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Show Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010 Page II Views&OpilliOil Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com OurView AboutUS Editor in Chief An academic discussion of delicate issues Benjamin C. Wood News Editor Catherine Meidell R egardless of where we all stand on the issue of homosexual marriage and religion - and God (or is that gods?) knows we've heard a range of opinions on the subject - we can't help but applaud the frank discussion on the topic during Tuesday afternoon's panel discussion. The panel, which included members from seven major religions, not only spoke of their respective faiths' stance on gay marriage, but also explained why it is that their faiths have adopted each stance. Not only that, but the panel members fielded questions from the audience, including students from the GLBTA community. And, we are told, no protests took place and no violence occurred. But what else would you expect? This is America after all, and last we checked, free speech, even in this era of politically charged feelings, is still observed. It's a far cry from other nations, where extremes prevent the debate over whether to grant homosexuals couples the same rights as heterosexual couples from even taking place. And we're not just talking about nations claiming to abide by Islamic Sharia law, for which, in some cases, the punishment for proclaiming oneself to be a homosexual is death. In fact, we're just as perplexed by countries that impose hostile measures on faith groups which argue take a stand against granting homosexual marriage. People ought to be able to take a stand on something, and regardless of how you feel on the issue, it's nice to know we can come down one way or another on the issue without risking financial repercussions or worse. Most of all, we're happy to know that this timely discussion is taking place in Utah, and taking place here at Utah State. Regardless of what the rest of the country may think of us, we're not all close-minded or all members of the LDS faith. In fact, some us are very open members of the LDS faith who've struggled with the subject, and some of us are Catholics and Protestants and Buddhists who are still working on rectifying our own personal emotions with our desire to honor the tenets of our faiths. As America goes to the polls and the heat of the political arena turns up, just remember that we have a unique privilege in this country. It's the privilege to not only engage in the decision-making process, but to give open and honest thought to the decisions we make with both God and country in mind. Feeling a HOWL of a headache after event Ar'N Based on the crowd at The 'Low the HOWL this year, I can assume that many of you Down reading this haunted the party in your own creative costume Saturday night. Like me, if you participated in the main attractions of the Howl, you likely left with a headache. In my opinion, the line to get into the annual Halloween bash here at Utah State was only the beginning of a night of poor planning. I just didn't expect it to be that long. True, I did show up at around 9 p.m. which seems to be prime time for Howl attendees. Even so, entering through the South door of the TSC seems like a terrible waste of the Sunburst Lounge. Last year, entering the party was a relative breeze through the Fieldhouse. There was music in the Sunburst lounge, and performances by the magician and dance teams took place in the Ballroom. For me, it seemed less crowded and better organized in this format. This year the hallway of the TSC was clogged as the Sunburst Lounge was blocked off entirely. While the line stretched beyond the institute in the cold fall weather, the interior switchbacks sat mostly empty as a trickle of costume clad party goers passed by zombie-themed volunteers meant to scare them. All safety and fire hazard issues aside, it seems like it would make more sense to keep the line inside, as was done in previous years, allowing the scores of skimpy costume wearers to keep warm. Once inside, however, this became the least of my concerns. My group chose to beat the rush to the magician by hitting the 9:30 showing. Believe it or not, his dismal performance was not the worst part! In case you have never taken a physics course, the acoustics in a vast space consisting of a cement floor, TYLER BARLOW I See LETDOWN, page 12 Assistant News Editor Megan Bainum Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Kellyn Neumann Sports Editor Adam Nettina Assistant Sports Editor Matt Sonnenberg Copy Editor Chelsey Gensel Photo Editor Carl R. Wilson ForumLetters American democracy To the editor: There were three articles in Wednesday's Statesman to which I am responding. The front page article about students leaning right in political preference quotes Professor Lyons as saying, "There is no such thing as a viable democracy without political parties, I would fear any attempt to operate a democracy without parties." Even our head of the Honors program, Christie Fox, mentioned in Wednesday's paper that we should be "contributing member[s] of a democracy..." Guess what?! We're NOT a DEMOCRACY. Never have been and God-willing NEVER will be. The USA was set up as a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC. The Founders were against direct democracy as a form for our national government. I think university professors should know this. Our original American Federalism was astoundingly brilliant, with the people, the states, and combinations of the two, all having representation on the national level. Unfortunately the 17th Amendment and modern unconstitutional practices of executive order and judicial review (legislation by the wrong branches) have mocked and destroyed these crucial checks and balances. Justin Hinh wrote, "with the loss of (moderates comes )the loss of any sanity in our political process." This is very sad but in practice has been true. Why? Because of the flawed party system we have allowed to develop. In regard to Hinh and Lyons, I quote George Washington's famous farewell address, citing the flaws and danger of political parties, "They (political parties) serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community." He is right. Solutions? A moral and educated populace is always the first and foundational answer. Vote on principle, not party. If enough of us did this instead of blindly voting party, there would be be choices in our political system, not just the fast or super-fast options of the same socialist train. Dave Nilson Reid's voting history inacurate To the editor: By the time this letter is printed in The Statesman, election day will have passed and, barring a recount or legal battles, the race between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and challenger Sharon Angle will have been decided. I am perfectly fine with Renae Cowley's support of the Tea Party-backed Angle despite my own personal disagreement. What I am not perfectly fine with, however, is Cowley's willful ignorance of the facts concerning Harry Reid's record in office. She writes "The decision to legalize abortions, allow for gay marriage, implement univer- Letters to the editor • A public forum sal healthcare, and end Bush's tax cuts DO play a part in my life," thereby implying Sen. Reid falls into these categories. I wasn't aware Harry Reid was on the Supreme Court in 1973 that legalized a woman's right to choose. In fact, Cowley may be surprised to know that Sen. Reid has twice voted against partial-birth abortion, voted in favor of banning abortions on military bases, and in favor of prohibiting minors from crossing state lines to receive an abortion. As far as gay marriage goes, Sen. Reid voted in favor of The Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits the federal government from recognizing gay marriages, and protects states from having to recognize gay marriages performed in other states. Reid, as an active member of the LDS church, supports "marriage between a man and a woman." The recently passed health care bill is certainly expansive, and Cowley is free to disagree with its passage as I do, but it can hardly be deemed "universal healthcare." And finally, I was surprised to learn that Ms. Cowley in her position at The Statesman makes over $250,000 a year and will therefore be impacted if the Bush Tax cuts on those over that threshold are not renewed. Cowley is free to politically disagree with Sen. Reid and to support his opponent, but as a journalist she is not free to make up her own facts to support her position. By doing so she unnecessarily mischaracterizes a distinguished USU alum. Isaac Higham A few little things to be grateful for Darling Students: Faculty Voices As of this morning the temporary media insanity is finished. It's a short reprieve because of the way we Americans run our elections, I'll grant you, but as of this morning there's a beautiful silence from one corner: we are no longer being assaulted by the never-ending, unvarying paid political ads on TV. As I write this I've voted, but I don't know who the winners are and though I have plenty of opinions about who should win - and more than a few rants left unsaid, of course - the last thing I want to write is an analysis of election season. So, I won't. Since we're moving toward my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, I'll share some things I've learned to be grateful for. Of course I'm grateful for my family, my friends, their dogs, my cat. A comfortable house to shelter in and a hot tub on NANCY WILLIAMS the deck. Chocolate. Coffee. The smell of orange peel. Flannel sheets. Central heat. But there are others. These are more difficult gratitudes, things I've learned to appreciate the hard way in my decades of riotous living. 1. Deadlines. The hard boil of blood rising in my head that pounds out the relentless tempo of the clock, the tick-ticking I still hear even though most clocks are digital. I'm an analog woman at heart, living in a world of sound even while embracing the wonders of instant connection with friends halfway around the world. I still want the tall, dark walnut and deep chimes of a grandfather clock. I want sweep-second hands on a clock face to count down to important moments like the dawn of a new year. But back to deadlines. I work hard to avoid them. I loathe how they shove my life around. But without deadlines, I'd have nothing to push, bend, break or trample. I'd get very little accomplished. I start the day by writing three pages longhand in a spiral notebook. It's not a journal - it's I See DENTIST, page 12 Assistant Photo Editor Alison Ostler Web Editor Tyler Huskinson Editorial Board Benjamin C. Wood Catherine Meidell Courtnie Packer Adam Nettina Chelsey Gensel Tyler Huskinson About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 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. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual —must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters —no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. corn for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. Online poll What are you most excited for this weekend? • • Football vs. NMSU Aggie Basketball against Grand Canyon. B.J. Novak in the KCH. Two days without classes. Visit us on the Web at www.utahstatesman. corn to cast your vote and see results from this straw poll. |