I have been extremely disappointed and angered with the manner in which The Northern Star has addressed the Paul Robinson issue. Although I do not always agree with some of the viewpoints expressed in the Star, I would like to believe that its reporters undertake a more tedious task in presenting both sides of this controversial issue. The Oct. 2 issue contained an article written by Rob Heselbarth in regards to the suspension of Paul Robinson from riding the Freedommobile. Nevertheless, this article is a refabricated pack of lies, and the editorial which follows on page 10 was written by a bleeding-heart rebel wanna-be who didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. Believe it or not, all of the controversy is a result of the actions of a blind man who adopts a helpless demeanor so that others will feel sorry for and help him. I am a blind graduate student who detests such attitudes as these.

To be sure, Heselbarth did begin the article with an accurate fact. Robinson did ride the Freedommobile on August 26 and 28. However, several inconsistencies soon followed. To begin with, Heselbarth writes that Paul did ride the Freedommobile on these two dates and that he had no knowledge of any rule in the existing policy against doing so. He also writes that there was a mandatory meeting for Freedommobile riders on Sept. 2 during which this issue was raised by Robinson. To a degree this was correct. However, Heselbarth continues to write that “Prior to the meeting on Sept. 2, Robinson had sent letters of appeal to various university officials trying to resolve the issue.” I find it ironic that an individual could address a problem which he didn’t know existed prior to a meeting which was designed to deal with issues such as these.

And Heselbarth gave an inaccurate portrayal of this meeting on Sept. 2. He writes that it was a meeting organized by the SAMTB. Rob, the SAMTB had nothing to do with this meeting and Robinson was not silenced by the board. This meeting was organized by Sue Reinhardt and Linn Sorge, the directors of Services for Students With Disabilities. They hold these meetings at the beginning of each semester so that riders have clear understanding of the policies of the Freedommobile.

And Paul did raise the issue of class-to-class transportation, and he made his point perfectly clear. However, he persisted in a belligerent manner, and Sue Reinhardt restored order by suggesting that they discuss this issue with him later. He was not silenced. He was disrupting a meeting by beating a dead horse. He was the only visually impaired individual at the meeting who felt this way. It had been a long meeting and all but one of us wanted to finish the meeting. This is Democracy, Paul.

And Heselbarth did not mention the meeting which was called by the SAMTB board so that Paul could present his arguments. I went to this meeting to hear them, but there was nothing to hear because Paul decided not to show up. Instead, he sent a spokesperson in his place, and Heselbarth ignored those of us who spoke out against Paul and his point of view. Instead, he quotes Paul who didn’t have the courage to show up.

After I read this article, I turned to the editorial and realized this individual’s methods of twisting the truth superseded those employed by Heselbarth. First of all, if our concerned rebel wanna-be newspaper writer would have read the Freedommobile policy, he would have saved himself the ignominy of looking like an idiot. He asserts that the reason Paul was suspended was that he rode the Freedommobile outside of the designated time in which class-to-class rides are given. What our crusader failed to understand was Paul is not eligible for class-to-class service because he is not mobility impaired. Individuals in wheelchairs can ride the Freedommobile also. In fact, that is the primary reason this service exists because the Huskie buses are not accessible to those in wheelchairs. The visually impaired individuals simply reap the benefits of this service.

And Paul is not suspended from riding the Huskie buses, so your propagandist cartoon further manifests your ignorance. Why don’t you write about something like the elections? Then your stupidity would be less evident, and you could still be a rebel without people finding out you’re nothing but a wanna-be.

And Paul, if you spent half as much time learning your way around campus as you do causing trouble, you could walk to any location in DeKalb! Stop hiding behind reporters, wanna-bes and spokespersons and learn to walk around those tree branches!

Larry Lewis

Graduate Student