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Democratic candidate Henry Brady’s article “Chasing butterflies in Florida” (February) goes to some length to imply some massive conspiracy was afoot to prevent Gore from being elected. To write this much about something so controversial is irresponsible without noting that the ballot in question was designed by a Democrat. Get over it. Bush is our President! Walter Johnson ’62 Meridian, Idaho I have been a resident of southwest Florida for 25 years, during which time the butterfly ballot has been used occasionally when there were a large number of candidates. At no time has there been a problem. This ballot, following the election furor, was administered to a group of elementary school students, all under ten years of age. They were all advised to vote for Al Gore. Not one made a mistake. If you want the real culprit in Gore’s loss of Florida, look to Ralph Nader. He polled 90,000 votes. Abner Smith ’40 Fort Myers, Florida How interesting to read that Professor Brady generously donated his own time (at University expense, I’d bet) and expertise in a “non-partisan” attempt to prove what Palm Beach County voters really, really were thinking when they voted for Buchanan instead of Gore. To reduce the good professor’s argument to its simplest terms, a summation would read like this: 1. Al Gore’s supporters were too dumb to vote for the correct man. 2. We, smart guys from famous colleges in ill-fitting dark suits, have a formula to cover this. 3. We hereby declare the intent of those who punched their ballot for Buchanan was to vote for Gore. 4. Therefore, Gore won! 5. Where do we file our applications for cabinet-level positions? Cyril Appel ’57 Whitefish, Montana Republican lawyer I was horrified to see the picture of [Bush attorney] Ted Olson (“Blues in the News,” February). To see this man, who personifies the excesses of wealth, privilege, and the wretched obsequiousness of the good old boy network, and who helped engineer the demise of the democratic ideal of government, brings in me a revulsion that not even a last-second victory by Stanford in the Big Game could supplant. Stephen Nelson ’83 Milpitas Should we tear down the Campanile? In regard to Carolyn Jones’s article “Should we drop football?” (February), what is happening to our teams? The only answer that comes to mind is a long-standing lack of administrative commitment relative to our competitors. The notion that the athletic program is in competition with the French department is rubbish. Cal ought to be able to be good at more than a few things. The idea of enhancing alumni financial support is a concept that ought to be at least occasionally tested. Jim Schelling ’67 Santa Barbara I don’t think dropping down to a lower level of opponents, such as St. Mary’s, Sacramento State, or UC Davis, would be such a bad idea. Players would be in school to prepare for a career other than pro football. True-blue alumni could still enjoy an afternoon in Memorial Stadium. And who knows what student might turn out to be a real star on the field and go on to design a bridge, become a doctor, or a professor of literature? Melvin Storer ’43 Sacramento You missed the mark. If UCLA and Stanford can succeed in football, why not Cal? Cal’s limited success in the last 60 years was due to great coaches and their recruiting. We don’t have one now in Tom Holmoe. Philip Porter ’50 Mountain View I was disappointed that you would consider an article titled “Should we drop football?” even given the obvious answer supplied by the author. How about, “Should we tear down the Campanile?” Yes, Cal stands for something that perhaps few other schools do. But [former athletic director] Dave Maggard was correct: We can win the Cal way—with class. Football coaches are fair game for critics, but I think Tom Holmoe is the ticket. Jim Rathlesberger ’61 Sacramento Amen to the comment by George Jones ’51: “It is important that Cal be first rate in every endeavor.” As a member of the Pappy Waldorf era, I still look forward to a return to those days and to the glory they brought to alumni, undergraduates, faculty, and administrators. Cal is coming back—do not give up now! Dick Wuesthoff ’56 Camarillo Have an opinion? Write to “Letters,” California Monthly, Alumni House, Berkeley 94720-7520; 510/642-6252 (fax); calmonthly@alumni.berkeley.edu. Letters may be edited for length. Back to Top |
 Forum: A Palestinian perspective The “Q&A” with associate professor of history Beshara Doumani, labeled "A Palestinian perspective" on the cover of our February issue, drew a large and spirited response, sampled here.
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