Letters

Opponents of war on terrorists naive

While reading the Mitra Ebadolahi and Shirin Vossoughi column
disparaging the U.S. military response to the Sept. 11 attack
(“"Proper
retribution entails more thought, less force," Daily Bruin,
Viewpoint, Oct. 9), I felt the need to respond to the chiding
remark, “Yet it seems like most Americans were absent in
kindergarten when we learned about loving everyone equally and not
hitting back.”

I would argue that most Americans, myself included, were present
that day in kindergarten. We were also present later on in high
school and college when we learned that in the real world there are
exceptions to these simple rules. Were you absent on those days?
Would you sit still and not hit back if someone tried to beat you
to death? I rather doubt it.

The United States has taken a number of small blows from
terrorists on the international playground and we have dutifully
turned to diplomacy and the legal system to solve the problem. Our
reward for playing nice has been more attacks of ever increasing
frequency and audacity.

Now the terrorists have snuck into our home and killed 6,000
members of our American family. They have also declared their
intention to come after the rest of us. In such a situation, only
someone with a kindergartner’s naivete would still suggest
that “not hitting back” is our best response.

Matthew Thompson Graduate student Physics

Shapiro incorrect about sexuality

As an openly gay UCLA student, I would like to take this
opportunity to personally thank Ben Shapiro who, through his
disastrously unsympathetic ramblings, flawlessly illustrated every
reason why National Coming Out Week is such a worthwhile and
important event (“Gaudy display of pride does nothing to
raise awareness,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, Oct. 10).

It’s people like Shapiro who constantly remind me why
it’s not only appropriate but necessary for gays and lesbians
to be open and proud about who they are at every opportunity.

Homosexuals should take solace in the fact that those who oppose
them are not people with well-reasoned claims to defend their
bigotry, but rather small minds like Shapiro who use ignorant
emotional appeals to spew forth their loosely-veiled,
blindly-conceived hatred of an entire group.

Rick Goldberg Fourth-year Political science

Visibility of gays a social necessity

Ben Shapiro’s column missed the point (“Gaudy
display of pride does nothing to raise awareness,” Daily
Bruin, Viewpoint, Oct. 10). Politically and personally, people
around the country care very much when one person says that he or
she is gay or lesbian. Why else would the Rev. Fred Phelps travel
around the country with his “God hates fags!” signs?
Why else would there still be new legislation to prevent gays and
lesbians from getting married? For you to say that someone’s
homosexuality is a non-issue is to ignore what is going on in the
world.

I will grant you that UCLA is much more accepting than some
places. I did my undergraduate work in North Carolina where Sen.
Jesse Helms said gays should die; I grew up hearing negative jokes
about gay people. Now if you believe that those attitudes
don’t affect the way a person sees himself, you do need some
help.

Coming Out Week is about finding pride in who I am. It’s
also about coming together with others and empowering ourselves to
stand up. It’s easy to legislate against an invisible
minority ““ and it’s easy to make jokes about the
Village People when you can’t see who you’re hurting.
That’s why Coming Out Week is necessary. That’s why it
will always be necessary.

Jeff Thomas Graduate student Organismic biology, ecology
and evolution