I could just scream after reading two letters in The Badger Herald that lambasted Babcock Hall for lifting its ban on milk that contains bovine growth hormones. I am from a dairy farm, and I am still quite in tune with the industry. rBGH/BST is a naturally occurring hormone in dairy animals, just not at very high levels.

There are good reasons that farmers use these hormones in their animals. One is that with the low prices that we dairy farmers in Wisconsin receive per pound of milk, it makes sense to increase production to get paid better. Secondly, these hormones have gone through much testing to even be released to the producers.

Next, do people really believe that all farmers use their animals for a source of income? Many farmers out there would not use products that may harm their animals, because they do care for them.

I believe that the FDA and USDA have done studies to see whether or not these hormones are traceable in fluid milk. Since they are naturally occurring, they are not easily discernable from other hormones in milk.

Also, there are many other causes of mastitis in dairy animals besides the use of rBGH/BST. The cleanliness of animals’ living space plays a major role in lowering chances of mastitis. Proper cleaning and sanitation before milking by the farmers is the best preventative measure against mastitis.

I just would like the public to consider what farmers must go through to put quality food on your table every single day. We are not in business to harm anyone. If you want to direct your protests at anyone, do so toward our representatives in Washington, who have yet to really help us in the fight against the poor price we receive for our products.

Joe Theis, UW senior

Last weekend my brother and his friends from the University of Iowa came to Madison for the football game. During the second quarter, a police officer stopped next to my brother and told him and his friend that they were standing too close to the aisle. So they moved over a few seats. Next, she demanded to see their tickets.

She looked at them and determined that the two of them were not sitting in their assigned seats and she radioed for “back up.” She escorted the two of them out of the student section, demanded to see their IDs, confiscated their tickets and kicked them out of the stadium. She said the police were instructed to remove anybody from the stadium who was not sitting in their assigned seats.

My brother and his friend were sitting about four seats away from their assigned seat and anyone who has ever sat in the student section knows that nobody sits in their exact seat.

My brother and his friend drove three hours from Iowa to see the game and missed over half the game for not doing anything wrong. Have we reached a point in Madison where the police can do whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want? Is this how the city wants to welcome people from out of town who come to visit Madison?

The police are here to serve and protect the people of Madison, not to harass them and treat them unfairly.

Kevin Neal, UW senior

Tommy Thompson has certainly been patting himself on the back for his “toughness” in negotiating a discounted price for the Anthrax drug Cipro from Bayer, the drug’s monopoly manufacturer. During the negotiations, Thompson was quoted as saying, “We’re not going to pay them the price they’re asking” and “I’ve given them my final offer.” Thompson also said, “I can assure you, taxpayers will get a very good deal from my negotiations with Bayer.” After signing the deal with Bayer, Thompson was quoted as saying, “I am a tough negotiator.”

So how tough a negotiator is Thompson? According to a story in Sunday’s New York Times, “the cut in price for Cipro would reduce Bayer’s profit margin on the drug to 65 percent from 95 percent.” Good job, Tommy!

Stephen Burns, Madison, Wis.

Matt Lynch points out that the Yankees have been “mercenaries … signing and trading for free agents,” but fails to point out that the Diamondbacks have the eighth-highest salary payroll (out of 30) in the league. Who cares how “young” this franchise is when they have the capital to dish out the big bucks? Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez and Tony Womack did not move to Arizona for the arid weather!

Of all the teams making post-season, only Atlanta and Cleveland had worse records during the season. The two best, Mariners and Athletics, both have lower payrolls (with .630 PCT Oakland being 29th of 30!). Arizona is just another team with deep coffers offering up the best money to attract “mercenaries” just like any other team does or wishes they can do.

John B. Biggins, Madison, Wis.

A huge effort to recall Bill Keys from the Madison School Board has just begun. Keys is a terrible representative that doesn’t listen to his constituency, so it’s time for us to kick him off the board. Please sign the petitions that will be circulated soon so that the hundreds of volunteers can gather the 31,000 signatures required to trigger a recall election. To learn more about this much-needed effort, please visit www.madisonrecall.com. The children of Madison deserve better than Keys, so please help Madison get a better school board by signing the petition.

Ryan Nichols, UW graduate student

In response to Matt Lynch’s opinion article “Living Legends,” I’d like to speak on the part of baseball fans, rather than those of you who know nothing else other than to root against an “evil empire” such as the Yankees. Therefore, I will refute Lynch’s article with facts rather than illusions.

According to Lynch, “King Steinbrenner did not build a winner; he bought it.” This is in fact wrong, since all but two players (Stanton and Mussina) were acquired through either trades, but more importantly, the Yankee farm system. The fact that the Yankee payroll is the highest in MLB is true, and since I believe in facts, I won’t argue that.

However, the money is spent retaining homegrown Yankee players (i.e. Jeter, Soriano, Posada, Pettite, Duque, Rivera, etc.). Consider it, perhaps, as a reward for staying with the team. Especially when you think about players like Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neil and Mike Mussina who turned down larger contracts so they could show their Yankee loyalty.

Maybe “buying” a team for you folks means trading top prospects for players such as Knoblauch, or statistically identical talent for players such as Clemens.

However, what you don’t realize is that you can’t “buy” a championship; you have to earn it. Sure, these players stay with the Yankees, maybe because they get paid a lot, but more realistically because the Yankee core has stayed unified, and unity leads to teamwork leads to championships. Everybody wants a championship.

Congratulations Arizona; go Yankees.

John HermannUW senior