Whoops!
Quick question.
Does anyone read the articles before you print them?

The report of SMC’s victory of El Camino was the worst story I’ve ever read. I assume that the reporter you sent was attending his first ever football game, and that English is his second language.

However, that leaves no excuse for your editors. To allow a story to go out with so many errors is scandalous.

3 point touchdowns? Ten point touchdowns? 1 point field goals? Linebackers scoring touchdowns — was that a mistake by the reporter or was there a fumble/interception? 27-14 equals a 15 point lead?

Printing that story reflects badly on all at the Corsair. It makes you all look stupid and unprofessional.

Mark Fletcher
SMC Student

Militants in Sheeps Clothing
As Americans, we take pride in our freedom to express and exchange ideas and opinions on our college campuses. Unfortunately, there are some organizations that exploit the freedom for the purpose of promoting a hidden agenda. Progressive Alliance (SMC student club, formerly Socialist Action) under the guise of peace and freedom really has as its agenda to eliminate capitalism in the U.S. by any means necessary.

A nationwide organization, Not In Our Name (NOIN), rallies anti-war and peace protests across the nation, condemns U.S. military action against Iraq, but places ads in “Revolutionary Worker: Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA.” (9-29-02, pages 8-9.) The RCP promotes violent revolution in the form of the dictatorship of the proletariat. NOIN promotes as signers of its “Pledge of Resistance” some former violent revolutionaries of the extreme left. (www.notinourname.net.)

PA officially condemns U.S. military actions in response to the September 11th attacks, and opposes violence in dealing with Iraq. But in a recent PA meeting, a keynote speaker from the Democratic Socialist Workers Party suggested using “militant actions” to abolish capitalism in Africa. One PA member said that white farmers in Zimbabwe must be ousted from their farms because after 400 years of “oppression” by whites “the chickens have come home to roost.” When PA members posed questions, they condemned capitalism. Some PA members have spoken proudly about communism and left-wing extremism. (Corsair 4-26-00 page 1.) The faculty sponsor of PA also sponsors MEChA, an active SMC organization that encourages non-violent means in dealing with Iraq, but whose mission is to “take back” the American Southwest from “foreign Europeans [whites]” using any means necessary.

Non-military action always should be an important, viable, and respected option for dealing with vicious dictators. But peace should never be used merely as a cover for extremist agendas.

Shane Smith
SMC Professor

Voices to be heard
In the last Corsair, Professor Shane Smith made some extremely inflammatory and unfounded remarks concerning the new anti-war movement on campus. Instead of engaging our ideas in the intellectually responsible manner a professor like him should, he sunk to the level of red baiting, slander, and making false assumptions about us. We will not sink to his level. However, we feel it is important to clarify for the SMC community what it is we really stand for.

On Sept. 24, we marched against the war because in the past decade our government’s policy towards Iraq has resulted in the deaths of over 1.5 million, mostly civilian, Iraqi men, women, and children. We demand an end to the senseless killing of innocent Iraqi people, and we are against waging another war campaign against them which will surely result in tens of thousands of more deaths.

Further, we are against the war because we are against intensifying the conditions that allow tragedies like 9/11 to occur. Instead, we demand that our government discontinues its oppressive foreign policy towards the Middle East which has created so much resentment. Committing terrorist attacks against Iraq will only heighten the chances for terrorist attacks here.

Professor Smith declared: “I’m not going to sit by and let this left wing view go unchallenged.” If Smith had been tuned into the media lately, maybe he’d realize that he doesn’t have to worry about our anti-war views going unchallenged. The fact is that every major media source is beating the war drums. It is Professor Smith’s view, and not ours, that has gone unchallenged. It is we, not him, who should be saying that we won’t sit by and let the pro-war view go uncontested.

We invite you to join us and help stop the war against Iraq from happening.

Progressive Alliance
(Endorsers of this statement include: The Movement, SMC Greens)

Both Sides: Take a Breath!
Dear Editor,
The Sept. 25 Corsair issue presented in the front page a photograph in which a Professor Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein took the lead of a group of organized students that expressed their opposition to a possible war in Iraq. Printed along with the photograph are two stories, in which describe the march and another in which is titled “Staff argues Thru E-mail.”

As I read both stories I disagreed with a faculty member’s opinion as he criticized a group of people that organized the march held on campus on Sept. 24.

In my effort to learn both the faculty member and march organizer’s perspective, I spoke to both parties.

As I walked to meet the club that was criticized in the Corsair’s article, I ran into the faculty member that criticized the club. He told me, he was on his way to the club’s meeting to find out about what they were exactly about.

After the meeting we engaged into a conversation that led to us discussing the importance of knowing all sides to a story before judging or making any comments of any group of people or person.

In order to prevent students and teachers from choosing sides that may be different, I strongly urge all faculty members to increase their participation in student organized events.

All clubs on campus are required to have one full-time club advisor present in all meetings, and are not restricted to having only one faculty member present. The presence of more than one faculty member in any club meeting can only improve the chances students as well as faculty have in learning all sides to a story.

Marcos J. Lazaro
Santa Monica College
I.C.C. Chairperson