Scouts a private organization
To the editor,
I feel obligated to defend the position of the City Council in its decision against the BSA and to correct the misinterpretations of the situation that the respondents have made. Like Spiller, I find the exclusion of individuals to participate in the BSA simply based on their sexual orientation or (albeit minutely influencing) religious beliefs as blatant discrimination. But why is the BSA being targeted? It has nothing to do with the rights of a group to select members based on morality, beliefs or normality.
Most organizations practice this on a regular basis; the church, clubs. This is the right of any private (and I emphasize private) institution.
Despite that Spiller's commentary was a bit overzealous in his attempt to persuade us into believing the BSA to be a house of bigotry, he was correct in that this form of discrimination cannot be condoned by the state. Any government funded (or aided) public organization cannot, by law, practice discrimination. The result of the Council's decision simply means that the BSA will no longer receive funding from the city (taxpayer's money).
So, rather than react with anger or offensiveness, take the issue into consideration for what it is meant to be. Yes, the BSA discriminates, for whatever purposes and for whatever justifications it feels fit, but I, as a taxpayer, would certainly be enraged if my money was being used to forward an organization that disallowed the participation of certain individuals based entirely on their personal beliefs.
Chris Fossan
Psychology sophomore
Americans don't get soccer
To the editor,
I, like many of you, often find myself enjoying the highs and the lows of the Olympics in lieu of homework. Thursday night, as it approached midnight, I tuned in and saw a clip that summarized how ignorant America is to the world of soccer. Good old Brent Musberger, the ironman of Olympic broadcasting, was interviewing Andres Cantor. For those of you who don't recognize the name, he may be considered the Harry Caray or the Howard Cosel of soccer. This interview came just after the US women's soccer team suffered a heartbreaking loss as they attempted to repeat as Olympic soccer champions. Musberger was tickled pink by Cantor's 20 second"Gooooooooooooal" calls and was showing a clip of the epic women's gold medal game that Cantor announced. It happened to be the overtime goal that defeated the U.S., and as you see the heartbreak on the face of the US players you hear Musberger laughing his ass off! As the clip finishes and you return to the studio, the look on Cantor's face was that of astonishment. How could someone be laughing when this team's, supposedly the nation's, dreams were just crushed? At that moment it became clear,
Americans may never understand what soccer is all about. Do you laugh when you see a gymnast fall off the balance beam and lose all hopes of a medal?
Do you laugh when a runner pulls up with a torn hamstring in the100m hurdles?
By the way, the US men's team made it to the bronze-medal game, which marks the first time they've even made it out of the first round in the Olympics. Is this on NBC? No, but last night I watched the finals of a sport they just made up, synchronized diving!
Ellis Margolis
Watershed management graduate student
Boy Scouts not all good
To the editor,
I am writing in response to the many letters about the Boy Scouts of America. So, it does not feel too good to be discriminated against, huh?
How do you think homosexuals and everyone else that's been excluded from your club feel? The BSA has a "blatant disregard for the beliefs of others" as well, or else we would not be having this discussion.
I would not go as far as Cory Spiller went, I know the BSA does have some good attributes, but it is also similar to the Ku Klux Klan. Unfortunately, the KKK does have the right to discriminate, but in return for that, they do not get national or state funding and they are constantly protested. The same should apply to the BSA, even though they are not nearly as extreme, they are sending the same message that it is OK to exclude someone because of their beliefs.
I am sure that most of the people that wrote these letters are/were in the BSA and are very religious. This would also lead me to believe that you are against such artists, like Eminem and his lyrics. He has been accused of "gay-bashing" just like the BSA. Now, who do you think actually stepped into "the fire?"
Jennifer Lewis
Astronomy and physics sophomore
