Comic violence unimportant
To the editor,
I would like to respond to Mr. Pahar's article regarding the presence of violence in the comic strips of Wednesday's Wildcat. Mr. Prahar states that one of the purposes of a comic strip is to "provoke us into thinking or action," and he states that they failed to accomplish this. This is obviously not true, because they obviously provoked Mr. Prahar into writing his letter to the editor. I think we all agree that violence, especially against women is wrong, but violence does exist. No matter what we do it always will exist. I also agree that people, including men, need to be educated about violence. But, how are we supposed to learn of violence if it is not allowed to be seen, or experienced? Fearing violence and turning our eyes from it is not a remedy, but rather towards the heart of the problem.
In my opinion, if N.C. Winters and Cody Angell wish to depict violence in their comic strips, then they should be able to, and if it is offensive or disturbing to someone, then perhaps that person shouldn't read the comics.
Tristan Smith
Mathematics senior
Sweeney not a Christian
To the editor,
I am writing in reference to Cory Spiller's article of Sept. 14, entitled, "We have yet to overcome." Mr. Spiller makes sweeping generalizations that he does not bother to substantiate. Take, for example, his reference to Joseph Sweeney, eight-time candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives: "His existence should be a warning of the hate-politics that is harbored in the Christian-right movement." What a lot of baloney! I consider myself to be a part of this vestige of society, and I can say for a fact that my counterparts and I are not engaged in the business of hate. Christianity is about love. It is about reaching out to those less fortunate than you. It is about giving.
I do not believe that Mr. Sweeney claims to be a Christian, and with messages like his against Jews and for Nazism, I should think that it would be easy to call his bluff if he did (or does). It would obviously be a false claim, because anyone who actually reads the Bible knows that Jesus tells us, "You will know them by their fruits." Fruits are not the hatred espoused in Joseph Sweeney's views. Fruits are virtues such as love, joy, and peace, along with a host of others.
I take extreme exception to this poorly written sentence: "Sweeney finds a safe harbor in the Christian-right movement where he is surrounded by other lazy minds, whom look no further than the bible next to their bed for solutions to our nation's problems." He does not and would not find a safe harbor in the Christian-right, because his views are polar opposites to ours. We are commanded to love all people, but not to accept all their views. Members of this "movement," as you call it, are some of the least lazy people I know. I love my country dearly, and look to many sources to solve our problems. I look to the Constitution, to history, and yes, to my Bible. It has the answers to a lot of things.
If Mr. Sweeney would read his Bible and attempt to apply it, he would see that his views are unsubstantiated by it. If Mr. Spiller would read his own, he just might be able to get his facts straight.
Jennifer L. White
Political science and psychology junior
