Editor, Conservative Republicans, alongside our prestigious Rep. Heather Wilson, pride themselves on their superior moral qualities. In fact, it is foundational to their entire approach to government. This explains the zeal with which they pursued Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky, leading to the former's impeachment.
Editor, A number of misconceptions have evolved following the Sept. 30 symposium at UNM at which a local activist was arrested. As interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and someone who was actually present at the forum, I would like to correct these misconceptions.
Editor, I want to thank all the participants of the Smoke-Free Campus Forum, especially the panel of experts who presented statistics and ideas, like that more than 3,000 deaths each year are due to secondhand smoke; that cities like Calabasas, Calif., are smoke-free; that Presbyterian campus and all its clinics are smoke-free; that tobacco companies are targeting youth by sweetening cigarettes in a concentrated effort to replace dying smokers; that any amount of secondhand smoke is harmful; that tobacco negatively affects youth; that nicotine is an addiction; and finally, that UNM will eventually be smoke-free.
Editor, I think it would be nice if the Daily Lobo published the number of participants during this year's homecoming elections, just to compare it to the number of students that voted during the last elections for mayor and president. I am sure many of us would be impressed with the results.
Solutions by The State News
