Dear Lady Ashton,
On 5 February 2013, Bulgarian authorities released the findings of their official enquiry regarding the deadly bomb attack at Burgas airport on 18 July 2012, in which five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed.
Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov blamed the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah for the terrorist attack. He declared: "We have established that the two were members of the militant wing of Hezbollah." He added: "There is data showing the financing and connection between Hezbollah and the two suspects."
As you know, Hezbollah has a long record of terrorist activities against, amongst others, European and Jewish targets around the world. We would remind you of the bombing in 1993 of buildings housing French and US military...
Lifestyle
Dear Israel,
If you are thinking of attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon, please do not repeat the mistake you made in 2006 when you attacked all of Lebanon, and not just Hezbollah and its strongholds. That was a strategic error, and we are all still paying the price, as it made Hezbollah stronger, not weaker.
In 2006, the majority of Lebanese hated Hezbollah. They had no doubt Hezbollah was a cancer.
When that war started and was originally confined to South Lebanon, many other parts of Lebanon began to rejoice and dream of the possibility that if Israel were to weaken Hezbollah there, the rest of the country could squeeze it from the other side, and finish it.
But that fantasy didn’t last too long, as Israel started bombing other areas of Lebanon, deep into Christian regions...
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Dear Dr. Marrero:
Congratulations on the many outstanding achievements by the University of West Georgia under your leadership. Although not personally an alumnus of West Georgia, it holds a special place in my heart. You will see why.
My mother was the first person in her family to graduate from a public high school. She was in the first generation of Creek Indian youth, who were even allowed by the state of Georgia to attend public schools. At age 16, she was valedictorian of her graduating class and received a full scholarship to West Georgia College. West Georgia then consisted of two academic buildings and two dormitories! It was a two year college.
After she finished West Georgia with straight A’s, my grandfather drove her to Athens, GA in a mule wagon, where she went on to...
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Dear Dr. Dodds,
As an adjunct professor and former part time faculty member in Women's Studies at Saint Mary’s University, as well as a social justice advocate and member of several women's organizations, I am writing to you to let you know how disgusted I was by the ugly chant that occurred as part of recent frosh week activities at the University. I must admit, however, that while I was disturbed and shocked by the chant, I wasn’t terribly surprised.
Like several women I have spoken to about the issue, most of us understand that the incident had its roots in deeper socio-cultural problems related to sexism, gender inequality and yes, misogyny in society that now finds particularly disturbing and nasty manifestations amongst some youth which, unfortunately, are not limited to...
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Dear President Hennessy,
Forgive me! You have sent me so many thoughtful letters over the years, and I have never written back, never answered your one big question. I hope I didn’t seem sullen or ungrateful; if I didn’t write, it was only because I felt shy, or generally overwhelmed. Yesterday, however, I got a letter from you that shook me from my shyness; and since I am unemployed, I can no longer claim to be generally overwhelmed.
Well, the letter wasn’t actually from you, it was from the Stanford Bookstore. And it wasn’t actually a letter; it was a catalog. But may I tell you about this Stanford Bookstore Catalog? May I tell you about its “fine apparel and gifts”?
After all, a good catalog is nothing more or less than an inventory of the worldly goods that would be owned by...
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Dear President Faust,
I am writing as a former Harvard University graduate to express my shock in relation to Harvard’s recent decision to abolish the word “Master” in academic titles in response to protests from students who lamented the word’s relationship to slavery.
One can only wonder at what comes next in the ridiculous quest for moral absolution by political correctness. Where will the “tyranny of penitence” now take us? Shall we next refuse payments made by “Mastercard”? Or expel anyone listening to Frank Sinatra because of the late crooner’s alleged ties with the mob? Are we going to burn all copies of Thomas L. Friedman’s “The World is Flat” lest the title offend the obese? Should the American constitution be abolished today because it condoned slavery when it was...
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Dear Ken Starr,
Your university has a problem. Silence from Baylor won't make it go away.
Where's the remorse and compassion for rape victims? Words are one thing. Actions are quite another. As president and chancellor, you can show the public that Baylor understands what went wrong.
It's not just that ESPN's Outside the Lines reported deeply disturbing allegations from the mouths of rape victims. These women, one mother and a local district attorney talked about how inadequately Baylor investigated multiple allegations of sexual violence committed by two football players, who were both convicted of sexual assault.
Title IX requires universities to investigate these complaints and provide support for the accuser so, like one Baylor victim did, she doesn't drop out of school as...
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Dear Mr. Lawrence,
I remember well my years attending Brandeis University. I remember the classes, the teachers, the students, and even the food. But perhaps most of all, I remember the activism.
I remember the student tables in Usdan pushing a diverse set of agendas. I remember the Republicans and Democrats; I remember Triskelion promoting awareness of LGBT issues. I remember a speech by Meir Kahane, who actively preached the murder of Muslims in Israel, proclaiming “violence is not the road to peace, but it is the road to survival.” I remember a student-made and staffed shanty-town protesting Brandeis’ investment in South Africa during Apartheid, and the pride I felt when Brandeis wisely divested.
Today, that pride is gone as Brandeis has caved to religious intolerance...
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Dear members of the Virginia Tech community,
The devastating loss of a young member of our Blacksburg community, Nicole Madison Lovell, along with the investigation of a Virginia Tech student in connection with the case, has everyone in a state of shock and sadness. Speaking on behalf of our community, let me say that our hearts go out to Nicole’s family and friends.
As a father, as well as Virginia Tech’s president, I want to reassure you that our community is supportive and resilient. Lean on that support and the resources available to you. It is normal to feel anxious and overwhelmed at a time such as this. You are not alone.
Campus resources are online and listed below and I encourage you to ask for help; it is a sign of wisdom. Check in with your friends and your classmates...
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Dear alumni and students,
Recent negative press stories gave voice to critics who questioned the quality of the education you received at University of Phoenix. I know your degree has value and you demonstrate that every day. After 16 years at the University of Michigan, I came to University of Phoenix as President last year to lead an institution that is uniquely positioned to help more working adults attain college degrees, rebuild and restore the American middle class, and change the lives of students, their families and future generations through higher education.
As I met University of Phoenix students, I quickly learned that not only were 76% of you working while earning your degrees, but you were raising families (67% of you have dependents at home). You are a diverse student...
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