Darfur activism off track

After reading Tuesday's article about Darfur, I was brought to tears "Sudan's response to Bush untimatum in question," April 24. How are 12 people in a die-in, who look like they may be lounging by a bunch of signs, going to bring about change in a region with 200,000 killed? And for a whole 30 minutes? Well, let me set my egg timer!

Students need to know that there are better ways to promote Global Days for Darfur, with a whopping 350 events nationwide. Writing to Congress, as corny as it may sound, is a good way. Try becoming more active in community events rather than looking like a bunch of lazy kids enjoying Seattle's newly found sunshine, which is not going to have any impact on a society that, sad as it is, is not as easy to shock as it once was. Panel discussions and bake sales do as much good for stopping genocide as Jell-O does for stopping a freight train.

What about raising awareness of the rivers of oil money that Khartoum is receiving while the Darfur region burns? Why is the Sudanese government hoarding that and not finding a way to stop its people from becoming citizens of Chad? This monster has more heads than just genocide — all it takes is a little research.

Oh, speaking of research, the map of "Darfur" was actually a map of the country of Sudan. It is important for students to know that Darfur is a region of Sudan, like King County, not its own country.

Matthew Eide

Seattle

Honors Program not only for the elite

I applaud Brooke McKean's confrontation of lesser-publicized but highly problematic inequalities in our society ("Firing Imus doesn't solve problems," April 25). As a young woman, the descriptions of gender inequality especially resonated with me.

I was a bit taken aback, however, by the view of the Honors Program. I am in the program, and I have a different view from the inside. The only private school I have ever attended was in preschool, and that was due to the fact that my family lived in an unsafe area with awful public schools. From kindergarten all the way through high school, I attended public school. Most of my Honors Program friends are also products of the public school system. I can assure you, I had such issues as gang violence and a severe lack of funding at my high school all doing their best to interfere with my education, and I greatly envied the opportunities given to my private school friends.

I also take issue with the suggestion that some Honors students are in the program simply due to a high-cost education rather than a successful education. Most, if not all, of the students in my honors classes have been well deserving of their "membership."

I admire the frank and well-written description of some of the many problems of inequality and oppression facing society today. However, McKean should avoid creating new stereotypes in the quest to destroy old ones.

Laurel Kanawyer

Junior, aquatic and fishery sciences