Your article entitled \Court drops lawsuit against band director"" was too simplistic and too one-sided to UW-Madison Marching Band Director Michael Leckrone. It makes him look like a hero and me the wrongful student. I really think the public needs to know just who he is and the type of program he runs. What kind of a professor grabs students by the collars? What kind of a professor threatens to punch students? What kind of a professor ""steals"" money from students for his own personal gain?
In my search to receive an explanation of the fine I was met with an incredible amount of resistance and ""professional"" advice. It included such colorful phrases and words from former L&S Dean Phil Certain like, ""you're a disgrace to the university,"" ""why am I wasting my time with you"" and ""you are the most ignorant student I've ever met."" Leckrone, behind closed doors, screamed expressions like, ""asshole,"" ""jackass,"" ""I've lost any respect I've ever had for you,"" ""pay the damn fine,"" ""get the f--- hell out [of my office],"" ""I don't care about the legality at this point,"" etc.
Luckily for me, I secretly recorded some of the ""due process"" conversations for my own protection. Until one has been politely invited into Leckrone's or Certain's office to discuss the fine only to be verbally assaulted for hours on end, it is really hard to explain. Even harder to explain is why these ""professional"" individuals acted this way. After all, these classless individuals are supposed to shape the lives and character of thousands of students each year.
However, this is the kind of behavior I expected from Leckrone acting under the direction of Chancellor Wiley. I question the character of a man who demands a $200 personal check written to him from each student he hears say one single word. It would be interesting to find out what Mike Leckrone has done with the countless personal checks received from students over the years.
UW-Madison Alumnus
In Holly Noe's column entitled ""Activism doesn't translate to awareness"" her confusion and frustration at fickle public opinion helps nobody. Instead of going with the antiwar protesters to demand peace and justice for the Iraqis and for everyone that is devastated by war she has implicitly consented to forget that the war was illegal, that innocent people died, that the public was lied to about WMDs, that Americans doing their version of peace and freedom felt it necessary to grotesquely torture prisoners with delight, that Halliburton overcharged the government millions of dollars in its contracts, that foreign journalists at the Palestine Hotel were killed by American bullets. The list goes on. Why does Holly Noe and the like not protest and demand those accountable be brought to justice?
Especially insulting is her reference to the ""dirty hippie drumming on a plastic bucket."" There is a severe undercurrent of stereotyping being done by Holly here and it serves the Cardinal or the community nothing to promote more hate and bias in this way. I was at the protest and did not see anybody as ""dirty"" or anybody as a ""hippie."" Judging people by their looks or dress is an archaic, foolish and immature cover for insecurity. The people in the protest showed more strength and courage than Holly can attempt to attain in looks and clothing. Why the sellout?
Stop The War
