by Dane Roberts Daily Lobo columnist Let's say I landed in the United States two weeks ago, just as the tragic damage done by Hurricane Katrina was becoming apparent. Let's also say that I depended on America's newspaper of record, The New York Times, for all my news and opinion.
Editor, I am amazed at the ignorance Larry Crum displays in his letter to the editor, which states that gays who cannot donate blood are overreacting. I'm going to take this down point by point, and hopefully enlighten some heterosexuals in the process. First of all, blood that is collected is screened for HIV and other blood-borne diseases, regardless of what the donor claims as a risk level.
Editor, City Councilor Eric Griego was the only mayoral candidate who showed up to the debate last Thursday, which had been planned weeks in advance at UNM. The other three candidates, including current Mayor Martin Ch†vez, were too busy vying for the endorsement of the Albuquerque Police Officer's Association at an emergency meeting of the organization to follow through with the promise they had made to the UNM community.
Editor, I am writing in response to Antoinette Murphy's letter in Thursday's Daily Lobo. In it, she describes the New Orleans Jazz Funeral cartoon as disgraceful and disrespectful. I have never been to Louisiana, and I did not liken the picture to the orchestra on the Titanic.
Editor, Political cartoons are open to more than one valid interpretation. It seems many readers have chosen to infer the most negative messages and have expressed outrage at the recent cartoon about the New Orleans disaster. I thought it was a good, respectful cartoon.
by James Stambaugh Daily Lobo columnist Most, if not all, of the world's social and political problems can be solved by the common household dog. Those loyal and furry pets have the potential to eradicate world hunger, bring about peace in the Middle East and bring every religious group together.
Editor, Thank heaven United Blood Services does not accept blood from people who admit to being gay. Marshall Martinez said he is expected to be a good American and help out, but can't give blood. He is expected to be a good American, just as all Americans are, regardless of their sexual orientation.
by Samara Alpern Daily Lobo columnist Hair of the dog, greasy breakfasts - it seems that for every novelty martini there's an equally unappetizing hangover remedy. But do any of them work? Despite the fact that humans have been consuming alcohol to excess for thousands of years, science has yet to take the time to study which of these remedies is effective.
Editor, As usual, the Democratic Party is playing it criminally safe. And as usual they've got their same old tiresome and cowardly rationalizations. The Bush administration and its fellow Republicans are a moral abomination. This is obvious to barnyard animals, and it's been obvious for the last five years.
Editor, I was not offended by the cartoon of the jazz funeral proceeding through the flooded streets of New Orleans in last Friday's Daily Lobo. In fact, it made me cry. What offended me was the statement, in the same Lobo, by the young man who will not give anything "because the government should be doing more.
Editor, After watching the news for the last week, it seems that the media are blaming the federal government for the chaos after Katrina. The media are proclaiming the federal agencies responded too slowly and are, therefore, responsible for people dying.
Editor, I am writing about the article "Gay men not allowed to give blood" in Tuesday's Daily Lobo. Marshall Martinez feels he was wrongly deferred from donating because of his sexual orientation. I urge him to check the Centers for Disease Control Web site, which shows that gay men represented at least 63 percent of new HIV cases in the United States in 2003.
Editor, On Friday, the Daily Lobo published a cartoon in the Opinion section that I felt was disgraceful. Let me first say that I am from New Orleans and have been at UNM for three years now. In seeing this publication, I was highly disturbed. The cartoon depicted the French Quarter flooded with African-Americans lined up behind a band.
by Maceo Carrillo Martinet Daily Lobo columnist I was driving my truck to school today when I heard on the radio, "How about buying an SUV? Prices are at an all-time low." I thought to myself, who in their right mind would want to buy an SUV with the rise in gas prices? Who wants to watch the price dial rise as if you won the jackpot at the casino in reverse every time you fill up? Why are we being encouraged to buy some of the worst gas-guzzling, inefficient vehicles on the market at a time when we know there is a horrible connection between oil and the bloodshed in Iraq? After filling up my own light truck, I thought, if these are the most inefficient cars in terms of gas for the buck, then why are trucks 8,500 pounds or heavier exempt from certain federal regulation? Why are these gas-addicted vehicles some of most affordable on the market? SUVs and related vehicles went from being near non-existent on the roads in 1990, to today, when one in every two people have one.
Editor, This letter is to the many people who were at UNM on Aug. 30 and were verbally attacked by the very abusive and radical Christian family that visited our campus. This family, preaching in the name of Jesus Christ, attacked everyone that walked by.
Hurricane Katrina, in the devastation it has wrought on thousands of Americans - many of them the poorest and most vulnerable - has forced this nation to examine issues from which it has turned away, including and especially those of racism and class. Race in particular has come to the attention of the Daily Lobo because of an editorial cartoon in Friday's paper that sparked concerns among the African-American community at UNM and in Albuquerque.
Editor, It took George Bush two full days into the raging hurricane crisis to come out of the safe haven of his Texas ranch in Crawford, where he had been holed up for weeks vacationing while stubbornly avoiding the questions mothers of fallen soldiers were asking him in public, waiting in vain for an intelligible response.
Editor, Like so many other people, I have been watching the hurricane coverage on television in total shock and awe. One problem I have with all the news coverage is the reporting on the looting that is going on in New Orleans and other surrounding areas.
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