Massacre at Virginia Tech

The incident at Virginia Tech on Monday is the type of thing that points out again many of the concerns raised during the time of Rebecca Griego's shooting a couple of weeks ago on campus. Reading the responses of Virginia Tech officials about the event is literally like reading through the reports of what happened here. The steps taken to address the emergency are after the fact, and it is clear that the students had little to no idea what to do during and after the shooting.

My initial reaction was, "What am I supposed to do?" I felt trapped not knowing whether to stay on campus or not. The UW has not prepared its campus to meet the challenge of a disaster, be it a shooting, bombing or earthquake.

In Seattle, regular meetings are held to acquaint citizens with emergency and disaster plans in place, what planning is required and how to just prepare for a catastrophic incident. Not everyone in the event of an emergency will have the inclination or ability to go look up a plan on the UW's Web site.

The UW must have a series of assemblies and meetings for the student body and nearby neighborhoods to go through emergency and disaster plans. To engage in anything less than a full and cooperative manner with students and others about emergency and disaster planning is not academically or socially acceptable.

Elizabeth Campbell

Senior; Law, Societies and Justice; sociology; history

The gun is the worst invention to ever come from mankind, and using one to kill 32 people is no more or less tragic than using it to kill one person or 3,000 people. The tragic part is who they were. They were young. They were the future. They could've saved the world.

Why do people think that hurting someone else is going to make their problem go away? We all do this in some way or another. It's not OK. Go punch a wall. Go take a deep breath. Go write about the whole thing in your journal. This is the way to deal with life, not shooting people. That is the way to fail.

If you just take one second to think about the well-being of one other person, it could make all the difference.

One person might have kept that man from entering the dormitory. One person could have run at him instead of away from him. One person. One moment. One unselfish thought. This is how you save the world.

Don't just sit around and wait for some hero to come along. Change a life. Infect the world with hope. Do something for just one person and they'll be inspired to do something for just one other person. The cycle will continue. The world will change, bit by bit, person by person.

This is my dream. Help me save the world.

The voice at the bottom of Pandora's box,

Jacqui R. Macy

Senior, sociology

I am writing concerning the horrific shootings that took place at Virginia Tech University on Monday. Since the University of Washington recently experienced similar events, I ignorantly expected to see the Virginia Tech story on the front page of my school newspaper.

Instead, I was appalled to see a volleyball game covered. Hoping I was looking at the wrong date, I flipped through until I found the small article in the middle pages: "Virginia Tech shooting leaves 33 dead."

It appalls me that someone in your office chose these stories and never thought that our University should be more informed about the events at Virginia Tech. I hope that someone will take into account exactly what entitles a headline story, and if that doesn't work, take a look at your conscience.

Emily Benowitz

Freshman, pre-humanities

Every morning I wake up, brush my teeth and read The Daily. Occasionally, I am impressed by some of the articles that you put in the newspaper, and sometimes I am left disappointed.

Tuesday was a day I was left very disappointed. The biggest mass shooting in the United States' modern history happened, and The Daily did not take the time to put it on the front page. Instead, I saw an article on the assault in the Greek community last weekend and other articles that were wholly unimportant in comparison to the Virginia Tech incident.

The shooting at Virginia Tech has affected many personally. A sister from my sorority died in the shooting, and many from the Seattle area had friends, family, loved ones and acquaintances who were terribly impacted.

You have a responsibility to report the news and to keep your articles centered and true to the importance of the society at the UW. In the future, I hope you will give stories of monumental importance like the Virginia Tech shootings the respect they deserve.

Emily Cox

Freshman, Business Administration, Pre-med sciences

Focus on veterans' stories detracts from Iraq war carnage

After reading Wednesday's feature, "To Iraq and back: One Student's Story of Her Military Service" several times, I cannot help but be troubled by the overwhelmingly positive connotation regarding the war. Given that the war is ongoing and human life continues to be lost on both sides, I do not think that it is the proper time to start celebrating personal triumphs. Instead, the focus should be on how to prevent the further loss of lives.

While I do not doubt the validity of Ms. Torres's experience, I do think we need to also recognize the fact that her enlightening transition comes from a setting where thousands of human lives are being lost. Overall I am glad she is able make the best out of a difficult situation, but I was hoping for an objective balance between finding hope in times of darkness and the atrocities of war, rather than a full length feature concluding with how a war can make someone a "better human being."

Nick Wong

Senior, American ethnic studies; sociology: law, society & social policy

Iraqi doctor's struggles ignored by press

Thank you for understanding the issue with Dr. Lafta's inability to visit and work with colleagues in either the United States or Canada and for your coverage of this story. ("Controversial Iraqi doctor denied US Visa." April 19) You scooped the entire U.S. press.

The Daily and Shaun Moore should be applauded for your courage in reporting a story that others were too timid to cover. The issues involved are of great importance to the nation, and especially to academic institutions that rely on the free exchange of ideas and people to address the social problems and issues we are being trained and are committed to solving. If Dr. Lafta, of all people, cannot leave Iraq, then who can? Is this any example of the freedom and liberty we have brought to Iraq?

Ian Maki

Member, UW-Basra University Sister University Project

Arab-Israeli leaders fail to discuss real issues

As a recent UW graduate now working as an international security analyst in Washington, DC, I read Hanady Kader's April 19 article ("Peace in the Mid-East? Think Again") with some alarm. The latest round of Olmert-Abbas talks were indeed crippled by their omission of critical issues, such as the Palestinian refugee crisis and the eventual location of borders. She was right to say that, without addressing these central concerns, dialogue is little more than a political show. I would argue that it is even worse than that, because it creates a false sense of promise, the consequences of which can only further disillusionment, despair and the recourse to violence.

The article, however, is disingenuous insofar as it ignores the continued rejectionism of the Palestinian leadership under Hamas, whose contumacious refusal to renounce violence contributes as much to the perpetuation of this horrific conflict as any Israeli policy or action. Only when we openly and honestly acknowledge the faults and concerns of both sides, can we ever hope to see the day when "Peace in the Mid-East" becomes a reality.

Jacob Brown

2006 alumnae, Jackson School of International Studies