LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Fondly Remembering Rabin

To the Editor: As an Israeli, I can't say that I ever had any direct contact with Rabin, but indirectly, I have. On my studies abroad three years ago, I was in Jerusalem, just a few miles from Hebron. When the Hebron massacre occurred at the hands of Baruch Goldstien, I was extremely frightened by the entire event, and the close proximity of it. I can vividly remember Yitzhak Rabin assuring the country and the world that the peace process would continue -- in the following years, Israel signed an accord with Jordan and the PLO. Perhaps I never shared the precise political opinions of Yitzhak Rabin, but I have the utmost respect for his efforts at peace and for his strength as peacemaker, negotiator, soldier, and leader. He will be sorely missed. Sari Rubin College '99 Lou Koch: A Wonderful Man To the Editor: I am writing to express my condolences to the Koch's family upon the death of Lou, co-owner of Koch's Take Out Shop ("A Deli Delight," DP 11/14/95), and the most merry sandwich-maker in all of Philadelphia. He will be remembered for his heartwarming smile, witty demeanor and ebullient personality, not to mention his unparalleled skills behind the counter. Resisting the tide of commercialism, Lou and his family have provided the Penn community with an establishment that is committed to personal service, heavenly food and the warmth of an extended family. If you have never partaken of the Koch's experience, I urge you to seek out the nostalgic atmosphere which exists at 4309 Locust St. If you are a regular, please continue to patronize this establishment and acknowledge the light-heartedness of life which emanates from the house which Lou and Bob built. Bask in the cheer and humor of the entire Koch family, and treat yourself to a Lou Koch Special, a knish, and a Dr. Brown's soda. Lou Koch will be sorely missed by the Philadelphia community, but his spirit and personality will live on in the rarified air of Koch's deli. Jared Viders College '96 More Content, Less Photo To the Editor: With regard to the piece on Meng Weng Wong ("Who in the world is mengwong@eniac.seas?," DP 11/9/95), if Mr. Wong is such an interesting "Internet Guru," doesn't he deserve a bit more copy? Moreover, if the story deserves such a large lead photo, one would also expect comparable text -- this is akin to writing a email message with .sig larger than the message. Presumably, Mr. Wong's web pages are famous because of their useful content. It's unfortunate that the DP cannot be characterized in the same way. Kyle Hart Engineering graduate student A Poor Proposal To the Editor: I just read your editorial ("A Chance to Protect," DP 11/14/95) encouraging the University to arm its police with semiautomatic weapons. Was this a serious suggestion or was this just your modest proposal? During the four years that I was at Penn (1986-1990), I would be surprised if there were any serious incidents in which semiautomatic weapons would have assisted the police. In fact, as I recall the most serious crimes involved rapes and murders (when there were not police around) -- there was hardly a flurry of shootouts in which the University's firepower was an issue. Did your editorial writer do any reporting of his/her own before writing the editorial? (I did not have the benefit of a news story, so perhaps I am missing something.) Are there any studies that indicate that arming police with semiautomatic weapons reduces crime? It would seem to me that the deterrence effect would be minimal at best. Bret Parker College '90 A Fall From Grace To the Editor: I once remember hearing that the DP was one of the most highly regarded college newspapers in the country. I don't see how this can be true at the present time. I think that the reporters for the DP do not strive for reporting the unbiased truth. Virtually everyone I know who has been quoted in an article was somehow misquoted or misidentified (e.g. wrong class year). This leads me to believe that almost every article in the DP contains error and/or biases. Your recent discussion of the alleged IAA's wrongdoings are very onesided, with negative headlines and vicious cartoons. The DP on Monday, November 13, contained a Weekend Scorecard truly of fantasy. The heavyweight crew results are incorrect in several ways: you say that the men's heavyweight team won their section and finished with the third-best overall time behind Temple and Marietta. Unfortunately, the team did not win their section, and I have no idea what you mean by section. The team did get the third best time overall, behind Temple and Navy. I do not understand how Marietta managed to beat the heavyweights -- I have never heard of Marietta. I sincerely hope that every member of the DP will make a great effort to report the truth, to check their facts, and to properly quote interviewees. In an ideal world this might happen. Jeffrey Spencer College '96 The DP: A hit on the Net To the Editor: Hats off to the DP staff for going on line in spectacular fashion! The DP on the net is a welcome addition for alumni and other members of the extended Penn family. Job well done! Allen Reese College '83