A different sort of tribute

His dark, sun-beaten skin, large swollen eyes and rough, coarse hands are all characteristics of our young protagonist. He lives in a land where life is hard. He was forced to drop out of school at an early age to help support his family, but his chances of finding a job aren’t good in a place where, according to the CIA World Factbook, the unemployment rate in 2006 was 34.8 percent. Things were made even harder for him and his family this past January when a blockade cut off fuel supplies to his region. This blockade, referred to by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as a “crime and an atrocity,” forced the young man to wait in line for hours for a loaf of bread. Most bakeries closed for lack of fuel, just as many hospitals had to cope with blackouts for the same reason.

This iconic image of the Palestinian refugee in Gaza is one that evokes sympathy and pity for some, and outrage for others. He walks with the passed down memory of a better time. A time just a couple of generations ago when his family led a middle-class life in a nearby land. Since then, they have been displaced from their homes and have lost all of their possessions. They are refugees now.

As an American, it is overwhelming to imagine not having the freedom to visit the birthplace of one’s grandparents. But what is far more saddening and disturbing is the uncertainty of day-to-day life in a place where just a couple of weeks ago (April 28, 2008), Israeli fire hit a family eating breakfast in their house, killing five people, including four children.

In response to the May 8 column, “A tribute to 60 years of Israel,” I write this tribute for the millions of Palestinian refugees and everything they have had to endure over the past 60 years. There are two sides to every story. Unfortunately, at this university, it seems we only ever hear one side of the story when it comes to Israel.

Natalia CuadraFreshman History

A shameful story

There have been many times when I have penned out a letter to The Diamondback, such as a diatribe against the loud mopeds many sports players ride on the campus sidewalks. But today is the first time I am actually submitting one. An article – let alone a front-page article with eight pictures – on Daisy De La Hoya in our university’s newspaper is truly dismaying. Her obscene language and promotion of binge drinking (“Let’s just get really drunk!”) should not be glorified or even included in The Diamondback. Her “fans” and Santa Fe Café should be ashamed they are supportive of her degenerate lifestyle.

Why doesn’t The Diamondback instead write an article on the achievements of a university student, faculty member or university employee? Are we really a binge drinking, bar-going, self-centered (Ms. De La Hoya is a reality TV star) student body?

While our academic standards for admission into this university have been increasing, the quality of our school paper has gotten worse. Please try harder, Diamondback. Our school paper should reflect university and academic activities and not promote the local bar scene.

Thea NielsenSeniorAgricultural and resource economicsGovernment and politics

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