Letters

Don’t be duped by homeless

I read the editorial concerning the problem of homelessness in
Westwood (“Homelessness in Westwood exaggerated,” Nov.
22). I do agree with you that the problem won’t be easy to
solve. I am the owner of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
in the Village and I see the panhandling going on all day.

Some of the homeless get very aggressive and even curse at
people who don’t give them money. I have heard them curse out
a college student because she was going to give him some of her
fries instead of the sandwich he requested.

What was not in your editorial was mention of the fact that most
of the homeless elect to live that way. Also, many of them are not,
in fact, homeless. They make between $200-$500 a day asking for
money. Do you make that kind of money ““ tax-free? I know I
don’t. 

Some of the “homeless” are dropped off by vans who
later come by and pick them up at the end of a days work. Some have
been caught getting out of their wheel chairs and walking to their
cars. Granted there are truly homeless individuals out there, but
which ones? It is not always easy to distinguish between the
homeless and the con artist.

If you’re gullible enough to believe everything you see,
try handing them a job application or offer them a job and see what
happens.

Mike Madvig Owner, Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory

Bruin fans owe team an apology

After reading Bryan Peebler’s letter, “Team should
be embarrassed,” I was disgusted that a Bruin could speak
that way about his own team (Letters, Nov. 25). The letter says
that the team “owes us fans “¦ an apology,” and I
ask for what reason?

The team played a good game against “U$C” and the
only thing I was embarrassed about was the lack of support from the
crowd. By the end of third quarter, the UCLA stands were deserted
““ admitting an early defeat to the Trojans. Only the loyal
fans stayed around after the game to cheer on their team while the
so-called fans left early to “beat traffic.” Despite
the lack of support from their school, our athletes held on and
continued to close the gap as well as provide a powerful defense
against USC.

As for the team, I am proud to say that I am a Bruin and will
continue to support our team at the Washington game.

Meg Millett First-year, undeclared

Editorial Board makes mistakes

See the Daily Bruin Editorial Board.

See the Daily Bruin Editorial Board endorsing illegal
behavior.

It is utterly irresponsible of you to advocate that protesters
trespass on military installations to get a point across
(“Homelessness in Westwood exaggerated,” Nov. 22). Even
Cohen saw the error in his ways ““ a point which you
completely ignored in your piece. While he did say that he would go
back to protest, he clearly stated that he would not enter the base
grounds again. All Americans have the right to peacefully assemble
in public as long as they don’t break any laws in the
process.

Marc Levy Fourth-year, mechanical
engineering

Lives of U.S. citizens must be top priority

I was dismayed that Muneer Adhami’s submission,
“U.S. pursues selfish ends in foreign policy” (Nov.
26), argued it was immoral for our government to exclusively
protect the oft-reviled “American interests.” In making
his argument, Adhami ignores the one proper purpose of government:
the protection of individual rights.

Any government’s utmost interest must be the protection of
its citizens’ most basic right, the right to life. This
means that any moral government must work to further its own
interests (the most important of which is protecting its citizens)
as opposed to humanitarian or altruistic concerns. Surely the
readers of the Daily Bruin can see that any government which held
the interests of poor or hostile nations above those of its own
citizens would be evil and would collapse.

Unfortunately, the U.S. government must sometimes kill in order
to protect American lives and interests.  Sometimes those it
kills are innocents. These casualties are called collateral damage
(not, as many critics claim, wanton slaughter) because they are the
unintended and undesired side effects of the government’s
effort to protect Americans. As tragic as these deaths are,
they must not stop the government from taking the necessary steps
to save American lives. Our government is and must remain more
concerned with our well being than that of foreign nationals. Just
as the Iraqi government should be more interested in saving Iraqi
lives than in saving American ones.

Robert Johnston President, The Objectivist Club at
UCLA