America not tolerant of religions
Although I agree with Ms. Winsky that religious freedom is one of the foundational tenets of our great country, I feel that she has overlooked several aspects of our system that blatantly oppose that basic right. The national motto is not, nor ever has been, one of universal tolerance towards those of differing opinions, religious or otherwise. To each his own? Perhaps Miss Winsky has forgotten that the predominantly Catholic colony of Maryland was a virtual pariah during the early years of our Republic?
And how about today? With "separation of church and state" in full gear, the religious people of our country are often mistreated, scorned and laughed at for believing in a higher power, especially those of Christian origin. "We descended from apes," the predominant scientific minds proclaim! "Morals aren't absolute," the teachers drill into our youth. Liberals like to march around preaching tolerance and yet, in their backhanded hypocrisy, they penalize anyone who won't accept their spin on things.
I applaud Ms. Winsky's willingness to display her beliefs to the public. I too was raised in a Christian environment, although my surroundings were more mixed, with my father's background Catholic and my mother's Protestant. In California, I am spit at for displaying a bumper sticker commenting that "My boss is a Jewish Carpenter." In Arizona, they beat on the mall preachers. To each his own? I think not. Perhaps, "To each his own, as long as it doesn't offend me." To quote the ubiquitous clichˇ, "Why can't we all just get along?"
Jacob Lauser
Tucsonan
Column unfair to XFL, WWF
Yoda once said, "Recognizing your ignorance is the first step to wisdom." This quote came to mind after reading the entitled "XFL - neither sport nor theater" by Shaun Clayton, because it appears that Mr. Clayton has some ignorance that you need to recognize. Don't think I'm trying to disrespect his opinion of the XFL and WWF, but there is something that you need to realize: A solid argument is made when a person backs up his opinion with fact, but when the facts are either incorrect or opinionated, the argument cannot be taken too seriously. For instance, he wrote early on in his column, "the brainchild of WWF head Jim McMahon." I'm not sure how quickly Clayton came up with his column, but if he did put some research into it, he would have found out that the WWF and XFL owner goes by the name of Vince McMahon. The only Jim McMahon that rings a bell to any sports followers mind is the former Chicago Bear quarterback. A simple mistake made, yes, but definitely took away some credibility.
Finally, I want to comment on Clayton's views of the XFL. He described the XFL as "neither good sport nor theater," and "doesn't match the athletic expertise and finesse that the NFL has." No matter what league you follow (i.e. NFL, CFL, etc.), football is a solid sport. All participants go through grueling practices and risk injury just like a player in any other football league. Unlike the overpriced players of the NFL, the XFL players have to earn their paychecks. Other professional sports organizations can take a note from the XFL and have their players start at a set salary, because all athletes are created equal. And sure, the players aren't at the caliber of NFL standards, but the XFL gives those players a chance at their dream. I'll admit it, there are parts of the XFL that I don't like, such as interviewing the players and coaches during the game. Overall, the XFL does have some revolutionary aspects that should be respected and not looked down upon.
I understand that Mr. Clayton's article was meant to be humorous, but I just feel that somebody needs to stand up for the XFL and what it is all about.
Jon Hobson
journalism freshman
Students should look both ways
Having lived in Tucson for over 40 years and taught at the university for some 30 years, I thought I had seen everything. On April 6 I was driving east on Mabel Street at 7 p.m. It was after dark and I had my headlights on. I saw a young man on a bicycle coming North on Vine Street towards the intersection. Since Vine has a STOP sign, I applied the brakes gently and expected the bicycle to stop. He didn't stop, in fact he didn't even slow down. Since I already had my foot on the brake, I was able to stop. He just sailed on by in front of me - I don't think he even saw me.
He was lucky! He could be at the UMC with some serious injuries. I hope this letter keeps some other student from an injury, I can assure you that injuries you think are healed at age 22 suddenly reappear at age 65. They are not fun.
Professor Stuart A. Hoenig, P.E., Ph.D
dept. of agricultural and biosystems engineering
