Who to blame
Zacarias Moussaoui was arrested on immigration violations and later charged with complicity in the 9/11 plot, even though he was in jail on the date in question, appears to have been too unstable to be trusted with such an important task, and, oddly enough, no Al Qaeda officials we’ve talked to, in Afghanistan or Guantanamo, had ever heard of him. His testimony to the effect that he was to play a pivotal role in the hijackings fell well short of the plausible. Despite all this, he was convicted on all counts, narrowly escaping the death penalty, on the conclusion that he had been directly responsible for at least one 9/11 death. (The jury did not specify which one.) In other news, Dr. Raymond B. Seed, principal author of an independent report on the failure of New Orleans’ levees, said this: “People died because mistakes were made and because safety was exchanged for efficiency and reduced cost.” The construction and maintenance of the levees were a government project, overseen by federal officials. Any action relating to construction or cost-cutting would have to be the result of a positive decision made by one of these officials. When can we expect Moussaoui-like charges to be brought against them?
Peter Johnston
Lexington, Mass.
Water usage
Thank you Mr. Jones for your complaints of wasting water on May 23rd, but I think your anger was really directed at BYU Grounds Crew for not fixing your errant sprinkler head as quickly as possible. The Pioneers would not have a problem with our water usage. They had the knowledge of where the water came from and where it is going. Sadly, surface water in this valley proceeds to Utah Lake where it will evaporate or flow down (yes, water flows downhill) the Jordan River to the Great Salt Lake where its salinity increases until it evaporates. We live in valleys where the water does not leave, therefore use all the water that is not being retained in reservoirs as your water rights permits because wasting water here means not utilizing it. By the way, do not pollute the environment.
Kevin D. Winters
Provo
An enjoyable experience
I appreciate that the Marriott Center is getting a face lift. After all, it’s nice that the basketball players will have a better court to play on. Tuesday?s ?Marriott Center face-lift? article also mentions that the sound/video equipment will be upgraded, “provid[ing] our guests with a more enjoyable experience.” While that may be true, what about upgrading the seats? Wouldn’t guests/students appreciate that even more? After all, those small, uncomfortable (and ugly) seats are definitely not pleasing to very many people. Having your knees/shins pressed up against the person sitting in front of you isn’t exactly a comfortable experience. Again, thanks for the upgrades, but please consider what may bring the greatest good when embarking on these types of projects.
Fernando Mladineo
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
American Intelligence
I?d like to say that I am appalled that someone could be so full of themselves that they would blatantly insult the intelligence of the entire American public without providing a single shred of evidence to support their claim. Simply stating, ?Everyone knows Fox news lies,? does not make it so and only betrays the elitist attitude of the person making the remark. Could it be possible that the reason Fox news regularly trumps CNN in the ratings is because people agree with what Bill O’Reilly is saying, and not because they have been brainwashed by a corporate media outlet bent on the destruction of America? Could it be the reason George W. Bush was elected twice was not because of Diebold Voting machines but because he received the most electoral votes? Whether or not Ms. Smith was serious in her accusation or not I feel this example clearly demonstrates what is wrong with the American left-wing. Instead of providing any actual evidence or meaningful alternative to problems, they resort instead to name-calling in hopes of that if they say it long enough or loud enough eventually everyone will believe it. If the Left wants people to take them seriously they should stop with all the wild accusations, conspiracy theories, and self-aggrandizement, or at least speak to others as equals instead of ignorant children that have to be told how and what to think.
Arthur Demske
Dallas, Texas
‘The Code’ uplifting?
In response to Ms. Smith?s letter about Dan Brown?s foul novel ?The Da Vinci Code?? I say that if she has intelligence, in company with well-established religious beliefs then I can???t see how she could have overlooked the unsightly promiscuity and licentiousness found throughout the book. I admit that I did read the first few chapters and also overlooked a few vulgar words, but I could not ignore the filthy
suggestions that so easily draw immoral images in ones mind. ?The Da Vinci Code? does not offend my religious beliefs, except that it displays carnal and devilish ideas as acceptable and entertaining. We are encouraged by the Lord to search after uplifting, inspiring and virtuous entertainment. A wise Hindu philosopher once said that a person who has lost his or her imagination will turn to base and vulgar things for entertainment. Furthermore, I believe that the entertainment that we seek is only an extension of who we really are. May we follow the council of our prophet to be clean in our thoughts and not let our imaginations deteriorate nor let our morals decay.
Luke L. Bahr
Payson
Bonds vs. Ruth
I’m not sure which version of baseball history Michael Barzee was reading when he claimed Barry Bonds is a better defensive outfielder than Babe Ruth. Apparently he forgot Bond’s awful fielding performances in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS and Game 6 of the 2002 World Series. Bonds cost his team a shot at the World Series with a poor throw at the end of the 1992 NLCS, and his awful fielding lead to Anaheim’s comeback in 2002. Ruth made only two errors in his postseason history (1923 World Series game 4 and 1932 World Series game 1), neither of which affected the outcome of the games– and this in an era of generally higher error totals. Mr. Barzee, please learn something about baseball before you write about it.
Daniel Evensen
South Jordan
