Free to disagree
I am tired of the rhetoric of hyperbole used all too often. “Liberals not brainwashed” (Feb. 9) was trying to make a good point: we should be free to disagree without being labeled as brainwashed zombies. However, the author then went on to use the tactic of extreme overstatements, labeling the two elections of President Bush as “some of the most tragic events in American history.”
Please, save such a grandiose statement for events truly deserving of the label “tragic.” Perhaps slavery would be a good choice, or maybe the United States internment camps of World War II, or the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. The current war in Iraq does not count, or else we will have to label the presidency of Clinton (the Rwanda fiasco comes to mind) or JFK (the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis) as “great tragedies” as well, which they hardly were.
I realize editorials in The Daily Universe are meant to be “controversial,” but extremist viewpoints on either side of the conservative/liberal spectrum are not limited to a few people. We would all do well to remember being respectful in our presentation of our views is not being wishy-washy. It is being sane.
Elizabeth Forbes
Acton, Mass.
Narrow-minded moon
In the recent letter, “Bad moon pricing,” (Feb. 9) the author steps outside the bounds of humor and into the realm of offensiveness. He turned the ads that run on TV asking for our help in fighting poverty by providing needy people with the basic necessities of life into a joke by stereotypically giving the name Pablo to all who suffer in such a way and minimizing the relief such organizations bring. In an effort to be comical, he has offended countless readers who don’t think it’s funny to make fun of the terrible living conditions of some of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.
It’s just inherently wrong to take the pleas for help that bring sorrow to our hearts and turn them into a quick laugh. Stereotyping is one of the great ills that plague our society, and it shames me to see that it is still very much alive.
What is one to think after seeing such an outrageous letter in the readers’ forum? I might begin to wonder if BYU really is the kind of place where I would want my children to study, after seeing the way that some people make such discriminating jokes at the expense of others’ suffering. As we “Enter to Learn” I certainly hope this mentality does not reflect the manner in which we will “Go Forth to Serve.” The author owes us all an apology, and I’ll be waiting for it.
Hyrum Hemingway
Menomonie, Wis.
Wolves among us
Ten years ago, several wolves were forced on Yellowstone National Park. It was predicted they would multiply relatively slowly and remain within or close to Yellowstone Park. This is not the reality.
Since their introduction, they have multiplied to about 10 times the projected numbers and expanded to an area at least 80 miles from Yellowstone. This area happens to include my hometown where my friends have had to watch their pets and thousands of dollars worth of livestock being butchered by these creatures.
Who cares right? It’s in Idaho and has no effect here – wrong.
At the rate they are reproducing, they will easily reach the mountains around Provo within 10 years. Wolves’ lack of predators and abundance of food (elk, people’s livestock and pets) allow them to flourish.
There is a reason that there weren’t wolves 15 years ago. Our pioneer ancestors hunted them to extinction, and it wasn’t for kicks. They were protecting their families and way of life. Today, fish and game agencies of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming all want to manage this problem. The federal government however prohibits this by maintaining the wolves’ endangered status, despite the expert judgment of local agencies. They recognize that our pets, livestock, and wildlife are the endangered species. Help me raise awareness of this problem amongst your friends and with our congressmen – before wolves add our families and future children to their dinner menu.
Tyrel Clark
Ashton, Idaho
Care for homeless
In the early ’80s, homelessness began creeping around the edges of American life. Today, the homeless are part of every landscape. Precise numbers of the street people are nearly impossible to pin down though it is certainly in the millions. You see homeless men, women and children roaming the streets, eating there and sleeping there.
No one seems to know what to do and just walk by trying to avoid the hapless plight of the street people. So why worry about it? You could never end up homeless, wrapped in a blanket, huddled in the cold, with all your belongings, right?
Ron Lowe
Grass Valley, Calif.
Devotional for employees
My understanding has always been that the reason why campus all but closes during Devotional was so that campus employees were able to go; in other words, so they weren’t “punished” by having to miss the Devotional experience every week. I think the employee population, both student and staff, is substantial enough to give their feelings consideration.
Critics of campus closure for Devotional need to realize, as well, that a good number of resources are available. For example, the computers in the General Reference area on the main floor of the HBLL remain available, as do the many individual kiosks throughout campus. Of course, the testing center and other important services close, but does that single, solitary hour each week make that big of a difference in anyone’s schedule? I really hope no one’s vital services are cut off at Devotional time if there is truly no other moment available to them. But I hardly think anyone should consider it that much of a disadvantage to take that hour off. But then, maybe I’m just a member of the wrong club.
Robert Heaton
Elgin, Ill.
Quit your crying
As I read the letter about the individual who was embarrassed other BYU students would harass a student wearing Ute gear, I thought to myself, “We have too many pansies in our fanbase.”
First off, if I wore a BYU jacket on Utah’s campus, I guarantee you the response would be a lot worse than some mild comments. Second, I think some of our fans don’t have the first clue as to how things go in a rivalry and think sports should be like Sunday school. If I see someone in Ute clothes, yeah, I’m going to make a comment. I despise the U of U and everything about them. I feel no love lost if one of their fans felt “offended.” Trust me, Ute fans don’t stay up at night wondering if they’ve done anything to hurt our feelings, so I feel no obligation to do the same in return, so get over yourself.
Steven Marsden
Las Vegas, Nev.
Losing a good teacher
Those individuals at BYU who are responsible for professor Michael Murdock being forced out of the History Department should be ashamed of themselves. This message is to both the immature students who grossly misunderstood him as well as the shortsighted administrators in the upper echelons of this academic institution who have no doubt acted recklessly and irresponsibly. Tenure should be awarded to those who deserve it on account of merit. It should not be denied because of ulterior motives and unfounded personal qualms. Period.
Professor Murdock’s move to BYU-Hawaii should be cause for concern because of how it will affect BYU’s ability to teach people about modern China, easily one of the most important topics of our time. BYU will literally be crippled. The most ridiculous part is there is no professor to replace him. He is one of the few professors I have come across that actually cares about each and every student, and the way he teaches and interacts with those around him reflects that. Those who are responsible for this travesty know who they are and they deserve no amount of respect.
Shawn Patterson
Gaithersburg, Md.
Moon is made of cheese
I would like to disagree with my misinformed friend on his blast against buying moon property. I believe the moon may very well be made of cheese. It is correct the Moon is made of oxygen, silicon and iron, but there is trace amounts of both silicon and iron in our everyday milk and the bacteria that help make cheese require oxygen to multiply. I present to you, my vast audience of reader’s forum lovers, that this is a government conspiracy. For you see, the government provides many individuals with so called “government cheese” I believe this cheese is directly imported from the moon.
Armstrong never landed on the moon in the public eye even though we had the capabilities; if he had then the entire world would have discovered the vast planes of cheddar, the craters of Swiss and the abyss that Is blue cheese. No they discovered this long before and kept this secret to themselves to cut costs and provide for our population. But I say this vast resource should not be a tool of our government, but should be available to all. Buying an acre or two of land on the moon for $ 20 is a steal for food pricing alone, after all who wouldn’t want an all you can eat cheese buffet in their backyard?
Andrew Pilgrim
Dekalb, Miss.
Student Employment
Students all around campus are talking about finding a job that pays well and will work with their schedule. We all have busy school schedules that are not consistent every day.
Having an on campus job saves you money because you don’t have to pay for a bus pass or gas for your car. Working on campus can also be a fun, social environment because you can make new friends as well as have your current friends come and visit you.
Some students may also believe off-campus jobs offer better pay. This can be true, though, on campus jobs offer decent pay and are much more convenient. You can find jobs off campus that may help prepare you for your career. However, there are many jobs on campus that have the same benefits, but are much easier to accommodate.
Having jobs both on and off campus gives me a first hand perspective. My off campus job may be more convenient for me than it would be for other students because I own a car. For my on-campus job, I can walk to work and it only takes me about 10 or 15 minutes to get there. My on-campus job also allows me to work on homework. This is very convenient and helpful for me because I can use all the time I have to be productive either for work or for schoolwork.
These jobs are everywhere. It’s time we open our eyes and take advantage of the significant convenience of on campus jobs.
Kaylese Hamel
Gilbert, Ariz.
Doritos? I Think Not
We’ve all been there. Standing at the Cougareat having a rather good day, and then, you see it. That bag of Doritos you have been avoiding all week. A short 15 seconds have passed and the bag is empty. Your stomach hurts and you ask yourself, “Why didn’t I eat a nice, crisp apple?” The answer is because finding healthy food here at BYU is like not getting married during your four-year stay here; it’s very hard to do.
Vending machines dot the campus like tacks on the ad board. We are lured to these vending machines because the food found within is quick, yummy and easily accessible. However, these foods are quite unhealthy.
The Cougareat is packed with many different restaurants which offer greasy, unhealthy fast-food. In the center of the Cougareat, one can find the most delicious banana-nut muffin. However, this one muffin contains close to 750 calories, half of which comes directly from fat. We are all concerned with weight gain, so why does it feel like BYU is advocating the problem with these unhealthy menu selections?
The university should replace the unhealthy foods with food that is more nutrient based. The campus can also provide more health awareness seminars, orientations, and free exercise classes to the nutrient exhausted student body. The key to the success of a healthy campus is found in the administration of BYU and in the hands of the students who have the responsibility of voicing their concerns.
Lauren Raines
Lehi, UT
New Urbanism creates unaffordable housing
In history, land ownership by the public at large has proven important to quality of life and the stability of nations. Land ownership is unintentionally under attack by a mindset of urban planning called New Urbanism. New Urbanism is a return to building up instead of sprawling out.
New Urbanism politics have caused homes to become artificially un-affordable in Portland, Ore. A political limit to suburban development called the Urban Growth Boundary limits the size of Portland’s “footprint.” The goal to stop sprawl has resulted in notable price hikes on existing homes at a rate faster than the rest of the country. Home ownership is now out of the reach of the working class, and now in some cities the middle class, too.
Portland planners envisioned the masses riding public transit to work. They seem to have given up on major road improvements. Without new highway capacity, the city has ground to a halt, because in reality, only a small percentage of the population takes public transit to work (even in Portland).
Suburban growth isn’t entirely bad. Despite some negative effects, suburban neighborhoods have provided a quality of life to the masses unmatched by human history. This should be viewed as a milestone for humanity.
I’m not entirely opposed to New Urbanism. (Daybreak, being built in South Jordan, is a New Urbanism community that has some promise, because both transit and highway are being planned thoroughly.) I am opposed to measures that prevent me and my generation from being able to afford a home to live in.
Rob Sanders
Magna
The BCS System is Unfair
With the conclusion of this years’ spectacular football season, avid BYU fans like myself and many other students of this university are pleased with the results of our team and other similar non BCS schools. As we look to the future for the Cougars, we cannot forget about the past. Last year’s Boise State football team had an incredible season going undefeated and beating Oklahoma in one of the greatest games in sports history. At that moment, I am sure almost all of us were cheering on Boise State for, like BYU, they are a non BCS school. They were denied the chance to play in the championship game because of the BCS system, marking the first time in college football history that the only undefeated team at the end of the season was not named national champions.
The BCS system is completely unfair and biased and caters to the demands of the big schools in the nation. It would be nearly impossible for a non BCS school like BYU to make it to the championship game. A solution to this problem could be the implementation of a playoff system, allowing the true champion to be identified without prejudice. College football is the only sport that I have ever heard of that does not have a playoff system.
It is my hope that we have an excellent season this year and that we can contend for a national championship, stepping into the limelight hopefully to never leave from it. Y Till I Die
Grant Christensen
Hackett, Ark.
Homosexuality: Finding a Middle Ground
Homosexuality and the effect it is having on our world, media, and morals is increasing more with every passing day. Homosexuality used to be something that was suppressed and something that was not often talked about.
However, of late, homosexuality is neither being suppressed nor hidden. Instead, homosexuality is being represented overwhelmingly in the media and in politics.
And while I certainly do not accept this new phenomenon with open arms, I am aware individuals who have chosen this path in life are all children of God. We, as accepting Christians and equal Americans, must find a middle ground with homosexuals.
My best friend revealed to me a little over a year ago that he is gay. What I once never thought about or cared about was now something that I constantly worried about. After weeks of worrying about my friend, I realized that I can agree to disagree.
I still find one major problem with homosexuality. And that is the fact that the media is overflowing with homosexuality and no one seems to be noticing. So what do we as Latter-day Saints do?
Although I see no clear solution to this problem, I do have a few suggestions. First, don’t be afraid to talk about homosexuality. Don’t be afraid to not discriminate and to accept homosexuals as people.
Secondly, don’t support homosexuality in the media. You don’t have to openly renounce it or run for the senate so that you may introduce new “anti-homosexual bills.” Simply walk out of the room like we are told to do when anything crude or inappropriate is on the TV.
Thirdly, find a middle ground like I have. Realize that homosexuality, just like pre-marital sex, drugs and alcohol, are not going to disappear any time soon.
Clair Alkire
Modesto, Calif.
Punish Watada
I am writing in response to the controversy regarding Lieutenant Ehren Watada and his refusal to deploy to Iraq with his troop unit. He is the first commissioned officer to do so in the Iraq war. Watada felt he would be participating in an illegal activity and would be party to war crimes if he went to Iraq with his unit. However, he did not view himself as a conscientious objector, meaning that he was still willing to serve in Afghanistan, because, according to him, the wars are completely separate, different affairs.
Watada knew exactly what he was getting into when he signed up for the military. In my opinion, part of serving in the military is doing what you are told, whenever you are told to do it. Lieutenant Watada was a commissioned officer in the United States military, and he should do what that career path entails, which involves doing your duty. Being a soldier means protecting our country and its freedoms by following the Commander in Chief’s orders. I feel that Watada deserves to be court martialed, because he behaved in a manner that is not befitting a member of the United States military. The media is trying to portray him as a victim in this circumstance, but Watada is in the situation he is in today because of his own choices. Thus, he is not a victim and the choices he has made warrant the court martial that he faces.
Caitlin Olive
Amarillo, Texas
