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Thursday, July 24, 2025

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Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PETA employee thankful for editorial

Thank you, Editorial Board, for echoing the call for compassion on factory farms. For years, animal protection organizations have shown the inherent cruelty in cutting the beaks off egg-laying hens  and confining them to spaces so small they can’t even spread a single wing. Battery cages will be illegal in the European Union starting in 2012, and the U.S. would do well to follow that example. However, sadly, this is not the only area where McDonald’s is falling behind the times on animal welfare standards.


Florida Alligator
METRO

Gainesville to celebrate earth

Gainesville and the rest of the world will celebrate Mother Earth Thursday for Earth Day’s 40th anniversary by gathering their shovels and gloves and getting down to business.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tiger Woods deserves media attention

Caroline Hitiman recently wrote a letter to the Editorial Board complaining about all the attention Tiger Woods receives from the media. Woods receives attention from media simply because he is the most interesting athlete in sports. Like Hitiman said, the media ratings from the Masters went up 36 percent from last year just because Woods was in the field. I understand other golfers were performing better, but when Woods heads into the final round at the Masters only four strokes behind the leader, it’s definitely something to watch. The most interesting thing to watch aside from Woods pulling crazy shots to win is to see Woods lose. Even when he is in last place, it is entertaining to see how he handles failure. Whether it is slamming clubs or holding up a trophy, Tiger deserves airtime.


Florida Alligator
METRO

500 march in favor of workers' rights

Holding signs with slogans like “We Want Justice,” a crowd of about 500 people, including about 25 UF students, marched this weekend from Tampa to Lakeland in support of better wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers.


SPORTS  |  OTHER SPORTS

Right on Target

Amanda O’Leary stood on the field and looked around while goose bumps covered her body at the sound of the national anthem. She saw the stadium that would be at capacity less than four minutes after faceoff, she saw the faces of supporters, and she saw her dream come true.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reader misunderstands health care bill

Alligator reader Ann Sanchez is an idiot. First, the health care bill does not provide blanket health care for illegal immigrants, as they are treated much as before. Yes, some people will pay more in taxes, but we will pay less in health care costs as a whole due to more preventative care. Malpractice reform would save about $54 billion over 10 years, which is significant but not huge considering we spend more than $2 trillion on health care each year. There is nothing in the bill stating that all specialties have to be paid the same. This is not even true in the U.K., where they have real socialized medicine. Unlike Sanchez claims, it is not common knowledge that doctors leave medical school with half a million dollars in debt because they leave with an average of $156,000, which is still a big number, but there are few professions where you are guaranteed to make six figures for the rest of your life. And finally, medical residents do not make $30,000 per year; they usually make upwards of $45,000 per year — 50 percent more than $30,000, according to my rough math. They’re not living the high life, but it’s not bad considering the significant pay raise at the end of their 3- to 7-year residency. It’s OK to have opinions and to print those opinions, but it’s just a waste of ink if the people expressing those views refuse to read books or use the Internet, and instead they base their elementary opinions on e-mails forwarded by grandma.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reader congratulates Westboro baptist Church counter-protesters

Bravo to the counter-protesters of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters. A confrontation such as this could have turned violent, but Gainesville residents showed these people how the city really feels about ignorance and intolerance. We laugh at it. By dancing, singing and making fun of the situation, residents let the Westboro Baptist Church members know that their claims are so idiotic that they do not deserve to be taken seriously. It is unfortunate that so much hate and discontent is spread in the name of God, but the beauty of our country is that they have the right to do so in the same way others have the right to choose their partner regardless of gender. It boggles my mind how these people claim God hates homosexuals. Isn’t the god whom the followers of Westboro Baptist Church speak of the creator of everything, all-knowing and ever-present? If so, their God created gay people willingly and knowingly. Fortunately, the members of our community are smart enough to recognize a circus act when they see one, and everybody enjoys a day at the circus.



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