Letters to the Editor

Stringent security To the Editor: Rene Alvarez's opinion article, ("Students' Fears of Crime are Largely Unfounded," Daily Pennsylvanian, 10/3/06) made some very interesting and valuable points on crime in West Philadelphia and its effects on Penn students. However, we must fundamentally disagree with Alvarez's main point that Penn's security measures are too stringent. The violent crimes around Penn's campus last year (including the shooting of a student) prove that these concerns, in fact, were not unfounded. Penn's implementation of its $5 million security plan is clearly working, as the area has experienced a large drop in crime. Lastly, we would like to refute Alvarez's statement: "Isn't this show of force really just there to reassure Mommy and Daddy that their little darling from the lily-white suburbs is safe in the big, bad city?" We would like to remind Alvarez that not all Penn students are sixth-year Ph.D. candidates bordering on their 30s. Many students are, in fact, 18 and 19 year old girls. Clearly, Alvarez can comprehend the increased threat "the big, bad city" poses to a young girl, as opposed to a large, grown man, such as himself. Maybe if Alvarez were more in touch with Penn's general demographics he would better understand.

Brian Kelly and Maxwell Kosman, College sophomores

Soros, et al. To the Editor: Michelle Dubert's recent column ("Democrats' rotten sugar daddy," DP, 10/26/06) uses a dangerous and, sadly, popular logical fallacy to smear not only George Soros, but Democracts and by extension anyone who supports the American legal system. Helping to provide monetary assistance to a legal defense of an American lawyer is hardly "throwing money behind . terrorists." To jump from one to the other is to argue a protected constitutional right is destroying America. Lynne Stewart, accidental or purposeful abettor of terrorists, deserves a trial and a good defense. To insinuate that supporting that goal is helping terrorism is the type of fear-mongering that has helped decimate our civic life over the past five years. It is these logical fallacies and fear-mongering oversimplifications that have brought us to such un-American debacles as preemptive war, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. If Soros weren't already wealthy, I'd give him money to defend himself from such silly attacks.

Rory Kramer, Second-year Sociology graduate student

Where's the crime To the Editor: I am the parent of a College student and used to read The Daily Pennsylvanian, well, daily. The new format troubles me as does the content. The DP feels and looks like some commercial lightweight thing. You seemed to have dropped all mention of crime - there is not even a crime log of minor stuff. What is up? It's as if you have succumbed to some Penn marketing pressure and decided to keep the negative news down to - nothing. Is crime over down there? Why have you dropped coverage of it?

Geraldine Barr, The author is a parent of a Penn student Send your own letter to letters@dailypennsylvanian.com

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