Dear Editor,
A recent letter to the editor, or column, or whatever it was, seems to lend credence to, or at the very least expresses a smidgen of understanding of, the terrible act of violence committed against the United States on Sept. 11. What is so irritating is not necessarily the self-righteous denouncement of those that may have a Britney Spears poster on their walls, but the writer's contention that anyone's actions or priorities with respect to his or her own private life can justifiably serve as the impetus for violence, whether sparked by jealously or by righteous moral outrage.
It also, unfortunately, speaks to his ignorance of our own history as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our ancestors experienced terrible persecution on account of their beliefs. Torture, death, starvation, rape and murder were the consequences of their particular beliefs. Would the author care to fault his ancestors for their misfortune? Of course not.
And that's the point. It's our fault, according to the author, because he disagrees with our self-indulgence. One's 'failure' to be less decadent does not constitute his enemy's right to murder, torture and destroy. It also shouldn't be cause for reflection upon our lifestyle and whether or not it should change. Never should the death of thousands of innocent people be justified on the grounds that their murderers just couldn't put up with their 'failure' to be a little less materialistic.
For crying out loud, it is still a free country, isn't it? I'm taking down my Britney Spears poster, though, just in case. Should I die from nuclear fallout, I want my slate to be clean before both God and bin Laden.
Jim Jeffries
Valencia, Calif.