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Re: At USF, Castor had no easy options in Al-Arian case, Oct. 25.
We must take strong exception to Richard Karl's special opinion piece contending that as USF president, Betty Castor had "no easy options" in the case of professor Sami Al-Arian.
While as a not-for-profit media watch group, we are nonpartisan regarding elections, we were very involved in our decade-long focus on Al-Arian, suspected of being a major paymaster for terrorist groups in the United States. In this regard he took advantage of his position at USF.
We ask that the following concerns be considered regarding the positions taken by Castor as president of USF. It was obvious that Al-Arian was a noncitizen who had been denied citizenship by a federal court judge who declared him as being of "poor moral character" for falsifying his citizenship application and voting illegally. He was seen on a video calling for "jihad" and raising money for terrorist organizations.
Since USF was involved with sensitive government grants dealing with bioterrorism, one would expect the university president to be wary regarding a person with Al-Arian's background as an engineer operating freely on the campus.
Many citizens and alumni, the real employers of Al-Arian, expressed strong concerns regarding his activities. As the founder and president of a teacher's union myself, I am well aware of the tenure issue. On the other hand, leadership requires calling "bad apples" to account. In that way tenure is, indeed, justified. That, of course, takes leadership and courage. It is also a fact that two of our best law enforcement officials kept her informed of Al-Arian's activities. One, Bill West, retired head of the INS, has recently made this known.
In conclusion, for those of us who regard the war on terrorism as a priority, the way Betty Castor chose to deal with Al-Arian, actually providing him with vacation pay, is cause for serious concern.
Re: At USF, Castor had no easy options in Al-Arian case.
It was very informative to read an article on the subject of Betty Castor and Sami Al-Arian written by someone who was at USF at the time. I've felt that the negative publicity she has received is always worded in such a way to appeal to our fears of terrorists in our midst.
I've always admired Betty Castor since my childhood. When I was in junior high she addressed the student body at our school. At the time she was on the Hillsborough County Commission. Although I can no longer remember the content of her address, she has always had my respect. I have appreciated the fact that she has done so much in her career to help others. It seems a shame to have her good reputation and life of good work overshadowed by 30-second sound bites.
I just caught the latest political ad for Mel Martinez, with Gov. Jeb Bush's heartfelt discussion on why Betty Castor is unfit to represent us because, as president of USF, she did nothing to stop a known terrorist and terrorist cell from festering in the academic halls of this great state. He went on to explain that she knew the FBI, the state's law enforcement officers, local law enforcement and the governor himself were concerned about him.
So, let me get this straight. The FBI, state law enforcement, local law enforcement, even the governor himself were concerned. They didn't do anything. But they blame a university president for not doing anything.
Doesn't this strike anyone as ludicrous? If there was such concern, why didn't the governor do something? Or the FBI? Or the Secret Service, which allowed the president to be photographed with this person?
What has upset me more than this trash bombarding us in the media, is the fact that the media have done nothing to raise a public uproar over this. Where are all those award-winning newspapers and television stations that pride themselves on finding and reporting the truth? How dare you allow this fiasco to continue?
Re: Scaring up votes, editorial, Oct. 23.
Hooray for the St. Petersburg Times. Bringing attention to the scare tactics of the two campaigns is laudable and necessary to help unknowing people who may not be as aware of the facts as political junkies.
Dick Cheney's opinion was that he doubted John Kerry would be "tough and aggressive" enough to protect the country from a terrorist nuclear attack in one of our cities.
Kerry on the other hand, in his ads, says outright that Bush will cut your Social Security payments by 40 percent and begin a military draft of our young people. Then he says, "I am John Kerry and I approve of this advertisement."
Kerry knows that these two statements are absolutely false. To break trust with our seniors would create riots on our streets. The Democrats proposed reinstating the draft last month in Congress. It was voted down overwhelmingly.
There is a big difference between a lie and an opinion.
The Bush/Cheney campaign's new ad featuring wolves rings a sad but familiar low note in American politics: If you can't win over the voters with your record of achievement, scare the bejesus out of them with ominous images of predators waiting at the gate. Like the spectre in the form of a mushroom cloud to get us to fear Saddam Hussein's WMD, it's a desperate and astonishingly cynical approach that might just work.
Faith is much harder to drum up than fear, but if we truly believe in this country, it is our obligation to reject and rise above these sorry plays to our basest inclinations, asking ourselves, why do our leaders want us to be afraid?
President Bush makes much of the fact that he prays over everything. Many of us do the same. Bush says that he is doing God's will in Iraq. I find it hard to believe that the God of mercy most of us believe in would tell President Bush that it is right to bomb and kill innocent men, women and children.
The excuse that he has saved them from a "madman" doesn't wash. We have never heard the number of Iraqi citizens who have died in this war. Isn't one of the commandments "Thou shalt not kill"?
This president uses that commandment when he talks about stem cell research and abortion, but doesn't follow it when innocent citizens of another country are killed by the decisions and strategy of his administration. Aren't the lives of all people equal?