Letters to the editor

Students should beware of social injustice

I admittedly entered UCLA ignorant to many of the injustices in
the United States and in California. I lived a very privileged,
upper middle-class existence. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough
to take some really eye-opening classes that have completely
changed my perspective on the world.

At first I was just blatantly angry. Then I began to feel
helpless. After all, what can one person do to change the world?
And then I came to realize that there is a lot one person can do
““ they can urge others to join in the fight to make the world
a more fair, more caring place.

This is my call to UCLA to educate ourselves about the social
injustices in the world. We are all very intelligent, ambitious
people. So why do we not have the drive to learn things beyond
what’s given to us and to use that knowledge to make a
positive impact?

The Community Service Commission has started a new educational
series entitled “Advocacy Weeks.” This is our effort to
open people’s eyes, to bring people to their feet. Our first
Advocacy Week, during fourth week, will be themed
“Inequalities in Education.” After doing hours of
research about educational inequities, I was disturbed to discover
that racial segregation is still alive and well here in California.
Even closer to home, schools in Los Angeles are grossly separate
and unequal.

I hope that this series will pique your interest, and
you’ll come to our panel of speakers to learn even more. And
above all that, I really hope that your eyes have been opened, and
you have a genuine desire to do something about these
inequalities.

Crystal Lee USAC Community Service
commissioner

Editorial too severe with U.S. military

Regarding your editorial “U.S. ought to re-examine its
moral, ethical codes” (1/28), what took place in Iraq was not
torture but prisoner abuse and transgressions which have all but
ended. Yes, proper administrative supervision was severely lacking.
Yes, the conduct of some of the prisoner guards was
reprehensible.

But if what we have done in Iraq is torture, what do you call
what the insurgents have done ““ for example, beheadings? Use
of phrases in your editorial such as “appalling
torture,” “bankrupt neo-con moralism” and
“ethical crisis” are unadulterated hyperbole.

The loathing the Daily Bruin editorial board apparently has for
the country, military and current administration gets rather
tiresome.

Edwin Gauld Westwood resident