To the Editor: Brian Cope's column "A vote for Nader won't be wasted" (The Daily Pennsylvanian, 10/24/00) misses the point. No one argues that Ralph Nader is not a well-qualified and intelligent candidate. The Green Party candidate was educated at Columbia and Harvard, served in the U.S. Army and is America's greatest consumer advocate. What Cope fails to realize is that not only will Ralph Nader lose this election, but in voting for him, you are voting for George W. Bush -- a candidate who fails to share Nader's passion for a woman's right to choose, a cleaner environment and campaign finance reform. It is naive to believe Ralph Nader's claim that the two parties are identical. Bush does not believe in a woman's right to choose. Bush wants to spend the bulk of the federal surplus on tax cuts for the wealthiest 1 percent of the population. Bush does not support the McCain-Feingold bill. And Bush is the governor of the most polluted state in the union. Cope also argues that if George Bush is elected president, only conservative justices will step down from the Supreme Court. Seeing that two liberal justices are currently suffering from cancer, I fail to see his logic. There is a way to help both Nader and Gore. "If Nader just pulls 5 percent of the popular vote," Cope writes, he will gain "financing and a chance to debate." Nader should focus his efforts in states like California and New York that Gore will handily carry. But in swing states, Nader proponents should know that in depriving Gore of their vote, they will be taking a step back from the progress for which Nader has fought so hard.
Michael Bassik College '01
The writer is co-chairman of Penn for Gore and statewide coordinator of Students for Gore.
The virtues of fine cinema
To the Editor: Concerning your article "Video Library to extend hours, increase selection," (DP, 10/20/00) I would like to comment on the University's absurd dissatisfaction with the 4040 Locust Street establishment. To say that one of the problems with the Video Library is its small selection is to express a lack of knowledge about the art and history of film. And to favor an establishment like Blockbuster demonstrates the University favor of commercialism over culture and art. Not only does the Video Library not have a small selection, it has the most impressive collection of movies I have ever encountered. When I say movie, I do not mean the standard Hollywood crap that is force-fed to movie-going audiences every day, but a work of film that respects for its viewer's intelligence. The Video Library has an astounding collection of films from such diverse countries as England, Yugoslavia, Colombia and the Czech Republic. It has a magnificent selection of independent films as well as contemporary and classic American studio films. While I praise the University for acting on the wishes of students to expand the Video Library's hours, I urge both the University's students and its staff to re-evaluate the Video Library's selection and fully appreciate this outstanding and immensely rich resource.Gabriel Jinich Engineering '03
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