Prof gives props 
To the Editor: 

Last Thursday’s (April 15) editorial was hands-down the best I’ve ever read in The Appalachian.  I hope I have the pleasure of seeing its author in Communication Law one day.  Or maybe I already have — in that case I’ll smile at the good feelings that come from seeing First Amendment lessons well-learned. 

Paul H. Gates Jr. 
Department of Communication 

Kill furry critters, not people 
To the Editor: 

In response to Boteilho’s editorial on guns, I can respect his opinion, and I commend him for his belief that gun owners need proper training, but his reasons for owning a gun are not valid. 

He states that you could use your gun to stop someone from stealing your TV or your car.  Did he ever consider that the thief might have a gun, and easily kill you or a member of your family?  Is that 26" TV or that ’92 Honda worth your life?  I don’t think so. 

He gives the police too little credit.  They put their lives on the line every day for us, and do it without hesitation. 

So, Boteilho, keep your rifle and kill all the furry critters you want, but handguns were created for one purpose: killing people, one that I see as less than honorable. 

Tony Guerrini 
ASU Box 13474 
 
  
M-16's keep us safe 
To the Editor: 

I read Hall’s article in the letters to the editor of the April 15 edition of The Appalachian.  While, for the most part, I read opinion columns and say to myself, sure, they have a point, or no, I totally disagree without speaking out, I feel it necessary to speak up for the gun owning portion of our population.  I am not writing to dispute his statistics, but I think he ignored the other half of the argument completely. 

    I believe that the whole problem with the anti-gun argument is that we as a nation are only looking for a scapegoat instead of the root to the problem at hand.  How about this, what if instead of stricter gun laws, we actually had punishments for criminals? Sounds really far-fetched, huh?  I know we just all want to protect those poor criminals who wanted to break into your home and beat your family or rob you of your possessions and sense of security, right? 

Instead of the pitiful slap on the wrist we give them, why not start imposing the death penalty instead of blaming the gun?  I guess maybe we all still think that the evil gun jumps into our hands and makes us go kill. 

    As far as the argument that other countries have low crime rates because they have strict gun laws, I would put forth that one should look at their criminal laws and conviction rates.  I, too, find it sad that kids die every day from self-inflicted wounds from guns, but I think lack of supervision of parents can be traced to most every case of those accidents as well.  Here in North Carolina, parents are now held responsible if their children gain access to their firearms. 

I find it sad that the concealed carry comes under so much fire. 

While Hall may applaud a state for not enacting one, I would like to point out that in the states that do enact concealed carry, their crime rates have declined.  The lucky few who can afford it and get one go through MANY background checks, and these are people who are LAW ABIDING citizens. 

Much to Hall’s dismay, anyone with any criminal background CANNOT get a conceal carry permit or a handgun permit, and now with the new federal FBI background check, criminals can’t even get rifles LEGALLY. 

Yes, that’s right, I said LEGALLY.  The whole problem with the anti-gun argument is that everyone who is against them believes that guns are simply going to disappear if we ban them.  Criminals do not get guns legally, only law abiding citizens get guns legally, which is who you propose to take the guns away from. 

Lastly, not just anyone can get an M-16 (a fully automatic weapon), that takes a Class-3 firearms license and is like an act of Congress to get one (once again I say legally). 

Finally, think about the reason why we have not been attacked on our own soil. It might be because so many Americans are armed.  I don’t know if my voice will be heard, but at least I have spoken.  Thanks. 
 
Brad Cook 
sc28439 
 
  

Shh...don't tell anyone I went to ASU 

To the Editor: 

As an ASU student who is planning on attending UNC-Chapel Hill next semester, I thought I might offer the other side to Mike Boteilho’s argument concerning transferring. 

First of all, Mr. Boteilho, your apparently hasty decision to transfer to ASU does not give you the right to say that other transferring students have not thought about this life-altering resolution. 

 I, myself, have spent much time deliberating on the matter, thinking about the “loss” of good friends and having to start my life over. 
Maybe your decision was an easy one--I wish I could say the same. 

I would like to point out that if you lose contact with your friends just because you go to a different school, then I’m pretty sure this would have happened eventually, move or not. 

Also, if your decision to come to ASU was based on the party school image, I don’t feel a bit sorry for you. 

 Others have made this decision for reasons more substantial than social opportunity. 

Don’t begrudge those of us who are only trying to do what we feel is right for our future simply because we don’t choose to attend the same school as you. 

Tracy Hager 
th27917 

Mike is A-OK with ex-App 
To the Editor: 

I’m writing in regards to the opinion piece by Mike Boteilho.  All I can say is, he’s absolutely right--you don’t know what you’ve got until you’re gone. 

I spent all four years at ASU and graduated May ’98.  Chomping at the bit, I couldn’t wait to get out of college, away from Boone and leave my ASU years behind. 

Although I truly enjoyed all four years and absolutely loved ASU, I was bored and ready to move on.  Now, I find myself reminiscing about my college years. 

 I miss the days of hanging out at Cottonwood with my friends, playing frisbee at Price Park or walking back from parties on the snow-packed roads at 2 a.m. 

More than anything, I miss the people I knew at ASU--from friends to professors, to those people you passed every day on campus and never really knew but always looked for that friendly App face. 

ASU definitely has some of the nicest people you will ever meet. I currently reside in Dallas, TX, so venturing to Boone for the weekend is not that easy.  I always have good intentions of visiting, but time seems to fly, and for one reason or another, I’m unable to visit. 

 Why am I telling you this?  Well, because it’s important to enjoy every moment you’re there. 

Even though sometimes it seems like the most dreaded place (like in the winter), remind yourself that in that “dread” are MANY things that make you happy. 

 Appreciate what you have, because when you start trying to find the “ideal” university, you’ll be traveling forever.  Because when you finally realize that there is no “ideal” place, it will be too late to go back to what you originally had. 

 I wish that I had appreciated the days I had at ASU more, because I always think about things I miss,  like walking the loop with my friends, taking a nap on a sunny day in the middle of Sanford Mall or the smell of the fresh mountain air and sounds of constant activity. 

So, ENJOY, because the time to leave wonderful Appalachian State will come sooner than you think. 

Lene G. Alley 
Political Media 
lene@scott-howell.com 

Skate or die 

To the Editor: 

I’m really glad to find someone with such skateboarding inspiration. 
Keep it strong,  Diandre. 

Jean Naegle 
dn2jn@eaznet.com