OK to be multi-faithful
I’m no Pierce Brosnan apologist (those were dark days for 007, to be sure), but Benjamin Ledford’s Oct. 3 column (“Did Enlightenment make us stupider?”) is bringing me to the guy’s defense. Apparently Brosnan said in an interview with Reader’s Digest he subscribes to both Catholic and Buddhist teachings, and this belief system bothers Mr. Ledford because its two component faiths are “incompatible” and “contradictory.”

I really fail to see how, though. Until science can penetrate the existential essence of things, anybody’s belief regarding the nature of that essence isn’t subject to dispute on rational grounds. People certainly identify themselves as spiritual for many non-spiritual reasons, but I think we’re all best served taking our fellows at face value with this issue. If being a Buddhist-Catholic makes a mediocre former James Bond happy, then who is anyone to call him out about it?

Cameras are the wrong choice
I was a little worried to read University Housing installed security cameras in a residence hall in response to a hate crime on campus (“Gay Student Threatened,” Tuesday). What good will these cameras do? Cameras will not help victims of violent crime defend themselves. Cameras will not even reliably identify the attacker(s), because if the attackers knew about the cameras beforehand (say, by reading about them in the newspaper), they would just alter their appearance the next time they chose to attack.

If Mr. Larabee is truly worried by the threat he received, he has a right to act in self-defense. Lots of inventive self-defense weapons exist — maces, tasers and firearms. The police probably have some forensic options at their disposal to proactively identify the originator of the threat, as well — fingerprints and handwriting analysis come to mind. Installation of security cameras hardly seems justified in this case.

The only reasonable use I can imagine for a camera in a dorm hallway would be to track the comings and goings of dorm residents. That doesn’t sit well with me at all, and it shouldn’t sit well with any student at the university, dorm resident or not.

Fight to end hate
I was very saddened to read the information in regards to the hate crime threat placed against Kory Larabee of Idaho.
I am a LGBT rights activist and an out and proud New York-based singer-songwriter known as Scandelle. I recently coordinated an anti-violence/end hate crime rally near the steps of City Hall for a recent New York City hate crime survivor and my own personal hero, Geo Vaughn. You can see some footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLCCbbipd2Y.

Hate crime in NYC has increased 24 percent from last year. If it could happen here, it can happen anywhere. It is important we rally behind and expose this hatred by dragging these heinous acts into the full light and fight to end these attacks worldwide.
Our prayers and support go out to this brave young man. Keep your head up, Kory. We love and support you.

LaRocco represents Idaho
A recent letter to The Argonaut argued students from the University of Idaho should support Sarah Palin (and by extension John McCain) because of the attention her candidacy brings to the university. It suggested that right, wrong or indifferent, UI students should support one of their own, especially because she is a woman. While I have to admit to feeling a little thrill when I learned Palin was a UI grad, I have enough civic sense not to base my vote on something which is, frankly, irrelevant to how a McCain/Palin administration would govern.

The letter shows what’s wrong with politics in our state. We seem to choose our representatives solely on the criteria of their associations and not their qualifications and achievements. An excellent example is the non-race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Larry Craig. I call it a non-race because so far only one candidate, Larry LaRocco, has been running. LaRocco has traveled across Idaho, taking ordinary jobs and learning about the issues that matter to Idahoans, while Jim Risch has run his campaign as if from a bunker. While last week LaRocco appeared at UI to discuss the issues facing our nation, Risch was nowhere to be found. In debates across Idaho, during one of the most important elections of our lives, when Idahoans crave engagement with the issues that matter — Risch has been AWOL.

This election is too important for an R next to a candidate’s name to be the only ticket he or she needs for a trip to Washington or Boise. Sending LaRocco to the Senate is the only way our voice will be heard and the only way the problems facing our nation — from health care to the economy — will actually be addressed.

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.