Letters to the Editor
Posted on April 24, 2006

Please stop making fools of yourselves

I suggest an investigation into the JMU Republicans, because I would swear that it is actually a group of Liberals trying to sabotage the Conservative name. I can think of no other reason for the recent advertising for the Animal Rights Barbecue. If a group is trying to help the Conservative movement, this could very well be the last thing that they would want to do. Let’s think about it: what is this barbeque going to accomplish? Absolutely nothing … unless you count the many moderate JMU students who see the ad and say, “Wow, look at what a bunch of morons Conservatives are.” Thanks guys, I would like the conservative party to have a shot at the presidency next election and you just lost us some votes. Furthermore, what kind of heathen barbarians are you that you think that eating meat is anything to be glorified? That is about as mature as glorifying going to the bathroom. If you want to affect people’s point of view on whether or not to consume meat, the only way to go about it is to convince them that it is an amoral act, meaning that it is on a level with consuming wheat, or vegetables, or sugar … it is neither right nor wrong. We eat meat because it is nutritious or because we enjoy the taste, not because we want to spite those who tell us not to; why give them that power? And honestly, you might do a better job picking your battles. As a young Conservative trying to help the movement, I know that I will stay as far away from your organization as possible, and if I must, I will clean up after you as you go destroy our name. But if you could do me one favor, I would be endlessly grateful: next time you choose to do something so stupid, don’t claim to be Conservatives while you are at it; we don’t want you.

John Robinson, sophomore economics major

Runners get no respect

Some of the world’s best-conditioned athletes competed in last Monday’s Boston Marathon. The winning time for the 26.2 mile course was 2:07:14. That’s a 4:51 per-mile pace! Also worth mentioning, five American men placed in the top 10, a feat unmatched since 1985. Three of these men, Meb Keflezighi, Brian Sell and Alan Culpepper, finished in the top five. Clearly, Americans proved their waxing strength in distance running at Boston. And with recently formed programs to develop national class runners into world-class athletes, such the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and the Nike-sponsored Oregon Project, American running may markedly improve in coming years. Yet, no one seems to care. The day after the fabled Boston Marathon, CNN.com, SportsIllustrated.com, USAToday.com, and Foxnews.com didn’t even mention the race. The Charlottesville Daily Progress and The Roanoke Times carried only diminutive articles near the back of their sports sections. One had to look at The New York Times to find decent coverage. In an era of doping and disreputable athletes, it’s time for us to give more admiration and respect to our elite runners.

Americans consider baseball our national pasttime. But let’s take a look at the laughable, and moreover irresponsible, MLB drug policy. If a player tests positive for steroids four times, he receives a one-year suspension. In contrast, the first time a runner tests positive for steroids, he or she gets a two-year suspension, enforced by the USA Track and Field Association. If that runner gets caught a second time, he or she is banned for life. What message does this send to children, who often idolize athletes, about professional baseball and its players? Certainly not all baseball players are dopers, but runners are undoubtedly held to higher standards. While Keflezighi, Sell and Culpepper train hard for Olympic gold, sometimes running up to 120 miles a week, Barry Bonds arguably shoots up “Tijuana Gold.” But who gets the media coverage? Who do our young people see on television, in newspapers, and online? Americans should embrace distance running as a respectable national pastime, and support our elite runners as they continue to represent our country well.

John Neathawk, senior English major

Students can help raise minimum wage

As a student in the social work program at Longwood University, I have recently been volunteering with the Virginia Organizing Project, where I will complete my field placement over the summer. The project that I am working on is the campaign to increase Virginia’s minimum wage. Part of my project is to get people to sign a petition supporting an increase in the minimum wage. A question I have encountered often while petitioning has been: “Why should we care?” 

Imagine that you are a minimum-wage worker in Virginia. You work full-time making $5.15 an hour with an annual income of just $9,893 after taxes. In Virginia, nearly 150,000 families are at this income. It seems obvious that paying our minimum-wage workers enough to sustain their families is not just a good idea. It is the right thing to do.

It takes more than a good idea to make something happen. It takes connections with people who will stand behind that idea and put the effort into it to see it work. We as students have a unique opportunity as we prepare to return home for the summer. The number of signatures that my organization has set as our goal is big, to say the least. But I have to wonder, if JMU students going home for the summer took the petition with them, how many signatures could they secure in their homes across the state? 

I believe that apathy, manifested in the “I don’t care” attitude so prevalent in our generation of young people, is a defense mechanism to cover up a sense of powerlessness. Petitions to raise the minimum wage in Virginia can be found at virginia-organizing.org/minimum_wage.php. I would encourage you to own your power and use that power to benefit the lives of minimum-wage workers across our state. Be heard. Let us bring together our collective voices and say:  Increase Virginia’s minimum wage!

Helen Dempsey, Charlottesville

In defense of the romantic comedy

Cheesy, predictable, unrealistic. All of these are complaints leveled against romantic comedies by some of my more practically minded friends. They’re probably right, but honestly, I don’t care. I think that in this unpredictable, often grossly unfair world, there’s something redeeming about the idea of true love conquering all, even if forever lasts for just 92 minutes.

Turn on the news and you’ll hear stories about car bombs in Baghdad, campaign finance scandals in Congress, and college lacrosse teams accused of rape. Are there ways to try and solve these problems? I hope so. Is watching “Just Like Heaven” on DVD one of them? Probably not.

I still think that there are benefits to watching a good romantic comedy, though. They send the message that people are essentially good, and that the desire to improve yourself and the world around you always pays off in the end. Sometimes it seems like it takes a conscious effort not to become cynical about current events. Cynicism often leads to apathy, and apathy is incredibly dangerous. It’s true that horrible things happen every day, but how can we ever hope for change, much less take action, unless we believe in happy endings? I, for one, am headed downstairs to watch a movie.

Sara Lunsford, sophomore political science major