University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Civil Theology Exclusive Of Political Espionage

The editorial in Wednesday's
CD entitled "Indefensible"
completely missed what may
be the most important fact
about the Watergate crime and
the series of events leading up
to it alleged by the Washington
Post. While the CD denounces
the affair, the sad truth is that
this administration doesn't
need to defend it.

The editorial was written as
though a revelation of these
shoddy and criminal tactics
might objectively alter the
course of the election. But the
American people see the
Watergate crime according to a
view of current events which
does not include corruption
and political espionage. Hence,
they do not exist, and public
reaction to the ITT case, the
grain deal, and the Watergate
bugging is negligible.

At the very most, these
scandals cannot be ignored, but
they never involve high
government officials. And so,
for all the righteous
indignation of the CD, the
outcome will regrettably be the
same.

Bicycle Prohibition

Walking to classes is slowly
becoming hazardous, because
of the abundance of cars,
bicycles, and people. I have
noticed an unusual amount of
bicycle and car accidents
occurring in the vicinity of the
Chemistry Building. Having a
class there at lunch time, I am
becoming increasingly
disturbed by the chaotic
combination of cars, bicyclers,
and pedestrians.

Pedestrians are forced off
the sidewalks, into the bike
paths, forcing the bikes further
into the streets, and the cars
add that much more
congestion. Drastic steps must
be taken to relieve this mess.

It seems that the only way
to alleviate traffic problems is
to eliminate cars from
McCormick Road and enlarge
both the sidewalks and the
bicycle paths. The mob of
people on the streets and
sidewalks make it almost
impossible to get from Cabell
Hall to Gilmer Hall in the
allotted ten minutes. It would
be possible, however, without
the confusion of all the means
of transportation and with
more room to move.

As more people ride
bicycles to classes, the
sidewalks, especially at Cabell
Hall, get more hazardous.
Bicycles need to be prohibited
from the Lawn and sidewalks
surrounding classroom
buildings. There is barely
enough space on the sidewalks
for the pedestrians, much less
for the cyclists.

The situation is getting so
threatening to me, that I am
continually flinching on my
way to Gilmer Hall watching
accidents happen or almost
happen. I know that there are
others who feel like me, and I
don't like feeling like I'm in
the middle of a bargain
basement sale everyday.

There is an urgent need for
plans to materialize concerning
bicycle regulations and
prohibition of cars from the
grounds. It is getting too
dangerous for those of us
without bikes or cars to walk
to classes. The bus system,
which would be a solution, is
inefficient for some of the
students living in the dorms. It
doesn't go by Mary Munford at
all, leaving these students with
no choice but to walk.

I, personally, would rather
walk, as I'm sure many others
would, but not as long as I
have to worry about getting
pushed off the sidewalk by
other people, or about dodging
cars and bicycles.

Don't Answer

I would like to voice my
disgust of the activities of the
local political organizations.
Both parties are accumulating
files of students' political views
under the pretense of political
preference polls. Neither party
has the right to do this, and I
know that I don't like the idea
of being in such a file.

In addition, both parties are
sponsoring one-sided
registration drives. Great care
should be taken before you
register locally. By registering
to vote locally, you may be
changing your official
residence and thus lose
scholarships, insurance, and
other benefits you have as a
resident of your hometown.
The local organizations are so
anxious to get votes, that they
don't inform you of this when
they come to get you to
register.

So please don't answer the
questions of pollsters of either
organization. By answering
them you are inviting the
organization of the candidate
you prefer to bother you until
election time. You'll only be
hurting yourself. And find out
the facts before you register
locally. Not doing so may
cause serious consequences.
Please vote.