Dear Editor:
I am writing to respond to an editorial that ran last week titled "NAACP Without a Clue."ÿIn the article, the author attacked the NAACP and made personal attacks at chairman Julian Bond, also a professor at AU. In response I say, 'Just the facts, please.'
The fact is, Chairman Bond was and still is a leader in the fight for a better quality of life for African-Americans and other minorities. The fact is that a private citizen has the right to exercise dismay at a presidential administration without threat of a politically charged IRS investigation.
ÿThe article was typical of the conservative attack machine and its broad silencing of dissenters. ÿPresident George W. Bush is crying foul, refusing to meet unscripted with black leaders, because of some opposition by members of the minority community.ÿBush needs to suck it up, pick himself up by his cowboy bootstraps and recognize the NAACP for what it is - America's oldest and largest civil rights organization.
Anthony E. Valdez Junior, SPA
Dear Editor:
After reading the article "Black Panther Co-Founder to Speak on Civil Rights" in The Eagle on Monday, I was very surprised and disappointed at the one-sidedness of the article about speaker Bobby Seale and the Black Panthers.ÿFor example, the article goes into detail about two trials where the charges were dropped, but marginalizes the positive contributions the Black Panther Party for Self Defense made to urban communities.ÿThis includes free breakfasts for thousands of children daily, grocery giveaways to poor families and transportation for senior citizens, all provided by the party. The article also does not put the controversy over the party in the context of the harassment Seale and the Black Panther Party endured through the FBI's COINTELPRO, which included a media campaign that played up the party's dangerous encounters and minimized the positive social programs developed by the party.ÿArticles such as this fit well into that media campaign.
The above grievances, in addition to the reference to Black Panther Party co-founder Huey Newton by his first name, indicate a lack of respect by the author for the subjects of the article.ÿI've come to expect a higher standard from The Eagle.
Lindsey McDaniel Senior, CAS
Dear Editor:
In the four-plus years that I have been an AU student, I have noticed that 99.9 percent of the sketchings done in various elevators throughout campus have been of male or female genatalia. My question is why? I'm not advocating vandalizing school property, but if you are, get more creative! The spread eagles and penises have been done countless times before! I say, if you are going to put in the time and effort to add your mark to one of our campuses, use that organ that brought you here to AU in the first place...your brain!
Ellen Lembrich Senior, SOC
