Vela on the wrong track
Vic Vela's Friday column suggests that the way for Democrats to regain a foothold in national politics is to adopt a clear and uncompromising liberal stance on key policy issues.
This is a little difficult to credit, given that Howard Dean's wholly unambiguous statements caused him to self-destruct during the primaries, while Sen. Kerry managed to capture the nomination and nearly the presidency by casting a fine haze of "nuance" around nearly everything he said.
It never seems to dawn on some people that the reason liberals lose elections is because their ideas are unpalatable to a majority of Americans.
...But by all means, continue to refer to those who have the utter gaucherie to display the American flag during a time of war as "lemmings," and continue to dismiss those whose deeply felt religious convictions inform their political views.
We saw how well this tactic worked in 2004; now we'll see how well it plays out in 2006.
--Chris Lanter,
biology senior
Alamoodi accurate but mistaken
Yaser Alamoodi ["We are left with faith"] deserves some hearty props for his celebration of socially progressive religion. The Republican Party has used "moral issues" as a tool to glean the votes of the faithful, tricking them into forgetting that war and poverty are moral issues.
Religious orthodoxy demands social justice. ASU needs better religious dialogue on social issues such as homosexuality. The way to do this, however, is not to disprivilege all conservative religious organizations on campus, as Yaser supported in an earlier editorial. Christian groups need to come together to fight prejudice and bigotry on campus.
They also need to take a hard look at their ideas concerning homosexuality. That, and not denying them club status, is what will bring about what Yaser wants: a more "inclusive, equal, and diverse" community.
Yes, traditional religious groups have been part of the problem. Now let us be part of the solution.
--Brandon Hendrickson,
religious studies and history senior
