Newspaper’s decision to place protest sign on front page in ‘poor taste’

This is in response to Andrew Sims’s letter stating that I possessed a “”profound lack of understanding”” in regard to a protest sign. (Mailbag, Feb. 2, 2009) Mr. Sims went on to describe the political symbolism of the picture of a coat hanger under a woman and how it related to higher education. He was appalled that I could not understand the image. Well, personally the image was offensive to me.

However, the entire point of my article was to say that I believed it was wrong for the Daily Wildcat to place that image on the front page. I was not attacking the girl at the rally, and I was not attacking the sign. With the handful of other pictures that were of the protest, my qualm was that the Wildcat used the poor judgment to use an offensive image on the front center cover.

I realize that to an engineer it may not be offensive, but to expose the entire student body to that image was in poor taste. It was not a comic meant to cause a stir on the inside, it was the first thing you saw when you glanced at a paper that day. Your personal feelings about how the budget was balanced aside, the Wildcat’s choice was in poor judgment.

Adam H. Lewis
political science senior

Governor’s Super Bowl excursion typical of Arizona’s rich

The story about the new governor and the budget cuts was interesting. (“”Brewer approves cutbacks, Feb. 2, 2009) As soon as she gutted public education, she got on a plane to the Super Bowl.

Who paid for that trip? Even if it was her personally, it is indicative of the problem in Arizona. The rich benefit from being in one of the most regressive taxed states, cut benefits, and then enjoy their luxurious lifestyles.

Arizona ranks 50th in the Smartest State Survey. This is mostly because of the underfunding of education despite having the ability. Arizona taxes the poor and working-class more heavily than the rich. In any event, ranking dead last in smarts is not the way to economic development.

Michael W. Simpson
American Indian doctoral student

Pro-life group relies on falsehoods to propagandize

Once again, the pro-life outfit known as Justice For All have come to the Mall with their 25-foot snuff porn signs in tow. While I would defend to the death their right to espouse a viewpoint I disagree with vehemently, I do not think this gives them the right to spread outright lies and misinformation.

There is no conclusive evidence that ties abortion procedures to increased rates of cervical or breast cancer, or increased incidence of depression or mental health issues. Furthermore, where are the alternatives such as birth control on these signs? For those of us who wish to dwell in the real world, abortion is not pretty or an ideal solution, but it must remain legal until we are able to solve some of the societal causes of unwanted children.

Outlawing abortion now would simply make it a luxury available to the super-rich, while poor women without options would once again have to resort to dangerous back alley procedures. It is a complex moral issue that demands levelheaded real world policy fixes, not visual screaming from 25-foot propagandistic billboards with Photoshopped carnage that only serve to shock people and stifle meaningful dialogue.

James J. Jefferies IV
political science senior