Your Turn Letters to the Editor

Webb ad

Democratic Senate candidate Jim Webb has come under fire for his most recent television commercial. The ad, which began airing Monday, features former president Ronald Reagan praising Webb during his tenure as secretary of the Navy. A letter from former first lady Nancy Reagan’s office has demanded that the ad be pulled, calling the use of the Reagan footage “neither authorized nor appropriate.” Webb has defended the ad, insisting that it is a positive spot and that any criticism is “politically motivated.”

Allen – still reeling from “Macaca”-gate and recent revelations of racial insensitivity – is attempting to divert attention away from his own mishaps. The Webb ad does not disparage the memory of Ronald Reagan. It is a biographical ad, upbeat in tone, and does not take the former president’s words out of context.

The Webb campaign should yank the advertisement – not because it is disrespectful, but because it is politically disadvantageous to continue to air it. The spot is meant to appeal to middle-of-the-road Virginia voters, among whom Reagan remains immensely popular. By not adhering to Nancy Reagan’s wishes, Webb will potentially alienate the very voters that he is aiming to win over. The advertisement may also have the unintended effect of irking Virginia Democrats, most of whom do not look back fondly on the Reagan administration. If he ceases to run the ad, Webb can reclaim the news cycle in his favor and score political points by deferring to the request of a beloved former first lady.

– Kinsey E. Featherston

Racial ‘Survivor’

Well, it finally happened. A network finally got its viewers to revert back hundreds of years.

After years of trying to overcome racial barriers, I find it hard to believe that even one student – especially one on a campus as proud of its diversity as VCU – could see this move as a good thing.

Undoubtedly, this is the stupidest move by any network in recent years. With all of the conflict in the world already over racial and ethnic inequality, the fact that any network would be irresponsible enough to promote it is insanity. Attitudes like this are the main reason why Americans are seen as conceited by other countries.

Look at the facts. How many organizations do you sponsor that benefit areas outside of the U.S.? How many countries do we ignore that live in poverty simply because we chose to help those who can help us in the long run? How many times have you had the thought that it wasn’t “your problem”?

The sad thing is that most of us are guilty of this at some point, and raising racial or ethnic tensions in this country, especially now, will lead to nothing but trouble.

For those of you who think this is a good idea, please check out Human Rights Watch at www.hrw.org and find out what racial and ethnic inequality really leads to.

– Kadie Puffenbarger