Letters
No Smoking Matter
Dear Sir,
I have read with interest the very brave decision of the students Teddy Hall, in voting for choice over smoking. I am a non-smoker myself but firmly believe that in a democracy all should have equal rights. Sadly in Blair’s Britain this is becoming more and more difficult to uphold. I have been prompted to write however, because your author included a contribution from ASH. They have again repeated what has been shown to be a lie many times.
Passive smoking does not cause serious illness or death in 25% of the non-smoking population. The 25% represents the relative risk, not the absolute risk. To show causation would require a percentage risk of 300% (RR3). Unfortunately these lies go unchallenged time after time. I represent an organisation called Freedom to Choose, who are committed to fighting for choices in any UK smoking ban. We are not pro smoking or funded by any group.
I would welcome the opportunity to address the students union and explain how the Public are being misled by the lies and deceit of many reputable charities and scientists.
Bob Feal-Martinez www.thebigdebate.org
Supporting Pals
Dear Sir,
We express our support for the motion passed in OUSU Council on Friday twinning our SU with that of Bir Zeit. Bir Zeit is a university in the West Bank, which is suffering under the oppressive Israeli occupation, which resulted, amongst other things in the loss of 111 teaching days between 2001 and 2002. Only last week, Israeli Defence Forces entered the university and shot a student in the back with a rubber coated steel bullet.
The road from Ramallah to Bir Zeit was closed between March 2001 and December 2003, and is still subject to arbitrary checkpoints. The restrictions on freedom which result from checkpoints and curfews make it impossible to pursue a normal academic routine and daily life. This is a violation of Palestinian students’ basic human rights, and is illegal under the fourth Geneva Convention and the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
It also prohibits the functioning and development of a healthy Palestinian society and denies Palestinians the right to live in freedom and dignity. We are glad that OUSU has chosen to stand in solidarity with students who face daily threats to their right to education, a right which we can all take for granted.
Najla Dowson-Zeidan Oxford Students Palestine Society.
OUSU off the rails?
Dear Sir,
I note that OUSU has passed a motion to twin itself with the student union of Bir Zeit University, an Israeli-funded Palestinian university in the West Bank. Bir Zeit Student Union held its annual elections on 25 April 2006. Hamas won 23 seats; the PFLP, 5; and Islamic Jihad, 2. That is, a total of 30 seats for terrorist organisations that are proscribed by the EU, UN and US, compared with 21 seats for combined other parties.
In order to promote “the healthy functioning of Palestinian society”, OUSU, in its wisdom, has resolved to support an organisation dominated by those who encourage young people to blow themselves (and others) up. Perhaps next week they should write another letter encouraging their new Hamas colleagues to be less - well - activist. What a bunch of useful idiots.
Gabriel Doctor
The best letter each week will receive a free Eurotime diary in their pigeon hole. The author of the best letter this week is Bob Feal-Martinez
1st Jun 2006