Letters To The Editor

By:

Posted: 11/16/07

Vegetarian/Veganism
Offers More Than Tofu

In response to Aly Shea's article ("Veganism: It Can Change Sexual Appetites Too," Nov. 15), it was wonderful to read of vegetarians finding romance at UConn. While nobody likes the idea of limiting their dating pool, it's understandable why vegetarians and vegans would prefer to date each other over their meat-eating counterparts. Across the board, vegetarians benefit from lower levels of cancer, stroke, heart disease, impotence (that's right, cholesterol stops the flow of blood to all vital organs) and recent studies even show that they smell better. It's true. According to the National Institute of Health, results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the odor of donors when on the non-meat diet was judged as significantly more attractive, more pleasant, and less intense.

Of course, while this is a perfectly logical reason to adopt a meat-free diet, there are more significant factors at play. Animals killed for food often suffer in unimaginable ways, including being skinned and dismembered while still fully conscious. If these kinds of abuses were inflicted upon cats or dogs, it would result in felony cruelty to animals charges. This is the product of an industry that views animals as property and items to be butchered and sold, rather than living, breathing creatures. Fortunately, with so many delicious vegetarian dishes available these days, including vegetarian barbeque riblets and vegan pizzas, there is really no excuse for continuing to support this kind of cruelty.

- Ryan Huling
College Campaign Coordinator
Peta2.com

Israelis Live Under Constant Fear

I was on the phone - like any other day at the office, I was working on plans for the next day. Nothing unusual. Well, maybe there was one unusual thing. A rocket interrupted my conversation.

I was having a conversation with my friend from Sderot. Sderot is a small city in southern Israel. My friend was coming to speak to my group of American students visiting Israel. They are living in Jerusalem for the year. In this conversation, we were working out the details of what my friend would say and what technology he needed to use to accurately present the picture of terrorism facing Sderot residents on a daily basis.

Now if you haven't thought twice or aren't alarmed yet by what I have said, don't worry. Most people probably wouldn't be alarmed at this point. However, people should be alarmed. My friend is going to talk about daily terrorism facing Sderot residents. My friend lives in a town that experiences terrorism daily. And yes, my friend has agreed to come to talk about this. So, what else is new? In the middle of our conversation, my friend says, "Can you call me back in a minute, I have to go. A Kassam is on the way." I said, "Sure," not eventhinking twice. People often get interrupted in the middle of a conversation. So I said that I would call him back and I hung up.

After I hung up the phone it struck me. What do I mean by "it?" I mean "it," the tragedy and absurdity of the situation. A rocket loaded full of explosives is about to explode ... perhaps killing the person you are talking to on the phone so you have to hang up. Thank God, the Kassam did not strike my friend or any of the other 20,000 people living in Sderot. What strikes me is that 20,000 people live under constant attack of these rockets. I can only imagine these people on the phone and how they have to interrupt their conversations to say to their friends and family, "Could you call me back? A rocket is about to fall." Who knows where this rocket may fall? Maybe on this person's street. Maybe on their house. Maybe on their child's school. Maybe on that person.

Kassam rockets began falling in Sderot seven years ago. The rockets are fired from the Gaza Strip. The terrorist organization Hamas has claimed responsibility for most of the Kassam attacks. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in a press release in May 2007,"We expect the international community to demand of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians to stop this violence against innocent civilians in Israel. Since May 15, Palestinians have launched over 300 Kassam rockets from Gaza at Sderot and the western Negev."

I have been to Sderot. I have heard the siren announcing that a rocket will fall in less than 15 seconds. The scary part for me is that now, although it is only a few weeks after my visit to Sderot and being exposed to Kassam attacks, I didn't even think twice about what my friend said. Horrifying and scary Kassam attacks are a daily routine for my friend and the residents of Sderot. They live in fear of dying each day. Perhaps equally scary is the fact that I accept this news as normal and almost routine. And that I do nothing about it. And I know that this is true for many other people.

Fortunately my story ended well. Five minutes later, I picked up the phone and called my friend back. Thank God he answered.

-David Fain
UConn Class of '06
Currently Living in Israel

Addressing Misunderstanding Of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

My name is Michael Rosenblit. I was born and raised in West Hartford, CT. After graduating high school, I moved to Israel and joined a combat unit in the Israeli Defense Force. I have just recently completed my enlistment and am back in town to visit.

The other day I was reading The Daily Campus when I came upon Jake Hess's misguided article "The Truth About the Israeli-Palestinian 'Peace Process,'" In his editorial, Mr. Hess blatantly depicts only one side of the story.

The beginning of the article mentions a notorious wall being built in Israel. I served in the areas of Tul Karem and Kalkilia. Jayyus is near Kalkilia and I have been to Jayyus several times. There is no wall there, only a fence. Not too far from Jayyus, the fence becomes a wall near Kalkilia, where a main road runs. Israelis have been killed on this central highway by terrorists and so the need for a wall in that area is essential for survival. Wile the fence near Jayyus does leave Palestinian farms on the Israeli side of the fence, it doesn't prevent farmers from working their land. There are gates in the fence near Jayyus and all along the length of the entire security fence, specifically made to allow farmers to continue to work their lands. Israeli soldiers risk their lives every day at these gates to make sure that Palestinians continue to feed their families. While it's true that terror attacks were at their lowest in 2006 (thanks to the IDF), attempts to commit terrorism were higher than previous years. In addition, Hess's statement about illegal Israeli settlements is erroneous. Whoever makes such claims as illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank ignores Articles 2, 4 and 6 of the Mandate for Palestine, which give unlimited immigration and national rights to Jews in the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Still, even if the above were untrue, it would not justify Palestinian terror. Israel has left Gaza, dismantled outposts and several settlements in the West Bank and released many Palestinian prisoners. Hess chooses to rant about the injustice towards Palestinian farmers and to ignore Israel's constant effort to create a safe and peaceful environment. If his aim is to promote peace in Israel, he should be aware that such rants are hardly conducive to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

- Michael Rosenblit
West Hartford Resident