Saturday, May 30, 2009
Liberty's action cut through the double-talk
Liberty's action cut through the double-talk
Re: "Liberty disbands campus Democrats" (May 23 news story):
The university's action is sure to lessen the likelihood that its student body will be subjected to the same type of disingenuous double-talk our president recently gave at Notre Dame.
An example of Obama-like double-talk gleaned from an editorial Short Take in the same day's paper: "LU [could become] a place to learn job skills without risking an education." Really?
A university unworthy of its name
Considering the common origins of the words "liberty" and "liberal," I suggest that Liberty University change its name. It is an offense to reason, let alone to constitutional principles of free expression of reasonable thought, that an institute of higher learning that professes to offer a liberal arts education might attempt to suppress liberal-thinking groups from organizing on campus.
Given its name, it is an oxymoron for Liberty University to deny the rights of otherwise like-minded students to group together to promote views that differ from those of the administration.
Might I suggest that Liberty University change its name to Bigotry University? Less offensive would be The University of Biased Thinking.
An intolerance to long-held values
In Steve Huff's column that appeared in The Roanoke Times on Memorial Day ("Tolerant, with one exception," May 25), he stated that "tolerance of intolerance stinks from a mile away" in referring to those who are opposed to abortion.
His own intolerance of conservatives is evident in his descriptive identification of anyone not in lockstep with President Obama to be "old, white, Republican males -- hating everything for which Obama stands." It's obvious the writer is intolerant, therefore, of anyone not in concert with him.
Let's face it. Tolerance has always been the term used by liberals to make their case for the abolition of Judeo/Christian values that conservatives hold dear.
Just some people can hang out
There sure has been an uproar over the so-called artist arrest downtown. So many have said that the officer should have shown more compassion. Well, let's look back in history not so long ago.
When downtown merchants complained about homeless people hanging out in front of their stores, city council and city management did not hesitate to take action. To the best of my memory, the police department was told to use zero tolerance in enforcing any law to clean up the streets of the homeless.
I don't think I heard a peep out of The Roanoke Times at that time. Sounds like double-standards to me.
I've known Officer Bill Lucas now for more than 30 years. He's a good man and has served the city well and put his life on the line many times for his city. He deserves better treatment.
People today call watching a TV that is not even plugged up art? Twenty years ago, this person would probably have been committed.
Mariners' service wasn't forgotten
The editorial "World War II mariners" (May 25) was much unexpected but very welcome. In most Memorial Day services, the U.S. Merchant Marine is never mentioned, even though the WW II merchant mariners were declared veterans in 1988.
Their critical service is most often overlooked. And likely the 9,300 Merchant Mariners lost during WW II are not included in the total of 291,557 WW II battle deaths noted in the main editorial column. I applaud whoever was responsible for the Merchant Mariner item on the editorial page.
