October 21-27, 2004

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Aid for AIDS

On behalf of Amnesty International's 6,500 members in the greater Philadelphia area, I applaud Ronda B. Goldfein and the AIDS Law Project for their important work in representing HIV/AIDS victims who face discrimination in all walks of life [Slant, "Helping Feet," Oct. 14, 2004].

Every day, AIDS claims 8,200 human lives worldwide. Many of these lives could be spared were it not for systematic abuses of human rights such as the right to be free from discrimination, the right to the highest attainable level of health care, the right to physical and mental integrity, the right to freedom of expression, and the right to fair housing. Goldfein's anecdotes illustrate that these problems occur not only in Third-World countries but right here in Pennsylvania. Such abuses not only exacerbate the spread of the disease, but they also fuel a cycle whereby HIV/AIDS sufferers are subjected to further human rights abuses due to their status. We must not stop calling attention to the devastating consequences of prejudice and stigma, and we must not stop demanding equal access to health care, housing and employment.

We must fight for human dignity. And by fighting for human dignity, we can fight AIDS.

Mary T. Shaw, Philadelphia Area Coordinator
Amnesty International USA

Missed Extra Point Attempt

I love your paper but I have an issue with Brian Hickey. I am so sick of him predicting that the Eagles will lose all the time and backing up his predictions with asinine comments [Naked City, "How They'll Lose"]. He obviously knows nothing about football! He is always wrong!!

J.D.
Via e-mail

Editor’s note: J.D., please refer to the first installment of the column: www.citypaper.net/articles/2004-09-09/naked2.shtml.

Muck Shaker

Thomas Hynes gets it right about the need for voting in this election, but he gets it wrong about John Kerry [Slant, "Muck Breaker," Oct. 7, 2004]. I think Kerry is clear about Iraq, health care and all of his other positions -- as clear as any presidential candidate ever could be in a country as large and as complex as this. At least Kerry is not Bush. That ought to be enough for former Dean people like me, libertarians worried about civil rights incursions, security moms worried over the terrorists stirred up by Bush in his Iraq hornets' nest, the elderly worried about health care, vets and the families of soon-to-be vets and reservists, and anyone who doesn't like being lied to. "Anybody But Bush" makes sense to me after a bungled 9/11 response, an irresponsible foreign invasion and a neglected war on terror.

I've grown to like Kerry. He is careful, yes. Bush, though, makes things sound simple when they're not. You can't be simple while invading and occupying foreign countries or while giving away money in order to pay mounting bills. Kerry says he has "plans" for these and other things. More importantly, though, Kerry has an approach -- both personally and per his long legislative record -- which emphasizes negotiating, compromising and getting things done cooperatively.

Jack Kessler
San Francisco

Correction

In last week's article about music video exposure ["Plan B," Andrew Parks, October 14, 2004], "The Avenue" on DUTV was incorrectly identified as a host of the annual B-Boy Barbecue. The program has covered the event but does not host it.