To the Editor:Thank you for the article in last week’s Quad about the Kerry campaign’s visit to the Political Science club. However, I must point out that the Pennsylvania Primary is neither insignificant, nor was it held on April 4. According to the Chester County Election Calendar of 2004, the General Primary is to be held on Tuesday, April 27.
It may seem insignificant on the Presidential level, but Democrats and Republicans do have a reason to vote at the Primary. Not only can you scare the Bush or Kerry campaigns by showing your support for your candidate this early, but there are other contested races on both ballots.
For the Democrats, there is a contested race on the ballot for Attorney General between Jim Eisenhower, who won the nomination at the last election, David Barasch, a former U.S. Attorney in the middle region of Pennsylvania who has prosecuted a number of big names, and another qualified candidate John Morganelli, the District Attorney of Northampton County.
For the Republicans, there is a big contested race on the Primary ballot for U.S. Senator. Arlen Specter, the 24-year incumbent, endorsed by Bush and Cheney is being challenged by Lehigh County Representative Pat Toomey, who claims Specter is “too liberal” and has a remarkable appeal among students and the “Republican wing of the Republican party.” The Club for Growth, a right wing tax reform group similar to the liberal MoveOn.org that attacked Howard Dean last fall, has taken an interest in Toomey’s candidacy. I am told that some Democrats are actually changing parties to vote for Specter in the primary.
In any case, I encourage my politically conscious fellow students to look up these candidates and make up your own mind. It is too late to register to vote in the primary, but, if you are, it is hardly insignificant to vote on April 27, not April 4.
Erik Anderson
WCU College Democrat
Club President
To the Editor:
In the April 6, 2004 edition of The Quad, the “Bruce speaks about feminism,” article by Josh Eisenberg was quite distressing for a number of reasons.
While delivering her speech at West Chester University, Bruce attacked the feminist community based on a handful of her own experiences. This, in and of itself, is problematic, since there are over 15 varying types of feminism (i.e. Radical, Existentialist, Marxist, Lesbian Separatist, Ecofeminism, etc.) which all ascribe to different belief systems. By lumping all feminists into one category and denouncing their politics and beliefs systems, Bruce gave lip service to a generalization that I am afraid was not based on many (if any) facts.
The most generic definition of feminism (or of a feminist) upholds that women as well as men deserve the same social, political, and economic opportunities. Tammy Bruce, for someone who claimed that her role in NOW educated her, appeared to be a very uneducated person.
The Quad’s review of Bruce’s speech failed to mention that Bruce called all socialists “anarchists,” and said that “everyone has a little Hitler inside of them.” It was also problematic for me to hear Bruce advocate what sounded to me (and many around me) a hate speech directed against anyone who had an opposing view.
Bruce reminded many of a shock jock, (think Howard Stern here), who rather than addressing the questions asked of her, cashed in on buzz words and fallacious argument forms to generate hype. Perhaps it is relevant to note that Bruce told the audience she had, “gone through twenty years of psychotherapy,” since many of her positions and defenses seemed to belong to what at least one observer called, “the lunatic fringe.”
Feminism, in any incarnation, is not the hateful groupings that Bruce alluded to. Many wonderful programs have occurred on WCU’s campus from the openly-feminist Women’s Studies Club (such as open forums, guest speakers, a gender oriented poetry booklet titled “The F Word,” counter demonstrations at Planned Parenthood, etc.) aimed at making the campus a place for women as well as men to be treated equally in all realms of existence.
Anyone interested in joining the Women’s Studies Club can e-mail their contact information to: womensstudiesclubwcu@hotmail.com and join our member list.
Jen Woolston
WCU Women’s Studies
Club President