Boy Scouts have right to their beliefs

I am an Eagle Scout and have been reading all of the letters submitted recently concerning the Boy Scouts of America and can't sit here any longer.

It seems to me that while everyone accuses one another of forgetting one thing or another, allow me to add to the list. What the Boy Scouts have as "rules" are truly not defined so simply. They are more than just rules - they are beliefs. Just like the many religions that support the Boy Scouts, they believe homosexuality to be immoral. Like it or not, those are their beliefs.

However, keep in mind that anyone in the organization can change their mind and leave any time they choose to. Free agency is not gone. Also the Boy Scouts have never tried to force their beliefs upon anyone. They may use words to encourage or convince but they have not resorted to heavy-handed measures and never will. The Boy Scouts allow everyone else to have their own beliefs, but in this country that does not mean you must agree with them, support them or associate with them.

Free agency and the liberty of this country allow them to do this. The Boy Scout organization does not abuse the gay community in any way. They simply don't associate with it. I support and share these beliefs with the Boy Scouts. I work with several gay people both here at school and at work. I may disagree with them, but I've never harassed them or gone out of my way to hurt them, and yes, I still laugh and talk with them. I simply disagree with their actions.

The Boy Scouts of America is a private organization supported by other private organizations (such as the majority of religions) with its own beliefs. Fine, you've stopped its public funding, now allow its members their God-given right of beliefs.

Darin Lisonbee

environmental science senior

Fasting against war is insulting

People who fast in protest of the war against terrorism are insulting those who lost friends and family on Sept. 11. If you are protesting against war in general, you should fast until the war is over, not for 48 hours. A 48-hour fast is what people who are physically ill do - not people who truly believe in their cause. Do not assume your "McProtest" will have any effect on anyone other than yourselves - either be like Gandhi or go away.

Seth Peck

Computer Science senior

Armstrong says it like it is

Dear Zack Armstrong, I just wanted to say that I think you are hilarious in both Comedy Corner and your articles for the Wildcat. I greatly enjoy your sense of humor and am glad that you aren't afraid to share your opinions, even though they may be controversial. I agree with many of your opinions and believe that you are just telling it like it is. Just wanted to let you know that what you do is appreciated and enjoyed.

Annie Lewis

Undeclared sophomore

Peterson should educate himself

To say that a group brings oppression and hate on itself is an ignorant belief. Parading and the proud display of flags is not "shoving" homosexuality down the throats of heterosexuals or society. It is a statement to being proud of oneself and one's identity. It is saying that one is no longer willing to hide who he is and a statement to break away from the chains of internal oppression. Letters to the editor such as Peterson's show the need for education and an increased awareness for diversity, starting with oneself.

Beyond Tolerance

student organization

Opinions board morally twisted

"We cannot tolerate scare tactics, intimidation" (from Nov. 7, 2001): If the Wildcat's editorial board sincerely meant a single word of this headline, it would be noisily demanding a long incarceration for the violent thugs involved in the Oct. 12 assault on the Mirror Lab.

In the Wildcat's own words from Oct. 15, "they forced themselves into buildings and injured university employees while wearing masks and holding sticks with sharpened edges." Yet today, the Wildcat daintily refers to this barbaric violence as "utiliz[ing] their freedom of speech" - blandly ignoring the difference between the spoken word and the flying fist. And after tutting an obligatory tut at the "protesters" and dismissing "the few injuries" they caused (as though they had in mind a tolerable number for felonious assaults), the Wildcat unjustly and viciously smears the police - who arrived to protect the Mirror Lab's staff and equipment from further injury - in a broadside against reason that can only encourage more violence.

The only thing more disgraceful than the environmental terrorists plaguing our astronomers is the appalling spectacle of the Wildcat twisting itself into morally bankrupt pretzels in a mindless, reactionary effort to evade the brutal nature of its politically correct heroes.

Bryan Hochstetler

UA alumnus