I would like to come to the defense of (Undergraduate Sen. Trent) Grimit, not because his use of public funds was admirable, but because it was no different from the usual purloining of taxpayer money on the part of ASUA. I do not disagree that Values Week was a forum for Mr. Grimit to express his values. But, where were the livid purveyors of justice when ASUA funded Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Awareness Week? Was this not a conduit for individuals in ASUA to voice their opinions of what our university's values should be?
I think the majority of liberals will agree that no governmental institution should be in the business of promoting morality. However, it is impossible to avoid this as long as the politicians are deciding where other people's (taxpayers') money is going to be spent. Take the case of Thurli Schmidtke at NAU. Wanting to espouse his predilictions on transsexuality in a sociology class, he is shocked when Gov. Symington voices disapproval. But as long as society continues to think that the government should fund education, this is what you get.
Yet, I am sure Mr. Schmidtke's outcries of censorship would be supported by the same leftist group who have admonished Mr. Grimit's exposition on ethics. Is the public funding of morality only wrong when it supports conservative, Judeo-Christian ethics? That is an egregious double standard. Perhaps (Undergraduate Sen. Maggie) Glover, et al, should think about this before they begin their next specious tirade against Mr. Grimit.
John Taylor
Accounting Junior