Letters to the Editor

WKPS receives enough funds from university

I was very upset with the article about WKPS. The Collegian led readers to believe that WKPS receives little funding from the university. As a disc jockey at WEHR, the on-campus radio station, the article made no sense, and I have no sympathy for WKPS. They have received enough funding from Penn State to get an FM frequency that WEHR can’t due to lack of funds. It is unfair to portray WKPS as "the only place to listen to college music." WEHR is a great station and is severely overlooked by the Collegian.

I was saddened by the fact that WKPS was stated in your recent article as the only radio station on campus. I would like to apprise you of the fact that there is another radio station on campus, and that radio station is WEHR. I personally know and love WEHR, particularly because I have a swing music show on Mondays. WEHR is a fine radio station that is constantly striving to be better and well-known. We currently are the background music for the on-campus channel 21, which is the PSU information channel. We are a very proud organization and would like to be recognized as at least existing, if not for being a good radio station that strives to put out a variety of music that students will enjoy. I hope this has helped broaden your knowledge on the subject.

Melissa Olivadoti
freshman-psychology

Martin Austermuhle believes that the driving force behind sending our military into foreign countries is to fatten our pockets. He also thinks the military budget is "bloated." I have served in the Navy for three years and will be going right back. I have seen the results of the budget cuts and the massive draw-downs that have plagued the military. The military is getting smaller, and the job isn’t. Our sailors are out to sea more often than ever because there are fewer ships to protect the open sea lanes. There have been numerous times when our troops were flown into hostile areas to rescue Americans in the line of fire. Our carriers are constantly called out for emergencies.

While it probably is true money did play some small part in the decision to involve ourselves in the Gulf War, the bigger reason was the oil supply from Saudi Arabia. Oil is the life-blood of this country. So often I hear complaints about the price of gas -- yet no one stops to question what life would be like if our access to oil from the Gulf was cut off. Saddam’s attack on Saudi Arabia was driven by power. Do we want Saddam to have the power to control the world’s largest oil supply?

Another major reason for our involvement in the Persian Gulf is that Saudi Arabia is our ally. Look at the Bosnian conflict. There is no opportunity for financial gain there, yet our troops were deployed in Bosnia for more than a year. Money is not the reason that America fights. People are the reason that wars are fought. Decisions to send our troops into harm’s way are made to help and protect our people and our allies.

Chris Brown
senior-kinesiology

The United States is both the most admired and the most hated nation. Yes, the Cold War has ended. Yes, our nation is seeing unprecedented growth of our economy. Yes, at this juncture in world affairs the United States is looked to for leadership. We must not forget that the very strength of our nation depends on our ability to defend our people from any conceivable threat. A missile defense system would make all weapons of mass destruction obsolete. The end of the Cold War was the result of the American government’s investing huge sums of money in the modernization of the military. Only the American economy could continue to flourish in a period of huge budget deficits.

The enemy that seeks to destroy us is out there, but we just do not know where. When socially unstable nations, such as China and India, test their nuclear weapons, that makes me extremely uncomfortable. We are lucky that these nations do not have the ability to launch a missile that is capable of reaching our shores. At least not yet.

It would be a perfect world if every leader of a nation had the same intelligence and ability to talk things over like a reasonable human being, as we do in the United States. This is not a perfect world. Certain people try to corrupt their authority and use it for things unthinkable.

Lou Douros
junior-nondegree

I disagree with some of the points made by Stan Alsopp in his letter to the editor about the Senate trial. Specifically, when he says, "when in reality opinion polls have no bearing or influence in the matter." The opinion of the people does matter, especially on an issue as vital as this one. I can think of no instance where it is more important for the voice of the people to be considered than the one that is currently before the Senate. The majority of Americans want this president to remain their leader. The polls say so.

For those who say the polls are biased based on the way a question is asked and other trivial reasons, let me respond this way. There are Republican pollsters as well as Democratic ones, and if the Republican poll results showed people favor conviction (which they do not), I have full confidence those results would be given to us.

The Founding Fathers rightfully felt the will of the people mattered in cases of impeachment, which is why they let Congress decide this serious, solemn matter. If it was just a question of guilt or innocence, the impeachment and conviction issue would have been delegated to the judicial branch. It was not because Congress represents the people. The Republicans in the House did not heed to the voice of the American people. They paid for it dearly in the elections; one need to look no further than Newt Gingrich for evidence. I only hope the Senate will listen to the public and censure the president.

Jack Chiostergi
Class of 1998