May 13-19, 2004

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Iraqi Prison Blues

On behalf of Amnesty International's 6,500 members in the Philadelphia area, I would like to commend Howard Altman for his poignant article regarding the abuse of prisoners at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison ["The Tony Buck Stops Here," Pretzel Logic, May 6, 2004].

There is a real crisis of leadership in Iraq -- with double standards and doublespeak on human rights. Amnesty International has received frequent reports of torture or other mistreatment of Iraqis by coalition forces during the past year, and Amnesty's extensive research in Iraq suggests that the situation in Abu Ghraib is not an isolated incident.

It is not enough for the U.S. to react only once the images have hit the television screens.

Amnesty International is calling for investigations into the alleged abuses to be conducted by a body that is competent, impartial and independent, and that the findings of such investigations be made public. All perpetrators must be held accountable, and reparation, including compensation, must be paid to the victims or to their families. Further, we call on President Bush to ensure that all coalition forces know that such violations will not be tolerated.

Mary T. Shaw
Philadelphia Area Coordinator

Amnesty International USA

He's a Saul Man

I'm a 16-year-old junior at Saul High School, and couldn't help but comment on the letter ["Barking Up The Wrong Tree," Lynn Walker, Mailbag, April 29, 2004] regarding our animals stolen a few weeks before. I chose not to take the time and energy to complain to the good readers of the City Paper, hoping that an unrelated third party would chime in and set this reader straight. Apparently not, so I will. Firstly, you couldn't be more misinformed. No testing is ever done to the animals at Saul High School, nor will there ever be. Personally, I happen to be against animal testing. Students who choose to go to Saul have a genuine love for animals, and the last thing we'd ever do is cause a single one any harm. As has been said many times before, the animals are there to prepare our best and brightest for a career in veterinary medicine, or an entry-level position at any animal care facility. The curriculum consists of topics such as daily cleaning practices, animal care and anatomy. Regarding the cowards who stole our animals, I can't fathom why they'd choose to break into a Philadelphia public school instead of an actual animal-testing facility. Ironically, a good number of the animals they took were, in fact, pets of the faculty and their children. They broke the law, but more importantly, they broke the hearts of the students and faculty. The facilities were left unguarded and virtually open because the neighborhood knows and respects the school. I understand the good intentions of these activists/terrorists, but they are barking up the wrong tree. Now, can we have our animals back please?

Michael Benvenuto
VIA E-MAIL

Correction:

Due to a reporting error, Lindette Hendricks ["Vernell’s Hell," Deborah Bolling, May 6, 2004] was mistakenly identified as Lindette Kendricks. City Paper apologizes for the mistake.