Editor, Daily Nexus:

Many of you who picked up the Nexus on Monday, Jan. 29, may have read an interesting letter to the editor about one student’s opinion on the UC Santa Barbara athletic program (The Reader’s Voice, "Real Gaucho Fans Are Corn Tortilla Slingers). Raymond Camahort expressed his own personal opinion about his dislike of various elements of the sports program and Gaucho fans. I thought the letter was rather humorous and harmless – I didn’t think much of it. As his roommate, we joked that there would probably be a lot of contrary opinions submitted to the Nexus in the next week.

Sure enough, there were some people who didn’t agree with Raymond. Yet, it seems that some people don’t value individuals’ rights to express their personal opinions in a public forum. In submitting a letter you must include your full name, year, major and phone number. This is to prevent people from submitting fake or bogus letters, but unfortunately it also puts people at risk.

I know this because at around 10:30 p.m. on Monday we received multiple phone calls at our residence from someone who would not identify himself. He had clearly gotten both Raymond’s home and school phone numbers and addresses. He made threats to Raymond and stated that he would settle the score later this week. The caller alluded to having some affiliation with the athletic program, but refused to say what his name was or any other information about himself. The guy continually made threats – he said that Raymond would get "fucked up," "strangled" and even "butt fucked." I am not sure why Raymond’s article prompted such a strange homoerotic fantasy in this individual, but it is clearly unwarranted. This person also mentioned that he had Raymond’s mother’s phone number and address, which he had obviously looked up in the school directory.

Whoever this individual is, he is the biggest fucking coward. To reply to a personal opinion printed in the school paper with late-night threatening phone calls is the most cowardly thing a person could do. To fail to identify himself after multiple threatening phone calls and to mention a person’s parents is fucking bullshit. For someone to actually escalate a rather humorous letter into threatening someone’s parents is just asinine.

He claimed that he wanted to speak to Raymond because he got to express his opinion, and now he wanted to express his. Well, put it in fucking writing you coward. Grow some fucking nuts and write an opinion in the paper, and then sign it with your real name. Then you can open yourself up to the possibility of weirdoes looking up your number, calling and threatening your bitch ass. Do not call a person’s home late at night and just threaten them!

I hope for the sake of the athletics program and all the fans of Gaucho sports that this person is not representative of members of their ranks. But if he is, then Ray’s remarks did not belittle the athletic program enough. In actuality they came nowhere close to expressing how terrible it really is.
DAN TAYLOR