Romney’s record
As a news junkie and political enthusiast, I have been intrigued to observe the support and attention Mitt Romney has received in Utah. I agree with others who have come to the assumption that Romney’s support in Utah stems from his religion, which is shared by the majority of this paper’s readers.
However, I am of the firm opinion that Romney does not adequately represent LDS beliefs. His desire to “double the size of Guantanamo” and use “extreme interrogation” tactics (Orwellian doublespeak for “torture”) shows that he rejects the Just War Theory supported in LDS scripture, where war is only condoned in true self-defense. In addition, Romney has also flip-flopped on important moral issues such as abortion and gay marriage, something that should be alarming to true conservatives.
While Romney’s conservative voting record is a bit murky, there is one man that deserves the attention of all true conservatives: Ron Paul, the “champion of the constitution.” Members of the LDS faith will see in Congressman Paul a reflection of conservative values, a humble yet strong foreign policy, an economic policy based on sound money and a desire to preserve our nation’s sovereignty.
I encourage the readers of this paper to do their research and not vote for Mitt Romney simply because he’s a Mormon.
Connor Boyack
Lehi
214
No apparent reason
A recent letter encouraged BYU students to be more kind to others, especially non-members on campus. The writer reported that her friend “has been the victim of a fistfight and his truck being keyed.” She further claimed “both incidents were dealt by BYU students for no apparent reason.”
I don’t want to argue with the notion that we should be more kind to one another, especially when respecting views of other people’s religion. I find it hard to believe, however, that her friend was a victim of two unkind acts “for no apparent reason.” Perhaps the writer meant “for no good reason,” which is much more plausible. I just can’t imagine BYU students walking around, randomly starting fistfights or keying unknown people’s cars. The acts may be unjustified, but I doubt they were completely unprovoked.
Maybe I’m just mincing words, but I felt a bit deprived of details in the writer’s narrative. Was the friend swearing on campus or did he have an offensive bumper sticker? What were the circumstances that led these BYU students to these “blatantly awful actions?”
Brian Pratt
Fountain Valley, Calif.
Sudoku solutions
I am writing to echo Roland Monson’s concerns expressed in the Aug. 2, Readers’ Forum. I, too, have noted there are often multiple solutions to Sudoku puzzles at various levels of complexity in The Daily Universe. Your editor’s note states that, “In researching this topic, we found Sudoku puzzles can have more than one solution, especially at the easiest levels.” However, I have not come across examples of such (at any level of difficulty) in The Salt Lake Tribune, various Sudoku books and on-line sites I have used. In fact, my research consistently indicates that the logic required to solve Sudoku graphs is based on mutual exclusivity of numbers in any given box.
At sudokudragon.com, it indicates some people have found “there are 6,670,903,752,021,072,936,960 unique Sudoku grids of 9×9.” Thus, there appears to be no reason for The Daily Universe to utilize puzzles with more than one solution. Your editor’s note also indicates that you use “a” software program to produce your Sudoku puzzles. I would be curious to know which specific program you use as some are flawed. Many of us waste a great deal of time trying to solve Sudoku puzzles and, thus, we would like to be assured that our squandered hours are at least spent on valid useless distractions.
Tracie Hoffman
Sandy
Appalling attitude
I was appalled at the attitude of the student concerning the incident with the library books he borrowed. Here he is, 27 years old, complaining that as a married student, he just can’t afford the fines. Also, “I would have bought the books, but they never gave me the option.”
This man is playing the teenaged “blame game” (It’s never their fault).
When my children were old enough to hold a book, they were taught the importance of treating it with care. When a library book was misused, I would take them back to the librarian, they would show what they did to the book and pay the consequences for the misuse. This would eventually result in many hours of “service” at home to make up for the fines.
I taught seventh graders for many years, and from the first day of school, they knew respect for books was a priority in my classroom.
The student’s attitude concerning his reasoning for highlighting a library book was ridiculously immature. “To him, it was no big deal. After all, there were other markings in the books …”
All I can say is, grow up and be responsible.
Kay A. Martin Houghton
Salem
What’s newsworthy?
I’m curious to know exactly what The Daily Universe deems “newsworthy.” Yesterday, Aug. 1, a major freeway bridge in Minneapolis randomly collapsed in the middle of rush hour, sending over 100 people, including a school bus full of children, plummeting over sixty feet to the Mississippi River below. Dozens of people were injured, and the death toll is still unknown, as there are still many cars with bodies in them trapped under the water beneath layers of other cars and concrete.
This seems pretty newsworthy to me, yet there was not one single mention of it in Thursday’s issue.
I guess maybe there were other more important things to report on–such as an Associated Press article about summer dating. Maybe there just wasn’t room for it–which is weird, since there was room for a lengthy article about students having too much stuff. Or maybe perhaps The Daily Universe staff simply did not hear about the tragedy. I find that even harder to believe, though, because it was considered breaking news by pretty much every news agency, which have all picked up on the Associated Press articles. Maybe it simply comes down to the fact that it didn’t happen in Utah, or that there were probably no Mormons involved in the tragedy, making it therefore irrelevant to BYU students. Whatever the reason, I am thoroughly disappointed in The Daily Universe (and this isn’t the first time).
Lindsay Brown
Faribault, Minn.
Editor’s note: The Daily Universe deadline is 3 p.m. Occasionally, we hold space for a late story. The information about the bridge collapse didn’t appear until after our paper was being printed. A major front- page story was printed the next day.
Question sources
Newspapers, talk radio, television, and even science now purport to definitively answer life’s questions and to report reality. These media sources (science included) collect data from so-called experts and then present their findings as definitive “truth.” We the people blindly accept these “scientifically-proven” truths and expert
“opinions” as unbiased and as representative of reality. Some people claim that they have done the necessary investigation. Nevertheless, ALL of us must question ourselves-where is information coming from?
Is it possible that these information sources have any vested interests-even the self-proclaimed nonbiased information sources (science)? Why do we trust these information sources-because everyone else does? This “information apathy” is alarming and we the people must constantly call all information sources into question. If not, we will continue down the path of oppression.
Mark James Wilson
Orem
