Bin Laden must be eliminated
I was disappointed that the Daily Bruin would take the position
that we do not “need to be violent in order to be
effective” in winning the war against terrorism
(“Violent
conflict not a practical response,” Viewpoint, Oct. 3).
Eliminating the Taliban, a repressive and illiberal group of
tyrants who run the government of Afghanistan, would serve not only
as a way of eliminating a safe haven for terrorists such as Osama
bin Laden, it would also clear the way for more humane treatment of
women, children, men and even animals.
We are talking about a country that is so repressive and
conservative that you cannot own a television. Also,
eliminating bin Laden is also not merely “symbolic.”
While there might be many who would like to take his place in the
world, there are few who have his resources at their disposal. We
cannot let bin Laden continue to plan new missions in Afghanistan;
he must be eliminated from the face of the earth. All those who
consider themselves liberal and oppose eliminating this group of
tyrants and terrorists should have shame.
Michael Gordon Fourth-year Political
science
Jones ignores facts, unfair to groups
If Andrew Jones had bothered to pick up a newspaper before
attacking advocates of Palestinian statehood as uniformly
“anti-American,” he might have noticed that the idea of
a new state contiguous to Israel is supported not only by many
Muslims and Jews, but remains under serious consideration to become
the policy of the U.S. government (“Muslims
should endorse U.S. retaliation,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint,
Oct. 3).
While the terrorist attacks caused the Secretary of State to
postpone a speech outlining U.S. support for a Palestinian state,
the Bush Administration is still considering adopting the position,
even in the drastically altered diplomatic landscape (“Before
Attacks, U.S. Was Ready to Say It Backed Palestinian State,”
New York Times, Oct. 2).
As a journalist, Mr. Jones should know that his primary
allegiance is to factual accuracy, even in an opinion piece.
Not only is his column poorly-researched, his jingoistic
denunciation of two campus groups for their political beliefs, in
an atmosphere when American Muslims and non-Muslims alike are
already subject to ostracism and violence, is downright
dangerous.
Times of national crisis require clear, rational thought and
action, not unconsidered ranting.
Andrew Rosenblum Third-year English
Obituary inadequate, insensitive
I am writing to express my anger and frustration with the
cursory manner in which the Daily Bruin staff chose to deal with
the death of my sister, Danielle Mai Ting Jue (“Obituaries,”
Daily Bruin, News, Sept. 27). In the online version of the article,
Danielle’s picture and obituary is clumped among obituaries
for the victims of the terrorist attacks and listed under the
subhead, “The campus community mourns the deaths of alumni in
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.”
However, Danielle was not a victim of the terrorist attacks, nor
was she an alumna, and the online staff’s lack of discretion
and sensitivity to this detail is extremely callous.
Of the four people listed, Danielle was the only one who was
currently attending UCLA, yet no real distinction was made. By no
means do I mean to diminish the tragic deaths of the victims of the
terrorist attacks, but as the official student newspaper for UCLA,
the Daily Bruin has a responsibility to the campus community to
take the time to pay proper respect to its students with accuracy
and sensibility.
Danielle had many classmates, coworkers and friends at UCLA who
knew her and would want to know more than the allotted
six-paragraph summary which appeared in the paper. Those mere six
graphs fall short of anything but a conciliatory and feigned
gesture of compassion. It was a real slap in the face to someone
who deserves so much more.
Furthermore, throughout the process of working with the Daily
Bruin, I found some of the staff’s treatment of this tragedy
quite perfunctory and even insulting. The original reporter
assigned to the story seemed more intent upon quickly gathering the
information he needed to make deadline than delving into the
relevance and importance of the story.
Of course, the staff did not know my sister. For if they had,
they would have wanted to give her the proper remembrance she
rightfully deserves. If they had known her, they would have known
that she was a passionate, caring and giving person whom friends
and family leaned on because of her strong, prudent and tenacious
character. They would have wanted to recognize her for the positive
and persevering outlook she maintained despite her hardships. And
they would have wanted to do so with conviction and pride.
As someone astutely noted, “Danielle was better at being
human than most.” I only hope the Daily Bruin exercises
better judgment in the future.
Colette Jue Class of 1999