WELCOME, JUDGE THOMAS

Age is supposed to mellow us and make us more conservative.

Screw that. Age should make us more passionate and thoughtful, and skeptical of political labels altogether.

People who slowly sink over the years into desperation, or worse, resignation, can't command respect regardless of their politics.

By the same token, people who carry the shrill arrogance of youth into adulthood shouldn't command our respect either - regardless of their politics.

Those who disagree quietly with the decision to invite Justice Clarence Thomas to speak at the University have a multitude of reasons for doing so. They may feel that the choice of a conservative was politically motivated and inappropriate. They may find Justice Thomas' philosophical grounding in Natural Law to be naive, or vapid or dangerous. They may hold long-standing resentments against the Reagan revolution and all its consequences, resentments rubbed raw by a controversial war led by a Reagan heir.

But let there be no mistake about one thing. Justice Clarence Thomas commands our utmost respect - regardless of his politics.

A Georgia native, Justice Thomas has risen from the humble red clay to sit on the highest determinative body in the most powerful nation on earth. He serves there with honor; he leads an exemplary life.

He is not simply an appropriate choice to speak to graduates of the school of law. He is the most qualified man for that honor, both logically and spiritually.

What could be more logical than a native Georgian and Supreme Court Justice speaking to the law school of Georgia's flagship institution? And what could be more spiritually appropriate at this moment in our state's history than celebrating the unmatched accomplishment of a descendent of slaves?

To quietly complain about the choice of Justice Thomas is perfectly appropriate. We all disagree and dissent, and bitch and moan, all the time. To complain more loudly and publicly is an indulgence that should be reserved for youth.

But those who have used the Thomas invitation to grandstand - for instance, by scheduling a contemporaneous counter-speech starring themselves - are engaged in glib, childish self promotion. The shrill, sanctimonious tenor of their dissent exposes its shallowness and self absorption.

Clarence Thomas's great sin is that he is conservative. His most vocal and vicious critics haven't shown us one iota of evidence involving scandalous behavior, or fraud, or lack of integrity on Justice Thomas's part.

Shame on them.

The University still belongs to the people of Georgia, not to cadres of leftist whiners with naked political agendas.

Justice Thomas, welcome home. We're damn proud of you.

Preston Coleman
Ila

OFFENDED STUDENT

Dear Flagpole and my friend Pete, how did I guess that you wouldn't be able to write an article about the rental registration ordinance without making some kind of ludicrous and unfounded blanket statement directed at UGA students? It sure is easy to demonize student renters when you continue to perpetuate the myth that rich, over-privileged college kids with their "SUVs, dogs, garbage, discarded sofas, pelvic affiliates, amplifiers, alcohol and attitudes" have invaded this town for the sole purpose of destroying your serene and beautiful neighborhoods.

Let's be honest here. This is the same misguided conception of students that motivated the draconian rental ordinance in the first place. It's nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to force student renters out of residential areas. If constitutional restrictions hadn't limited it, the proposal would have been written to apply only to students, and the rest of Athens would have touted the new law as great victory for "public health and safety." The sad thing is that Flagpole would be right there celebrating the fact that Athens had finally kicked the frat boy invaders out of their otherwise pristine and perfect residential neighborhoods. Rental Registration is the Crown Jewel in a long history of inexplicable anti-student sentiment perpetuated by the liberal residents here in Athens.

Pete, I'm sorry that me and my 30,000 college friends have ruined your progressive utopia with our polluting SUVs and right-wing extremism. I'm sorry that together my parents make almost $100,000 a year and can afford to send me to college as well as put me up somewhere besides the dorms. And I must apologize for the fact that the University of Georgia and her attendants have so inconsiderately located themselves in the heart of this otherwise self-sufficient city. If only UGA and the students would just get out, Athens could finally become the pleasantville it was meant to be.

Daniel Gardner
Athens

COWARDLY SUV

On a recent Sunday night at 10 p.m. while biking my way to 5 Points, a red SUV passed me on Lumpkin (in the left-hand lane, while I was in the right) and the front passenger stuck his head out the window and screamed, "Get a car you jackass!"

It's obvious that your purpose was an attempt to instill fear into an innocent bicyclist, yet I would like to take the opportunity to address your fraternity brothers and sorority sisters as to how your SUV cowardly accelerated off in an attempt to avoid any rebuttal to, essentially, your act of terrorism (look it up in the dictionary). You were in a SUV, I was on a bike. You probably lost at least $10 in gas speeding away in fear. I'm sure your buddy "Dubbya" would be very proud. With the adrenaline I've received from my episode, I've drafted letters to the I.F.C., Arnett Mace Jr. and Michael Adams. But, I think I'll settle with the satisfaction that even in your hulking, gas-mongering SUV, you were too afraid to confront one guy face-to-face on his little bike.

Come on fellas, today was Palm Sunday. Do you really think Jesus enjoyed your prank as much as you did?

Matt Berkvist
Athens

WHERE'S WUOG?

I guess I'm out of touch with the current state of the "War on Internet Airwaves," but the last time I checked, WUOG still had a website available even though they had been shut down by Hillary Rosen and her cronies at the RIAA. Now that appears to be gone as well.

What gives, and what can we do to stop this madness? There are still plenty of college radio stations (WXYC and WXDU are still broadcasting over the Internet up here in NC) which are streaming audio. Why has WUOG been singled out, or was it a voluntary decision? I just don't buy the idea that streaming audio of independent music will hurt record sales. If anything, it makes me (and others, I trust) more apt to purchase CDs because I actually get to hear new music. Since most of my listening hours are at work when I can't pick up a signal, I rely on Internet streaming for this resource.

Now, Rosen has chosen to take over Iraq's copyright laws (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/30441.html). Looks like Iraqi radio will get the first slap of democracy.

Will McKinley
Durham, NC

IT'S DISCRIMINATION

Will somebody please explain to "Pissed Off Gay Neighbor" [Letters, April 23] that just because she and her partner co-own the house, they are not able to have another roommate unless they get married? It's called discrimination, and I don't see how it's any better than asshole frat boy neighbors.

Name Withheld
Athens

OVER-REACT?

I was watching Channel 11 News the other night, and the piece was about the policy of placing guns in airplane cockpits. One airline - despite the Bush administration's opposition to the program - has already begun to train their pilots in self-defense and proper gun use. The question was raised, why is the Bush administration against the program? In response, the anchor reported, "They fear that pilots will over-react to imagined threats."

I nearly slid off the treadmill! Overreact to imagined threats! What, like declaring war on a country you don't know for sure has weapons of mass destruction, commence to destroy that country in hopes of finding these phantom weapons, and still, after the land is leveled, not finding them? Do you mean something like that?

Nico Isaac
Athens