First off, I would like to express my disgust and horror that this article made it into the Iowa State Daily. The fact that this sort of dribble would be posted in a public campus newspaper is appalling.

I’m not going to argue that the author does or doesn’t have his right to freedom of speech. He can write what he wants and submit as he pleases. But it’s a fact that not every opinion sent into the Daily gets published. Why did this one make the cut?

It’s insulting to interracial couples, like myself, and it is offensive to interracial people like my girlfriend. Was this simply for shock factor? Did the conversation for this go a little like, “Hey, lets see how many people we can unfairly insult by publishing this!”

I know I’m not the only person who feels this way. Everyday I see plenty of interracial couples walking around campus, and I am friends with and acquainted with plenty of interracial people who act just like everyone else.

No one deserves to be isolated like they are second-class citizens because their parents are from different ethnic backgrounds. I am aware that you can’t contract the article, but I would request that you take a closer look at the material you print.

The entire article was an attack on people of different ethnic backgrounds.

Ethan Van Helten is a sophomore in biology.