Palestinian state needed for Middle East peace

Palestinian state needed for Middle East peace
EDITOR:
It was a horrendous attack on the crowd of Israeli teenagers and the death toll was high; highest of all the recent terrorist attacks.
There have been some very lethal attacks on Palestinian towns and refugee camps by helicopter gunships and even American-made fighter planes by Israeli armed forces. This is known as collective punishment and is state terrorism.
Call a spade a spade.
The intefadah is fought in the occupied territories almost entirely where the population has to contend with their land being continually swallowed up illegally in new settlements and their fields and houses bulldozed for new by-pass roads. These activities have gone on all the time the "peace process" has been pursued. When the Palestinians thought the process would yield them a viable state there were no terrorist acts in Tel Aviv or any other Israeli city.
Janet Baumgold-Land, an Israeli woman who works at a counseling center in Jerusalem. was quoted in the May 30 Christian Science Monitor saying the government and media highlight the bombings to convey the message that the Israelis are the "good guys" while the Palestinians are "terrorists." "They'll show footage of terrorist attacks over and over but they won't show Palestinians (victims of the Israeli army). The feeling is that we're the victims, it's only happening to us. We tend to demonize the other so it becomes a whole group that is out to get us. It is way beyond a specific act."
The only way to achieve security for the state of Israel is to return the West Bank and Gaza to the Palestinians according to many United Nations resolutions. The state of Israel is where it is because of the United Nations. A Palestinian state should be right next to it.
SALLY DUNCAN
Vienna
Legislature to blame for poor university funding
EDITOR:
In Bertram de Souza's recent column, he actually comes very close to finding the root of the problem that he is addressing. Unfortunately, he decides instead to move on and hit one of his favorite targets -- Youngstown State University salaries.
Early in his column, he correctly notes the & quot;anemic & quot; state funding for higher education. But are the legislators who drafted this monstrosity of a budget chastised by him? No, not a word. Instead, the barbs are aimed at those who, in good faith, bargained salary increases in mid-1999 for the period of 1999-2002. Who could have known at the time that the legislature would take such a backward approach to higher education?
Asking employees to forgo salary increases to compensate for terrible decisions by our legislators is about as sensible as asking victims of the Titanic to pay damages to the ship's captain.
ROBERT A. HOGUE
Youngstown
X The writer is an assistant professor, computer science and information systems at YSU.
Do unto others, especially if they have a disability
EDITOR:
I feel sorry for some people who don't have any problems in their lives and don't try to understand that some people sometimes have problems talking on the phone -- like me.
Back in November 1999, my voice box had to be removed surgically because of cancer caused by smoking. I try my best to talk on the phone, but some people don't understand me. All they need to say is "I can't understand you," and keep on trying.
I feel sorry for the people who make fun of me, and I pray for them that God will forgive them because they need help. I pray they will try to help people who need them instead of laughing at them.
I ask you to help us and support us.
PAUL TOMALKA
Youngstown