Letters to the Editor

Vandalism at Sheil hurtful even if it wasn't a hate crime

Can "hate crime" be stricken from the record already? I may be getting into a semantic battle, but can't all crimes having a hurtful impact on its community, like the vandalism at Sheil, be considered crimes of hate? It seems to me that Francesca Jarosz was asking leading questions about whether the vandalism at Sheil was just an ordinary, boring old crime, or if it was -- insert gasp -- a hate crime.

This is becoming ridiculous. I am curious to know why "incident not hate crime" needs to be stated as fact in the title of Monday's front-page article in The Daily. Would the crime be more significant if it were discovered that the vandal committed the act with "hate propagation" as their motive?

The bottom line remains: An important symbol was damaged because of some person's actions. Whether or not the vandal premeditated this act out of hate for a certain group is inconsequential because its effect on the community is just as destructive as that of a "hate crime."

Andrea Otteson

Weinberg senior

History profs' advertisement lacks respect for U.S. policy

To the respected history professors and staff listed in the paid advertisement that appeared in Monday's Daily: Who isn't appalled at the escalation of violence in Iraq? Are there actually people out there who like this kind of violence?

And what did the professors meant by "unilateralism?" Does a coalition of 30 countries count as unilateral?

What is the solution? Equal amounts of troops from every country in the world like France, China, the United States and the Vatican? Or maybe just those special western countries, as only elitists know how to choose?

There's a reason terrorists haven't hijacked any planes and flown them into buildings recently -- it's because we're in a war, and we have a president who has stated that we will win that war. If that upsets you, feel free to fly to Iraq (watch out for terrorists), and explain how appalled you are about it to the Iraqi men, women and children who had loved ones murdered by Saddam.

I may disagree with the stated views, but luckily, our conservative friends in the U.S. Armed Forces are out there protecting our freedoms and fighting terror so that you and I can have this eloquent discussion.

Take your faith in the U.N. and put it in our volunteer troops.

Russell Riggins

McCormick senior

With more than 100 friends it sure feels like a community

What was thought impossible has become a reality -- a community at Northwestern. I'd like to thank thefacebook.com for its help. Sure, we had ph, but we were missing one thing -- a social network. With thefacebook.com, I now have the satisfaction of knowing just how many friends I have and that, in only three steps, I'm connected to over 1,000 others!

And do I ever mean friends! Many people have well over 100 "friends" at their disposal, and the Facebook does not lie. When I look someone up and find out they have 121 friends, I know that person truly is more popular than me. And I cry myself to sleep.

With nearly everyone freely providing a picture and AIM screenname, you can start stalking -- I mean talking to -- almost anyone: reading away messages, checking class schedules, seeing how close we are to being soulmates. See a cute girl in your poli sci class? Maybe she's on the Facebook! Even if you'll never talk to her, why not add her to your AIM buddy list? Why else did she list her screenname?

But it gets better. With endless search options, you can find more than 500 people seeking "random play!" With those kinds of odds, plus pictures and cell phone numbers, you're sure to find someone to hook up with every Thursday night for the rest of the year.

So in the end, creating a community was easy: We just needed a fertile ground where people don't realize how forthcoming they are, a place where acquaintances translate into connections with people you would never know otherwise, and probably never will.

And for those ready to call for a restraining order -- check my interests on the Facebook.

Eric Bjorlin

Weinberg senior