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Show OPINION FRIDAY 1/14 PAGE 11 Daily Utah Chronicle THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW The civil-ri movement s lould be ongoing T LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Cannon's understanding of marriage was truly enlightening Editor: Thank you, Andrew Cannon, for the impassioned rant against "traditional marriage" you wrote in the Jan. 13 edition of The Chronicle ("The defenders of marriage are at it again"). I was so glad to see that there are people out there who are able to lay out a subject so impartially. Your naming of Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez as the examples of the "traditional marriage" camp was brilliant. I mean why didn't I see it before? Here I've blindly been a part of the huge majority of Americans who believes homosexuality is immoral when right in front of me, my own spokeswomen for conservative values, Britney and J-Lo, are leading me astray from your rational and unbiased view. I mean, certainly someone who notes "Fahrenheit 9/11" as a "documentary" must be in touch will all the "facts" and have his finger on the putse of American moral values. • I'm going to contact my legislative leaders right now and voice my new, enlightened view that people should be allowed to marry whomever and whatever they feel they love at that time. Then when it's no longer convenient for them or they go through a season of unhappiness, they can easily and without hassle divorce their wife, husband, pet, toasteroven, whatever, because the institute of marriage that this country has placed high moral values on for hundreds of years is a "Phantom Menace." all they want—as long as they aren't doing that to me, I have no problem with their decisions." This nation and government was founded upon Christian principles that tell us that marriage is sacred and does not include homosexual unions. Check out this Web site to see actual quotes from the founding fathers about the importance of religion and Christianity to them in establishing this nation: http:// www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/forsakenroots.html. I do agree with Cannon that those who supported Amendment 3 should also support the no-divorcewithout-good-reason amendment. If you make a commitment to marry someone, you better stick to it, unless there is a good reason. Trevor Burnett Alumnus United States. Speaking of civil-rights issues that still need improvement, Munoz mentioned the war in Iraq, affirmative action and universal health care. While the issues King battled were clearly about race discrimination, the role of race in current societal problems is less obvious. Inviting Munoz to campus allowed the U community to grapple with the status of civil-rights today. As in King's day, not everyone is going to agree on the best way to propagate social issue. War, health care and affirmative action inspire fierce debate among Americans. But debate over how these issues affect civil-rights is, in that, the real value of bringing speakers like Munoz to campus. What should be done about the disproportionate number of African Americans and Hispanics in today's military? What should be done about our country's self-segregated neighborhoods? How should the U address the segregation that occurs within student clubs and organization? These are questions that are just as important to the health of today's society as the issues King grappled with in his day. These questions need to be revisited constantly, not just once every January. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, religion, creed, gender, appearance or sexual orientation will be edited or will not An Accommodations Policy is ridiculous David Baker Staff, University Hospital Society has a moral obligation to protect marriage Editor: The tone of Andrew Cannon's article (Jan. 13's "The defenders of marriage are at it again") is, "let people do what they want because society's actions don't affect him." While it sounds very open-minded and courteous on the outside, it ignores the adverse affects of such immoral tolerance in our society. To me, it's like saying, "Let people lie, rape, steal and murder he work of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Carlos Munoz as a youth to fight for Hispanic rights in the Southwest. Even though Munoz' part of the country was different from the Deep South, Munoz was still able to find guidance and inspiration in King's life. Yesterday Munoz told a packed Union Ballroom that King's life can still guide and inspire us today in fighting for civil rights in 21st century America. In Martin Luther King's era, African Americans (and many other ethnic groups) were excluded from many societal institutions. The infamous segregation on buses and in restaurants was a daily reminder that not all Americans valued racial equality. White-only schools, churches and social clubs were everywhere. When King and many others protested these injustices, they were met with violence and incarceration. Because of the civil-rights movement, there are no laws protecting racial segregation. There are no laws institutionalizing racial injustice. Thanks to civil-rights activists, the U is able to enjoy diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, religion and ideas in our classrooms. Although huge successes have been made in the last 50 years, this does not mean that racial segregation and injustice is gone from the Editor: While I do realize that we live in Utah, I would like everyone else to stop for a moment and realize that the students we are talking about are AJDULTS. This is not a concern over grade school children, or even secondary school children who are currently facing what seems to be a monthly threat of someone being caught with supplies in their possession to cause some harm to their friends, parents, or school. I apply for accommodations and I have multiple disabilities, none of which I chose to have. I would be happy not to have to have to ask for these accommodations if I had not been given these added features that I have been blessed with. Don't take what I am saying the wrong way, I'm not complaining about my disabilities. I just don't think people need to whine about hearing a word in class that may just bother them. This is the real world. This is college, not kindergarten. We have real issues to deal with, let's deal with them please. LaDoris Kelsey Freshman, Psychology The Salt Lake Tribune has lost its soul The paper hasn't shifted to the right, it's shifted away from its roots M any readers of the Salt Lake Tribune believe the paper has gone downhill since being purchased by Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group about four years ago. To an extent I think this is true, but not because of the paper's alleged shift toward conservatism. Is the Trib really more conservative? After the Tribune endorsed George W. Bush in late Oct., readers reacted with disproportionate outrage, considering the president's re-election was totally secure in this state. Some folks suppose this endorsement shows that The Tribune has become more conservative, but I doubt that. When Singleton took over The Tribune, he said he would reinstate the grand newspaper tradition of endorsing candidates. Former publisher Jack Gallivan abandoned the practice after picking Nixon in 1972. Yes, the paper endorsed Bush, but it would have been difficult to tell by actually reading the endorsement. Like a bad mystery novel, Bush prevails in the end for reasons not alluded to. Basically, they said he was better than the other guy. It seems Singleton has also reinstated the tradition of owners having the last say in endorsements. As objectionable as this might seem to some, it does not sienal signal a right turn for The Tribune. Contrary to popular belief, The Tribune was never really liberal. Owned by the Kearns and McCarthy families before 1997, the paper's editorials almost invariably backed deregulation, tort reform and other pro-business positions. The owning families made their fortunes through mining, later through cable TV and the supplyside saturated editorials. Politically, The Tribune is probably more diverse than ever— endorsements aside. Therefore, I don't think MediaNews has hurt the paper editorially. Is Singleton an LDS toady? Critics also cite increased cooperation with the Deseret Morning News as proof of the paper's decline.According the McCarthy family, Singleton lets the LDS Church call the shots. For example, Singleton let the Deseret Morning News move to morning publication as they wished. Supposedly, this shows a secret agreement between Singleton and the church. In reality, the move to mornings earns both papers money because of the profit-splitting joint-operating agreement between them. Nonetheless, the formerly man- — Mike Bednarz Columnist aging family sought to enjoin Singleton's permission for morning publication. According to their 1997 sale of The Tribune to TCI (which was bought by AT&T that in "turn sold the paper to MediaNews), the family arguably had right to buy the paper back in 2002, The family claimed letting the News publish mornings would hurt their potential property, even as it became increasingly clear they didn't have the money to buy back The Tribune. Now that the News made mornings, it's difficult to understand what was so bad about letting it move; it certainly doesn't threaten fair coverage of the LDS Church. On the face of it, the family wanted to spite their longtime rival even at the expense of their own financial welfare. Singleton has no anti-News fix- .. .. . . * , , , To the Kearns-McCarthy family, the paper was their life, bound to their name and family history. To Singleton, the Tribune is a second "crown jewel" with the Rocky Mountain News in a small empire of newspapers. ation and I don't think that's a bad thing. The News does not have to be weak for The Tribune to be strong. Salt Lake City matters. I fear that the new TYibune management does not care about Salt Lake City. Its insensitive move to The Gateway is emblematic of this. Singleton, well aware of the controversy about the move, denied that it was a symbolic blow to Main Street. He also revealed it was the most expensive alternative considered. Dozens of Tribune staffers also opposed the move. Will Bagley, author of the Utah history column that The Trib cancelled in July, wrote in his final column that the new "Gatewaylaid Tribune" made him feel like a "freethinker in a BYU Gospel Doctrine class." I think The Tribune's endorsements are no big deal, and neither is its failure to antagonize the News. Losing cartoons that show a Mor- PLEASE SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO LETTERS@CHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU mon family with Big Gulps (the sort Singleton said he would forbid) is no big deal, and don't consider the self-disproving "Unspoken Divide" insert that the McCarthy family published to be indispensable to the Mormon/non-Mormon dialog. I believe the saddest thing about the new Tribune management is subtle. To the Kearns-McCarthy family, the paper was their life, bound to their name and family history. To Singleton, The Tribune is a second "crown jewel" with the Rocky Mountain News in a small empire of newspapers. Local history columns and community awareness undoubtedly will take a back seat to an empire. This is what The Tribune has lost. It could have been worse, but I'm increasingly aware that the local and anachronistically named Deseret News ain't a bad paper. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |
