Letters

Sunday, April 7, 1996Shared guilt

Editor:

What nonsense. david aguilar’s viewpoint ("Brutality shatters
ignorance," April 4) completely glossed over the most important
thing to remember about this incident: These were criminals fleeing
the police. The special interest groups would use the term
"workers" to describe these individuals. The fact is, in this case,
they were here illegally, they were endangering the lives of
themselves and others while resisting arrest and they ran when they
should have put their hands over there heads and stood still.

Make no mistake, the deputies were wrong and their lives are
ruined now, and perhaps rightly so. The fact remains that these
people put themselves in danger and must bear some responsibility
for their actions, not a popular concept in America these days.

The other issues mentioned in aguilar’s viewpoint have nothing
to do with this incident; they are part of a larger national
debate. As it is, these people got off less harshly than did the
car thief who escaped into mexiko last week. This poor guy, who I
am sure was just trying to feed his family, was shot by the mexikan
authorities. Where are the howls of outrage about that?

Chris Clark

Facilities

Korrection

Editor:

I would just like to point out to david aguilar that America is
spelled with a C and not a K ("Brutality shatters ignorance," April
4). I am tired of aguilar and others, in their remarks to the Daily
Bruin, insisting on spelling America with a K or KKK instead of a
C.

They have no respect for this country and want to say that
everyone is racist for the actions of a few. You all need to grow
up and learn some respect. If not, you can always leave this great
country.

By the way, people are found guilty in a court of law, not in
public opinion.

Robert Guyader

First-year

Math/economics

Love it or leave it

Editor:

If The Bruin has a policy against "the publication of articles
that perpetuate derogatory cultural or ethnic stereotypes," then
david aguilar’s Viewpoint piece ("Brutality shatters ignorance,"
April 4) should never have been printed.

References to "ameriKa," the failure to capitalize the "United
States," and numerous other slurs are extremely offensive to those
of us with beautifully-white skin. And, for the time being at
least, we’re still this nation’s largest ethnic group.

Furthermore, if this country is so oppressive and racist,
shouldn’t millions of people be risking their lives to leave,
rather than the other way around?

Perhaps our immigration problem could be solved if aguilar took
his show on the road abroad and warned prospective immigrants about
what America is "really" like. After all, they’ve probably heard a
lot of ugly rumors that the capitalist, exploitative gringos
provide subsidized food, housing, healthcare and university-level
education.

If aguilar and his ilk hate America so venomously, no one is
holding a gun to their heads, and the door is about 150 miles to
the south. Apparently, somebody left it wide open.

Joshua Saint

Manager of Administrative Computing

Social Sciences Computing

Veggie sense

Editor:

In the portion of Toni Dimayuga’s Monday article "Vegetarians
voice beefs" (April 1) regarding the practice of Seventh-day
Adventists (note the correct capitalization), she consulted an
excellent source ­ the health director from the local
Seventh-day Adventists Conference. However, Adventism seems to make
much less sense as a result of her interpretation.

"That God created the animal kingdom" does not forbid eating
animals. The book of Genesis tells us that up until the Flood,
people did not eat meat. It was after Noah and his family got out
of the ark that God allowed eating animals due to the destruction
of plants. (See Genesis 9.) But God also specified blood of animals
and some meats to be unclean (Leviticus 11), which reasoning
nowadays becomes scientifically obvious.

Thus it is not true that "any kind of meat except pork" is
clean, as implied in the article. The main reason for our
vegetarianism is that "veggies" are the original diet (Genesis
1:29). And note that the human life span significantly shortened
after having meats as part of the diet.

While not eating pork and shrimp, among other meats, is the
"minimum," not all Adventists are vegetarians (e.g. I still eat
chicken). Vegetarianism is encouraged in the denomination but not
required. Studies have shown Adventists to be healthier (in terms
of death rate and disease rate) than the general population, living
up to an average seven to 10 years longer.

Cecil Ma

Third-year

Atmospheric sciences