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Show A5 WWW.NETXNEWS.NET MONDAY • FEBRUARY 12 • 2007 Opinionated The good, the bad and the Austrian officials claim they have busted a global porn ring involving more than 2,360 suspects who paid to watch explicit videos involving children. Score one for the good guys. Courtesy photo/www.utsa.tdu In Mitt Romney's defense There should never be an excuse for any kind of intolerance, especially in politics Jeremy Pettersson Opinions Writer he battle for the 2008 presidential election has begun, but as various candidates begin to wave their rally banners, unfair and unfriendly shots are now being fired at Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. Across the United States, many are aware that this presidential hopeful is a Mormon, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a religion of particular importance to many students at UVSC, and directly related to various aspects of living in the state of Utah. Whether a flame of faith to the sympathetic or a thorn in the side of the disenchanted, both parties have managed to coexist, despite the differences. But apparently, this does not function in politics. On Feb. 4, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that "poll after poll" shows that many Americans would not even consider voting for an LDS president. Using this as ammunition, Jacob Weisberg, the editor of (he online magazine SIate.com, fired a proverbial shot heard round the world as he convincingly argued that prejudice against race, gender or "religious heritage" (which Hugh Hewitt from Human Events identified as ethnic Judaism), is not the same as refusing to vote for an individual based solely on religious beliefs. Although it's bigotry to object to Barack or Hillary running because one is black and the other female, it isn't when applied to Romney, a Mormon. Echoing a USA Today article by David Campbell and J. Quin Monson, political science professors at Notre Dame and BYU, respectively, the nation should have then questioned the election of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. —whose son, incidentally, was a former UVSC student; Rep. Keith Ellison, a Muslim; Sen. Joe Lieberman, a practicing Jew; and Catholics such as Sen. John Kerry or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. T Speaking of Catholics, the older generation might remember that a similar issue arose during John F. Kennedy's bid for presidency. However, Kennedy made it very clear that he would not be the Vatican's presidential puppet. Romney has hinted at, but should also formally assure, that the Oval Office will not be located at Temple Square. Mitt Romney But Weisberg's article not only attacks Mitt Romney; it wages war against the very foundations of not just the LDS faith, but religion in general. He claims it irrational to believe in the miraculous, and that those who do should not be trusted with the executive branch. Granted, Weisberg is right in being wary of those who believe in extremist ideas, such as Rabbi Menachem Schneerson being the Messiah or the earth being haunted by alien ghosts sent by the evil ior<^ Xenu; such extremes can disconnect individuals from reality. But judging from Romney's successful track record, the man is obviously in touch with reality. So then, is it really so farfetched for him to believe that Joseph Smith was divinely inspired to organize a church of Jesus Christ, or too over-miraculous to translate a religious record, for that matter? The Bible itself is a translated record from original Hebrew and Greek. Weisberg also claims that Joseph Smith was a con man, drawing from his source material, a book called No Man Knows My History. However, closer scrutiny reveals that the author, Fawn McKay Brodie, niece of LDS church president David O. McKay, had a negative bias as she loathed her own "Mormon" upbringing. Finally, Weisberg himself acknowledges that the majority of Americans would still like a president who believes in a higher power. Similar core beliefs of the LDS church, such as faith in that power, are really not that foreign. Perhaps Weisberg should take a cue from one of Slate's anonymous bloggers, who stated, "Religious services [don't] focus on the strange idiosyncrasies of dogma, but on how to live a 'holy' life and find true happiness. That's what religion is actually about." Theunderminingofreligionisnotnew; adding to the historical de-deifying of Jesus of Nazareth, many continue rationalizing the very existence of God. But the question at hand is not whether religion is rational, logical or true; but whether anyone should be deemed unfit to serve as president based on their religion. Deconstructing a candidate's political platform or even scrutinizing personal attributes is a must. But it is just as fundamentally wrong to attack your opponent based solely on his or her religion,.as it is upon race or gender. If John F. Kennedy were alive today, he might add to his quote, "While this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed... [it] may be again a Jew...a Quaker... a Unitarian or a Baptist..." a Muslim and now, a Mormon. One person's opinion Iranian president Mouhmad Ahmadinejad recently added to a long list of outrageous statements when he announced that on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iran would reveal an herbal cure for AIDS. Courtesy photo/w ww.cfr.org NASA has grounded astronaut Lisa Nowak after she allegedly tried to murder a love rival. Nowak was entangled in a love triangle involving a male astronaut and a female Air Force captain who was the intended victim. . Courtesy photo/www.csamulinnedia.e5a.1m A movie rating system that works for everyone then they can make informed decisions. So, what's the solution? If I could bend Dan Opinions Writer Glickman's ear (he's the MPAA's chairman he Motion Picture Association of and chief executive officer) then I would America (MPAA) will reveal their propose my Relevance Rating System. My intention is to forewarn about revised rating system this March, "questionable" material. There are six but it's still problematic. After 38 years, the MPAA and National categories of questionable material: Violence, Association of Theatre Owners have never Sexuality, Profanity, Drugs, Crime and truly been able to appease our dissatisfied Religion. Why religion? Some parents might not want their children to watch a movie that populace. Why are the current ratings {G, PG, portrays satanic rituals. (Remember, religion PG-13, R, NC-I7) insufficient? They're is the beginner of many wars, and therefore, inconsistent, biased and difficult to interpret. is obviously potentially objectionable.) But that's not the crux of the problem. When the MPAA would preview a The real issue is simple: Viewers are not film, they would tally "offenses" under each accurately informed on the specifics of the category. The rating for the popular movie questionable content they'll see in films. Titanic (1997) might look like this: V3, S3, Moviegoers' expectations are violated. P2, Dl, Cl, Rl. This detailed description of With cinema's range of artistic each alpha-numerical classification would be freedoms, there will be movies that are readily available online and elsewhere. unsavory to some audiences. But if filmgoers So, for example, if I find sexuality and know exactly what to expect from a movie, profanity objectionable, I would focus on the Jason Pyles T To A BL£T "S" and "P" numbers more closely. If a film that I considered seeing had high numbers in these taboo categories, then I would know not to see it. I c"ould make my decision to watch or avoid the film based on material that was the most relevant to my values, hence "relevance rating." The criticism of my system is its complexity; but with exposure, it would quickly become commonplace, all the while maintaining its utility in enabling viewers to have precise expectations met for their entertainment. As for our dilapidated rating system, film critic Roger Ebert once wrote that the MPAA people have "cut loose from sanity and are thrashing about at random." Apparently, this has been going on for about 38 years. To contact the MPAA to recommend film critic Jason Pyles' Relevance Rating System, visit www.mpaa.org |