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Show 7/Wednesday, Nov. 9,2005 797-1762 statesman@cc.usu.edu www.utahstatesman.com Common ground more important than differences ; I.have been hearing it a lot lately: the Mormon problem. j And ifs shocking. Do people really think Mormons are that ! big of a problem? Why? | Although I'm glad to see the days of tar and feathers as | a way of dealing with the "Mormon problem" are behind us, I'm still Mikaylie concerned that there is a problem Kartcnner and still uncertain as to what the problem actually is. The problem seems mostly to be in Utah, probably because there is a mass surplus of Latter-day Saints here. There are churches on every corner, most of them the Mormon lis Side of kind. Then there's Temple Square in Salt Lake City and BYU in Provo. le Fence! In truth, you probably can't go anywhere in Utah where you won't find Mormons. Perhaps that's part of ! the problem. Mormons are every where — the good places | and the bad. You can find them in movies, in restaurants, in ; bars and in jail. Of course, all those people aren't practicing. But what does it matter — they're still Mormons, right? And Mormons are evil, vindictive, hypocritical people, right? No, not really. They're just people. F^ssionate people. You know, it could be worse. Ifs true. Mormons can be a little aggressive when it comes to missionary work. But hey, back in medieval times, the Catholics went on a crusade, murdering and pillaging in the name of religion. At least with the Mormons, if you don't want to convert, they won't kill you. They just pray for you. But, in all honesty, are they really that different from the rest of the world? Sure, they don't drink or smoke or do things like that. But there are other people who aren't Mormon who don't do those things either. Every school child is taught about the risks of drinking and smoking. Why is it surprising that some people chose not to participate? , Mormons believe in the importance of family relationships. They believe parents should love their children and husbands and wives should love each other. But that idea isn't new either — thafs in the Bible. And even today no one condones child or spousal abuse. We really aren't that different then. You would have never guessed though, not with the great divide separating the Mormons from the non-Mormons. Sometimes it seems Mormons are on one side of the divide and the "heathens" on the other yelling at each other. "Convert. God loves you" and "Heck no! We won't go." Maybe it's time to build some bridges and start focusing • on what we have in common rather than the differences. Sure there are evil Mormons, but there are good ones, too. And, sure, there are evil people out there, but there are many good people too. Which do you want? Because what you see really depends on what you're looking for. Mikaylie Kartchner is a junior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to mikayliek@cc.usu.edu. A new nuclear test Congress is understandably upset that nearly four months after the Bush administration reversed long-standing policy and announced that it would provide nuclear assistance to India, the State Department has given lawmakers little information on the deal. In this case, the silence is golden; if the proposal falls through, so much the better. Rep. Henry J. Hyde, RIII., who chairs the House International Relations -Committee, said recently that India knows more about the proposal than Congress. Despite India's nuclear .weapons tests in 1998 jiand its refusal to sign the r;Nuclear Nonproliferation .Treaty, President Bush [•agreed with Indian Prime [.'Minister Manmohan Singh ; 'in July that the United • States would supply India j with nuclear fuel, tech[nology and equipment, ;.]n exchange, India must -•[strengthen nuclear safeguards, separate its civil;Man and military nuclear ^programs and allow inter•Jiational inspections of the Civilian part. I Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R: Ind., correctly noted during j hearings last week of the . Senate Foreign Relations I.Committee, which he ;^chairs, that the nonprolif; eration treaty is the foundai.tion of international efforts j to stop the spread of nudeweapons. ''' The United States should hardly be reward- ing nations that fail to take part. In addition, India violated agreements with the U.S. and Canada not to use nuclear material for weapons in 1974, when it conducted what it called a "peaceful nuclear explosion." The U.S.-India arrangement also undercuts the administration's important campaigns against North Korean and Iranian nuclear weapons programs. Indeed, when it comes to halting nuclear proliferation by other countries, India isn't proving to be much help. The country seemed to be playing a positive role in SepternDer, when it joined the United States in calling for the IAEA to consider reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council because of its nuclear program. Iran, traditionally India's ally on nuclear matters, retaliated by threatening to cancel a $20-billion natural-gas pipeline to India, On Monday, India caved in: It announced an agreement with China and Russia that Iran should not be referred to the Security Council. For the United States to fulfill Bush's agreement, Congress would have to amend a 1978 law forbidding nuclear energy assistance to nuclear weapon states. The administration has yet to provide a convincing argument for lawmakers to take that step. This editorial appeared in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times. Nat'l View Utah Statesman HOW UNFORTUNATE/ Staff Editor in Chief Brooke Nelson News Editor Aaron Falk Assistant News Editor Marie MacKay Features Editor Steve Shinney Assistant Features Editor Emma Tippetts Sports Editor Andrea Edmunds Assistant Sports Editor Bryan Hinton Diversions Editor Matt Wright Copy Editor Letters to the Editor \PubticFoFum Z~~'..~__ 1.'..„_ ^ ; Alumnus says thank you for Ag memorial nothing still feel the need to Evolution is more attend? It is not in a way disrespectful to step in at the end of a guess than fact of someone's life just starting to Dear Editor: care? These are people who in Editor, their daily lives pass thousands I am touched by the reports of unknown faces without a It's time that we heard of the tremendous outpouring second thought. Why is it that the truth about the Theory of of support and concern exhib- only when a group of those Evolution - it does not have ited by the Memorial Service unknown faces dies that they a scientific leg to stand on. Monday in the Smith Spectrum. start to feel, and then feel the Adam Strong put forth many Although every student that need to pretend that they cared widely accepted "facts" comes to USU is unique and all along. Is it that they really about the theory, but some significant, they all share a care, or that they want to feel are missing. I've read a common bond once they enroll a part of something bigger, or number of books on this at Utah State University. They maybe not wanting to pass subject, both for and against enter a new vibrant and car- up the chance to hear such a macroevolution, and I will ing community. These particu- big speaker or the Tabernacle be able to at least give a lar students and their instructor choir. summary of the anti-evolushared a love of the land and tionist viewpoint. I would I think it is amazing how knew what that love means in hate for evolution advocates USU pulled together for such an agricultural world. They also to be confused by "ignoan event, but just question shared a religion and commitrance or just plain lack of whether it was an honest and ment to family. The description knowledge." noble act for some. of the service reminded me that Today this fabrication is L. Tom Perry and Craig Jessop, Jeremy Phelps being taught as though it is director of the choir, share that the law of gravity. A "bordersame heritage as Cache Valley Parking policies on line scientific lav/' as Strong natives who went to USU and puts it. I don't think Darwin campus are a joke believe in this community. shared this certainty when I recalled two other instances he himself called his theory when-USU came together in an Editor, "grievously too hypothetiunprecedented way; the memocal." This letter is regarding how rial service following the tragic The "extensive research" death of Wayne Estes and the out of control parking tickets that has contributed to the have gotten. I'll tell you a quick service on the quad following theory has amounted to the events of September 1 1 , story, this is the same story that I enough physical evidence 2001. Unfortunately, it often is told the appeals officer and I am to be placed inside a carda tragedy that brings us closer to awaiting a reply. I was waiting in my car for a board box. This "extensive each other and allows us to see research" also includes that a sense of communal and parking meter space to become forged drawings that have individual loss supersedes our available. I was waiting against been used in textbooks since personal goals, ambitions, and a curb next to the C8 parking lot 1915. We've all seen them perceptions. My heart aches for on the west side of the indus- in biology class. They show any family that loses a loved trial science building. I was not developing human embryos one in then* youth. However, I blocking any traffic because a placed next to developing am also aware of the comfort large cement truck turned the embryos of other species, that comes from knowing that corner where I was waiting and and they look almost indisfor a brief time we can set aside had no problems. A parking lot tinguishable. What they our differences and do what is officer came to me and said, leave out in the textbooks is right in behalf of those who pre- "can you please move?" I stated that Ernst Haeckel, the forgthat I would not be here long maturely left our community. and that I was just waiting for a er, took drawings of human My hope is that we never spot to become available. She embryos, copied them, and again have to share such a ser- tnen stated that she would have pretended that the copies vice, but if we have to do gather to give me a ticket because I were drawings of salamanin remembrance, do it right. was parked illegally. I then fol- ders and pigs. He was conThanks to the families of our lowed her advice and drove victed of fraud, yet his work friends and USU for doing it away. I did not even know I had is still widely used. right. recieved a ticket until I found Proponents of the theory out about it when I went to pay use fossil records to verify Sincerely, a ticket that I recieved when their claims. What they conF. Ross Peterson my parking permit fell off of my veniently forget is that the President of Deep Springs rear-view mirror. fossil record of animal life College Can anybody truly say wait- does not support Darwin's Former USU student and ing for a parking spot to open theory. There are too many history professor up is against the law, in which gaps. They also like to use I deserve a citation, or a ticket? the "mutated gene" argument. They overlook the Not all students had The issue isn't as much why I fact that virtually all mutadon't deserve a ticket rather, tions are harmful. Mutations noble motives the fact that giving out $20 tickdelete information, causing ets left and right is just a way sickle cell anemia, cystic Editor, for the parking office to make money or give some 'police fibrosis, and Down's synMutations never When it comes to the subject officer in training' something drome. give an improvement over of the memorial service held on to do. I challenge any student Monday, I find myself on a differ- body official or anybody else the original. ent page than many of my fellow to do something to stop the It is also argued that students. I do not want to detract harassment. I'll definetely vote "evolution continues to hapfrom respect that the students and for someone who changes the pen at this very moment." teacher who died deserve. I do busy-work of the parking lot Despite frequent attempts, however want to understand the enforcers. I am open to any no one has ever produced motives of many who attended advice. Also, if anybody thinks I a species by mechanisms their service, those in particular was wrong to patiently wait for of natural selection or even that never knew those who died. a spot to open, rather than aim- come close to it. The students and teacher who lessly driving around in circles, Without even mentioning died are now in a better place and I encourage you to let me know. religion, which in and of we are all left here to deal with life Even if I do get this ticket dis- itself solves this debate, the without them. missed how much time did I Theory of Evolution remains The service was held for the waste in which I could've spent a theory. Definition? A guess. people left behind, the people studying? Truly Harassment. who lost something they care about. Why did those wno lost Ben Nilson Tyler Tew Lindsay Kite Photo Editor Michael Sharp Assistant Photo Editor Jessica Alexander Editorial Board Brooke Nelson Katie Ashton Aaron Falk Bryan Hinton Marie MacKay Michael Sharp Steve Shinney About letters • Letters should be limited to 350 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. 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