Letters to the editor
Affirmative action
provides opportunities
Affirmative action continues to get a bad rap, de
spite the evidence that recruitment and retention
programs have clearly increased opportunities for
people of color, women and other underrepresent
ed student groups. Unfortunately, due to regressive
politics and ignorance about the nature of privilege,
effective programs are still few and far between.
The phrase “leveling the playing field” may be a
bit cliche these days, but it still makes an impor
tant point. Contrary to some opinions, affirmative
action is not about giving some people an unfair
advantage over others or students of color taking
the “spots” of white students — an attitude that
is both racist and ignorant. It’s about allowing
people to have concrete opportunities in a system
that continues to disadvantage them in more
ways than can be catalogued.
Austin Shaw-Phillips
sophomore
undeclared
Thank God for cannabis’
I strongly support veteran Leroy Stubble
field’s right to use the plant cannabis (marijua
na) for health reasons (“Search and Seizure,”
ODE, Nov. 8).
It defies integrity and rationality to cage humans
for using the plant cannabis, and to cage sick citi
zens using cannabis for relief of pain is vile, immoral
and spiteful for a civilization in the year 2002.
At the very minimum, North America must re
legalize cannabis, especially when you consider
the worst side effects of cannabis are police in
flicted. Do cannabis prohibitionists even compre
hend that they’re admitting a desire to cage hu
mans for using a plant?
Instead of caging humans for using cannabis,
thank God for cannabis. Accept cannabis (known
as kaneh bosm, before the King James Version) for
what it is, as described on literally the very first page
of the Bible (Genesis 1:11-12 and 29-30).
Stan White
Dillon, Colo.
Commentary
Herbs surrounded by misinformation
Guest commentary
I would like to respond to the ed
itorial (”FDA must be popping pills
Yellow Jacket ban nonsensical,”
ODE, Oct. 22) and accompanying
column (’’The paralyzing truth
about beauty,” ODE, Oct. 22) by
Kathryn Petersen.
I would like to first ask the (re
spective) authors a question: Do ei
ther of you know any herbalists?
You must not, otherwise you
wouldn’t have allowed the false
hoods about herbs to be printed.
In Petersen’s column, she erro
neously compares Botox, a prepa
ration made from botulinus toxin, a
bacteria, with ma huang (ephedra
sinesis), a plant and medicinal
herb, putting them both in a cate
gory she terms “miracle drugs ”
Her first mistake is to think of
herbs as “drugs.” Herbs are not
drugs — they are natural, botani
cai, living beings, that, when har
vested ethically and used properly
as medicine for healing or preven
tion, have many beneficial effects.
Drugs are human-created sub
stances; things like television, gaso
line, alcohol and Prozac are drugs
and, as we know, can be highly ad
dictive. Drugs, especially pharma
ceutical drugs, can have, and in
fact, frequently do have, unwanted
and unhealthy “side effects.” If
herbalists do their jobs correctly,
the overall effects of the herb(s)
they prescribe will match their
clients’ needs perfectly, without
any “side effects.”
“Once thought of as a miracle
weight loss drug” — traditionally,
ma huang is an effective deconges
tant, antihistamine and stimulant,
and is useful for some types of asth
ma. I do not advocate nor have I
ever advocated (because I do not
agree with most ideas surrounding
the need for weight loss) the use of
ephedra for dieting or weight loss.
If Petersen had taken the time to
do a more thorough search, she
would have found accurate, indis
putable data that clearly refutes the
FDA and the AMA’s false accusa
tions that herbs like ephedra are
dangerous and unsafe. Check out
the American Herbalist Guild’s Web
site for starters.
I wonder if Petersen and her ed
itor are aware of the tens of thou
sands of people who are killed
each year by iatrogenic (look it
up) illnesses, misuse of Tylenol
and other preventable mistakes?
Compare those statistics with
how many deaths occur annually
from herbs, not deaths from some
specious “supplement” that may
or may not contain the herbs list
ed on the ingredient label.
Taking the FDA and the med
ical establishment to task is be
yond the scope of this letter, but
to continue to mindlessly parrot
the falsehoods spewed by these
power-driven institutions is irre
sponsible, misleading, and seri
ously marred what was otherwise
a fine editorial and column.
As a practicing clinical herbal
ist, I simply cannot let damaging
misperceptions about herbs and
herbalism go unrefuted. Every
time another lie about herbs is
printed, my job becomes that
much more difficult.
If you are going to present an
informed opinion, please do your
homework first. And if you’re go
ing to write about herbs, try con
sulting with your friendly, local,
neighborhood herbalist. I’m sure
any of us would be happy to help
inform you and guide you through
the disinformation trail on the
truth about herbs.
Lawrence Birch is a senior
majoring in fine arts and a
certified clinical herbalist.
Football, beer are American traditions
Guest commentary
In regards to the sports col
umn, “Drunk Ducks,” (ODE, Oct.
24), we find it pathetic that a stu
dent at the University, a “liberal”
college, is so close-minded. It’s
sad that a personal complaint
made it into our student newspa
per. As a journalist, she should
have considered both sides of the
story before forming such a strong
opinion. It was juvenile and com
pletely unprofessional.
For example, the people sur
rounding her who were “overly
friendly” could easily have been
21, therefore giving them every
right to drink. For all she knows,
they could have bought their
drinks at the Moshofsky Center.
As for the supportive pat on the
back when she hung her head, all
we have to say is, get over it. We
Ducks are a community. When we
score a touchdown, we give “high
lives” to anyone, friend or stranger,
around us. If something goes
wrong, we support each other.
With regard to children attend
ing football games, we’ve been at
tending them since the age of five,
and don’t have any memories of al
cohol. If the parents had a problem
with the alcohol, obviously they
wouldn’t bring their children to the
games. We find it hard to believe
that a child is able to “differentiate
the smell of beer from vodka by
their 10th birthday” from going to a
few football games a year.
This is yet another unprofes
sional assumption from an unre
searched article. As for the smell
factor, what about people with
body odor? Or strong perfume?
Deal with it, everyone else does. If
you had a problem, you should
have taken it up with the people
around you, instead of making a
public complaint about it.
Football and beer go together —
it’s an American tradition. If you
don’t like it, watch the game at home.
Marisa Haworth and Kristin Mellum
are undeclared sophomores.
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