Letters to the editor

Sharing awards is common practice

I agree with Nissim’s point in her May 13 column,
“Character cannot replace good grades, hard work.”
Blair Hornstine’s accomplishments demonstrate that she is Ivy
League material. Still, it is very difficult to overlook the
motives behind her multi-million dollar lawsuit. Nissim compares
being valedictorian to winning a race, and I wholeheartedly
disagree.

Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling shared Major League
Baseball’s World Series MVP honors in 2001; Americans Nancy
Hogshead and Carrie Steinseifer shared the gold medal for the
women’s 100-meter freestyle swim competition at the 1984
Olympics; and countless Nobel Prizes in every category have been
shared between individual winners. But if these professionals sued
their respective governing leagues, society would immediately
question the characters of these people.

Nissim says, “We live in a competitive world.” True,
but in this world, even the brightest and most diligent individuals
are seldom successful by themselves. Teamwork is the true secret to
success, as those Nobel Prize winners will tell you, and that often
means sharing the limelight.

I was once in the same boat as Hornstine. In 2000 I shared my
valedictorian honor with 19 other students. Unlike her, however, I
was secure enough in myself and my accomplishments that I did not
have to waste my time with frivolous lawsuits.

Christopher Chee Third-year, neuroscience

Steinfeld learned and courageous

Rebecca Steinfeld offers a refreshing review of the 50th
anniversary of the state of Israel. Her review is far different
from the propagandist spin prevalent in mainstream media.

It was with enormous satisfaction that I was able to hear this
determined, articulate and learned woman debate talk radio gadfly
Dennis Prager. Much to Prager’s apparent alarm, Rebecca was
atypical of his usual college student guests, most of whom exhibit
a naivete and ignorance of real world issues bordering on the
embarrassing.

The courageous endeavors of people like Steinfeld are but a
candle in the dark in the dialogue of Israeli issues. Though
understandably most Jews remain staunchly uncritical of Israel, it
is always worth noting that the practices and policies of that
nation would be roundly condemned by those same Jews were they to
be duplicated in the United States.

Shannon Joseph Cream Chino, Calif.

Bruin blind to reality of images

The Daily Bruin Editorial Board’s “majority
opinion” of the fetal images set up by Justice for All is
ridiculously far-fetched (“Fetal images’ shock value
hinders debate,” May 13). What the editorial says
““ that Justice for All causes disgust as opposed to rational
debate ““ is blatantly untrue. Rather, those graphic
images illustrate the horrors of abortion. 

What bothers The Bruin is the fact that the truth of abortion
and the emotional and physical pain it causes for women is being
exposed on a liberal campus. The images inform and stir
people to express their opinions in a healthy and rational manner.
The views of Justice for All are not “shoved down
people’s throats.” I was there, and no one pressured me
to listen to what they had to say.

Nima Ghazai Fourth-year, English