Jordan River Forum

Dillon's column an unwitting preview \nof McCarthyism\nIn your effort to criticize those who oppose Bush's draconian security measures you state that "McCarthyism notwithstanding," we should be comfortable with these infringements of our rights. But "McCarthyism" is the very problem here. If we let these measures become law the government will have an almost unlimited ability to monitor not only those who are suspected of crimes but also those who disagree with it peacefully and democratically. You might be comfortable with the government inspecting every inch of your personal life when you are innocent of no crime, but would you still be comfortable if you were an activist opposed to the current regime? The FBI and the CIA have a long history of spying on American dissidents, including Martin Luther King and Albert Einstein, so to dismiss these concerns as unfounded is ridiculous. American society has seen plenty of damage since the attacks of 9-11 but if Bush's plans come to fruition the Bill of Rights will be the only thing permanently sacrificed in the name of our security.\nAndrew Allred\nSophomore\nPurchasing college textbooks is \nhighway robbery\nToday I was robbed. I've been robbed like this before. Today's robbery occurred in broad daylight at the hands of the TIS Student Bookstore. I am a graduate student now, and in my last year of higher education. I figure I can finally tell the university textbook industry how I feel about the policy of robbing students of millions of dollars every year. \nEveryone has their ridiculous story. The book bought for $100 being bought back for $5 or the book that can't be sold back because the 18th Edition has just come out. Today, I was offered $10 for a required text for which I paid $90. The used copy of this book is sold for $62. If the book is sold back twice, the bookstore makes $194 and so on. Worse yet, a new edition will soon surface. \nIt is so painful to see this happen year after year knowing that if this were any other faction of the population, bookstores like TIS would never get away with this. The textbook industry realizes how easy it is to rip off the transient college student. I only sold back one book today out of six, deciding I would rather hold onto my books than receive $30 for books for which I paid $400. As students, we have a responsibility not to sell back a book for a fraction of the amount paid, since it may be one of the only ways to get more money back for our books. \nOne viable solution on the part of bookstores is a deal offering a guaranteed half-back when the book was sold back to the same bookstore it was purchased from. While maybe not ideal, this is the fairest proposal I have seen thus far at a bookstore at the University of Illinois in Champaign. \nIn conclusion, bookstores are not the only villains; they are merely part of the system. Complicit in this racket are professors, publishers, and even the universities, both public and private. This highway robbery would not have stood in less apathetic times. The only solution to this immorality is in action, and that action must come from us, the student/consumers. I hope this decade sees students stand up to this villainy in a way the last decade did not.\nKristin Acuff\nLaw Student\nNorth Jordan "B" bus route is not \nthe problem\nAs a driver for the IU campus bus service, I wish to address the complaints expressed by junior Josh Dolgin (Living on North Jordan: Gotta love the "B" bus, Dec 16, 2002). I understand that you're unhappy with your bus service. I think you deserve an explanation. \nThere are currently eight buses assigned to the "A" route, which depart on a three to five minute headway. To the "B: route, seven buses are assigned, which leave on a five to ten minute headway. The 'A" route gets more service because, during the 2001-2002 academic year, of the 1,679,602 passenger trips made, 691,127 (41 percent) were on the "A" route. By contrast, the "B" route generated only 322,567 passenger trips (19 percent). There ridership statistics have been fairly consistent, year after year. I predict no significant change unless the greek-letter houses start pledging new members by the thousands. If a campus bus driver really told you that the drivers prefer to drive around in tandem instead of following their schedules, I think any other participant in your conversation would have recognized that statement for what it was -- sarcasm, and an instance of pulling your leg. \nIt is true that buses often run late and are bunched together but this is hardly the drivers' fault. The single largest obstacle that impedes the progress of the buses is the excessive automobile traffic generated by students on trips that are either unnecessary or could be accomplished by taking the bus, or even walking. This is evidenced by the number of illegally parked student cars at bus stops (e.g. by the main library or outside Woodburn Hall after 6:30 p.m.). Many of these vehicles have been dispatched from fraternity houses to fetch/leave fellow members near their classes.\nThe fact that any student can bring his or her car (or sport wreckreational vehicle) to campus and buy a parking pass generates an enormous cash income for IU, as do the fines collected on parking tickets involving the same vehicles. Indeed, Parking Operations has become a real cash cow for IU, raking in $2.5 million in fines last year.\nThe resultant traffic congestion and travel delays, wasteful burning of fossil fuels, and the noise and air pollution all contribute to make our quality of life on the IU campus worse, not better. The number of vehicle collisions that occur in Bloomington and the ensuing insurance claims for property damage are astronomical, even for a college town. A return to the prohibition on cars and parking passes for undergraduates (except for commuter students) would go a long way toward cleaning up our clogged streets and improving the punctuality of the campus buses.\nBrady Hargrove\nB.A. 1992 and campus bus driver\nUnited States, not Iraq, has weapons of mass destruction\nHow can the Bush Administration reasonably demand that Iraq disarm while the United States currently possesses the most lethal arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in the world? President Bush cites Iraq's "history of aggression" and "drive towards an arsenal of terror" as well as repeated violations of U.N. Security Council Resolutions as a basis for military action. However, according to the Center for Defense Information, the United States presently has over 10,000 nuclear weapons, the largest arsenal in the world, and the second largest stockpile of chemical and biological weapons as well as a quite impressive "history of aggression." The Reagan/U.S. war against Nicaragua, which left thousands dead and a country devastated, to name one such aggressive action, resulted in an order by the World Court for the United States to immediately cease its actions and pay substantial reparations to Nicaragua. The United States dismissed the judgment and declared that it would no longer accept the jurisdiction of the court. The U.N. Security Council then passed a resolution calling on all states to observe international law which the United States vetoed. The actions of Iraq seem to pale in comparison to the United States' record and perhaps before the Bush Administration demands the immediate disarmament of Iraq, it should, itself, set an example for the world by eliminating its massive stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and seek to pursue peaceful, diplomatic solutions.\nAdam Dunn\nFreshman