Monday, May 20, 1996
Ousting Clinton
Editor:
How far to the right will Clinton go before the left finally
decides enough is enough? He supports the barbaric practice of
capital punishment, he out-and-out lied about ending the ban on
gays in the military, and, in his role as loyal lap dog to
Florida’s right-wing Cuban immigrants, he continues the policy of
imperialist aggression against Cuba.
Now we are told that Clinton supports Republican-sponsored
legislation to outlaw same-sex marriages. ("Clinton targets
same-sex marriages," May 17) Clinton almost certainly needs
California’s 54 electoral votes in order to win reelection. By
casting their votes for either the Peace and Freedom Party or the
Green Party ticket, California’s progressives can register their
displeasure with the Democratic Party’s steady march to the
right.
Of course, this would throw the election to Dole, but at times
it is necessary to take one step backwards in order to go two steps
forward. Regardless of who wins, progressives should intensify
their grass-roots efforts to counter the Dole-Clinton right-wing
agenda.
Ron Richards
Graduate Student
Slavic Linguistics
Out of context
Editor:
As president of the Jewish Student Union, I made a mistake.
Throughout the year, I have unrealistically held the Daily Bruin to
the same standards as that of a reputable newspaper. It’s amazing
after all that’s transpired, after all the reprimands due to
unresponsible reporting and editing, the Daily Bruin managed to
screw up once again, but this time it was personal.
As a result of The Bruin misrepresenting my statements and
placing them out of context in "Speakers challenge limits of campus
free speech" (May 2), questions were raised according to Nathaniel
Wyckoff on my ability to represent Jewish concerns effectively
("Hate speech has no place on our campus," May 7).
It is important to clarify that my comments were made about free
speech and First Amendment rights in general. They were in no way,
shape or form said in reaction to the anti-Semitic, ridiculous
views of Banahya (the so-called black Israelite). But don’t blame
Wyckoff, he’s merely a victim of the Daily Bruin’s
incompetence.
What good is a campus paper when student leaders fear that
expressing their opinions will lead to misrepresentation,
misquotation and headaches? Let me conclude by reminding the Daily
Bruin that journalism is based on three principles: accuracy,
impartiality and responsibility. None of which I have witnessed
this year.
Joseph Levin
President
Jewish Student Union
Universal soldiers
Editor:
The purpose for this communication is to correct and clarify
parts of the article published in the Daily Bruin April 22,
"Unconventional ‘wisdom’ lands in Meyerhoff," on the Utopian
Synthesis Party and Allen Michael’s write-in campaign to change the
world for a better place to be.
With regards to who won World War II, inasmuch as Allen Michael
recognizes the relativity in all things and that there is no right
or wrong, he was only showing that the world would have been better
off had it been socialized as a result of that war. But a better
world will come eventually, as Michael Angell reported in the form
of a "Christian economic system," which means the holding of all
things in common (read Acts 4:32, 35).
The idea of being "Universal Soldiers" does not advocate that
youth should participate in worldwide draft-dodging as was stated.
They should go, and they should all agree to follow orders up to
the point of picking up a gun and killing the so-called enemy, who
is the same as themselves. They would agree to becoming universal
soldiers to help underprivileged and underdeveloped countries come
up with the same standard of living all over the world.
In closing, I wish the reporter hadn’t referred to Allen Michael
as "a sort of New-Age Militia member," but rather, as we in the One
World Family recognize him, as the New World Comforter (John 14:16,
17, 26).
David Mathiew
Campaign manager
Utopian Synthesis Party