Thanks to Xanthos, troops
I just wanted to say thank you to Samantha Xanthos ("Reflections from a Soldier," Dec. 3).
Many of us - students and Americans alike - don't appreciate our freedom enough.
I commend you on your efforts to ensure our country's safety and freedom. Your story really was touching, and I'm so happy that you returned home safely. As for the other soldiers who are still fighting for us, you are a mainstay in our thoughts and prayers!
-Samantha Haines
SOPHOMORE PRE-BUSINESS
Give criteria for cartoon
In Eric Spratling's column ("Sharon lampoon reveals European Anti-Semitism," Dec. 4), he contends that since Ariel Sharon is a Jew, the cartoonist obviously wrote it in an anti-Semitic fervor. However, there is no proof or evidence that Dave Brown is an anti-Semite.
Why did Mr. Spratling assume the cartoon was anti-Semitic? Because Ariel Sharon is Jewish. Now, Mr. Spratling says that cartoons could be drawn about Ariel Sharon that weren't based on anti-Semitic sentiment, but I ask, how could one pick out that cartoon?
It seems as though he has set up an ever-changing standard: that cartoons about Jewish people are anti-Semitic when he says so. That's not such a great standard. Every time someone attacks Ariel Sharon the person, Mr. Spratling can claim that person is a rabid anti-Semite, and that just doesn't work.
I challenge Mr. Spratling to present a set of criteria that would help us less-informed lackeys determine whether a cartoon or other media is created in a spirit of anti-Semitism, and he should provide an example of a joke on Ariel Sharon that he doesn't consider anti-Semitic.
-David Madden
FRESHMAN PHILOSOPHY
FERPA shield should stay
I was disappointed at the lack of consideration for an individual's privacy in Tuesday's editorial. After reading the article, my impression of the journalists at The State Press is that of a "bitter gossip," enraged at the mere idea that a person making a mistake in whatever form should even have the right to privacy.
Do we really need to know the sordid details of why public officials were removed from office? They made a mistake, and apparently it was bad enough to warrant removal from office. Can't we leave it at that?
For some reason we have become a society that needs to know everything about everyone. I don't know when journalism became an arena for publicly castigating people, but it is something that I hope will change.
-Eric Dykeman
GRADUATE STUDENT PHYSICS
In Wednesday's editorial, The State Press suggests that protection of privacy should not extend to those "who have done wrong" if they hold high-profile positions or participate in public activities.
The simple truth is students make mistakes, and mistakes are part of learning. It is our mission to educate, and a mistake often creates a unique "teachable moment." If FERPA protections were absent, those student icons who err would be punished not only for their poor judgment, but also for first having attempted something extraordinary in their education.
Public humiliation serves no one, and unless a crime is committed, the public does not have the right to know the details of a student's more difficult lessons in life.
-David Wright
RESEARCH PROFESSIONAL CENTER FOR SOLID STATE SCIENCE
