Letters to the editor

To the Daily:

At Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul’s speech on Thursday evening, I was holding a sign addressing Paul’s opposition to reproductive rights, social welfare, all taxes and humanitarian intervention in Darfur. A friend held a sign articulating the belief that a good president would not only be against the war in Iraq but also a supporter of human rights here and abroad.

As I stood in the crowd, answering questions from some of Paul’s supporters, I was berated with profanities. After I told one individual that I disagreed with Paul’s isolationist stance toward Israel, the person said he “knew I was a Jew.” The same person later went on to tell me that I murdered the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 because of my support for Israel.

While I am sure that such sentiment is not held by every Ron Paul supporter, it was encouraged and applauded by everyone present and admonished by no one. This event has made me feel ashamed to be a Michigan Wolverine. I am truly saddened that at a university that holds social justice, social welfare and diversity as its defining principles, such hatred could be expressed so vociferously and meet no resistance.

Zachary Goldsmith

LSA freshman

Connecting Detroit and A2 starts with transportation

To the Daily:

I applaud The Michigan Daily’s recent editorial advocating for a Detroit semester (Neighborhood outreach, 10/10/2007). As a graduate student studying urban planning at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, I hope to take advantage of our proximity to the city of Detroit to learn from its failures and contribute to its revival.

The connection between Detroit and the University is still tenuous, though, as demonstrated by the lack of a shuttle service to transport students between these destinations. Perhaps the University should consider this small step before committing to a Detroit semester. As an environmentally conscious student, I do not own a car. This means that my ability to take advantage of opportunities to learn in Detroit and the University’s Detroit Center is greatly limited. A shuttle bus service between Ann Arbor and Detroit would allow students to access the city more easily, and as a result, would expand learning opportunities and enhance the traditional curriculum.

The University should encourage its students to work in and learn from Detroit by first providing them a better way to get there.

Caitlin Greeley

Urban Planning graduate student

Go to the Reel Pride Film Festival this week

To the Daily:

The Reel Pride Film Festival, an annual gay and lesbian film festival taking place between Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 at Royal Oak’s Main Art Theatre, is an experience that everyone should have. The festival is a hip, entertaining event for all audiences that also packs an important social punch.

For audiences outside of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, a diverse selection of films helps to demystify gay culture through film, a medium we all adore. For GLBT audiences, the festival offers the thrill of seeing films on the big screen that are generally only available on DVD. Most important, the proceeds from the event go toward assisting victims of hate crimes.

This year’s line-up of more than 50 short films, feature films and documentaries spanning every genre and topic guarantees that the tastes of all movie buffs, within or outside of the GLBT community, will be satisfied.

Meryl Schwartz

The letter writer is an LSA senior and a member of the Triangle Foundation.