We welcome letters, but please include your
full name, address, and daytime telephone number. We edit all
letters for libel, length, and clarity. Send letters to Letters, Illinois Times, P.O.
Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705; fax 217-753-3958; e-mail editor@illinoistimes.com. OXYMORON: MILITARY INTELLIGENCE As usual, Dusty Rhodes did a great job in
telling the Marty Dwyer story [“Hard way out,” April
13]. I know nothing about Mr. Dwyer, other than what the article
revealed, but it is easy to empathize with a man who has been so
wrongfully treated, especially by the very government willing to
send him into harm’s way at a moment’s notice. It seems paradoxical that the same military
masterminds who mildly sanctioned an officer for killing friendly
troops would go to such great lengths to destroy a man whose only
“offense” is being a homosexual. Perhaps my priorities are misdirected, but I
find Mr. Dwyer’s conduct much less repugnant and threatening
than the wannabe Tom Cruise pilot who still proclaims his innocence
in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In at least one
way, it seems Dwyer’s accuser has a lot in common with that
pilot: They both seem to share delusions of grandeur. I encourage Mr. Dwyer to continue his legal
challenges and — hopefully — a more intelligent and
rational phoenix will arise. Brett Cameron Mount Zion NOT ALL CHRISTIANS ARE CONSERVATIVE I read your cover article “Culture
wars,” by R.L. Nave, in the April 6 edition. The article
itself was largely commendable for its efforts at increasing
awareness of the need for a discussion on the needs of people of alternate sexualities on the UIS campus.
As a graduate student and with a family member currently enrolled in
the UIS undergraduate program, I can attest to the fact that these
persons are underserved by the campus administration and largely
ignored. For raising awareness of this, I commend Mr. Nave. However, one glaring problem was the
horrifically misleading picture on the front cover. It depicted a
cross draped in a rainbow banner, ostensibly to depict the
“culture war” between “gays and
conservatives,” as the title and subtitle indicated. This is
misleading and irresponsible because “conservative” is
not synonymous with “Christian” or even
“religious.” By placing the symbol of the cross front
and center (a blatantly and overtly religious symbol with
absolutely no intrinsic ties to conservatism), the front cover
depicted this “war” not between gays and conservatives,
as both the title and the article state, but between gays and
religious people, specifically Christians. This only serves to
further perpetrate the negative and false stereotype that the
conservatives have the market cornered on Christianity or that all
Christians are conservatives, especially the insensitive types
discussed in the ensuing article. Many Christians are Democrats, pro-choice,
pro-equal-rights, pro-environment, and even — gasp! —
gay or bisexual themselves. The road between Christianity and Rush
Limbaugh is not a two-way street; it isn’t even really a
one-way street. Thus, while the article itself distinguishes
between the actions of the secular Society of Conservative Students
and the faith-oriented Christian Student Fellowship, the front
cover muddles the two into one group, incorrectly labeled
“conservatives.” If it seems to the reader that the
distinction is splitting hairs, remember that we live in an America ruled by sound-bite debate and bumper-sticker
philosophy, and a front-page headline is remembered far more clearly
than two short paragraphs in a three-page article. To the editor and
layout artists of Illinois Times: There are many Christians (myself included) who
are sympathetic to both the humanity and the inherent rights of
gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered/ questioning persons. Please do not
stereotype and misrepresent us as being at war with these persons. Spencer Owen Springfield BLINDED BY BAD SCIENCE R.L. Nave’s article on global warming
[“Hot in here,” April 13] deserves some comment
[because it suggests that] weather events such as tornadoes in
Springfield and hurricanes Katrina and Rita are symptoms of global
warming. As a scientist who has studied and written on this subject
and who feels strongly that the scientific evidence for
human-induced climate change is very well documented, I must take
issue with the causal connections made to these specific weather
events. Because hurricanes form and intensify over
warm ocean water and water temperatures have risen slightly in
recent years, it’s understandable why there’s much
speculation that global warming is causing the increased number and
ferocity of storms. However, the science backing a link between
global warming and increased hurricanes is preliminary, skimpy, and
contradicted by many hurricane experts. Even the researchers who
suggest there may be a link caution against leaping to conclusions
without a lot more study and admit there is no evidence to account for
specific storms as is done in Nave’s article. The science
linking specific tornadoes is nonexistent, to my knowledge. We should continue to research
whether global warming is affecting the frequency and intensity of
those storms, but there’s certainly no scientific consensus
at the moment. There is an abundance of other scientifically
supported evidence for human-induced climate change. It does not help but hurts the environmental
movement to use bad science in this analysis. We leave that to the
Bush administration and its cohorts. Alex Casella Springfield OH, GO AHEAD — IMPEACH HIM In regards to your commentary on the courage
of Russ Feingold and his lack of support from his peers: One can
only be amazed at the lack of courage in U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and
Barack Obama [Roland Klose, “Rise up,” April 13]. One
small hope lingers in me: They are waiting for the November
elections to give them a bigger group of Democrats to fight with.
And I haven’t given up on impeachment, either. To wait out Bush’s term is to bring
shame on our country. If we do this, we have failed to maintain
whatever shreds of dignity we have left. We need to rise up and
hold him accountable for the criminally reckless behavior of the
invasion of Iraq, plunging our nation into massive debt for a small
group of very wealthy individuals, and being directly responsible
for the needless deaths of Iraqi people and American troops. Impeachment petitions are on the Internet.
The phone lines are still working, and, last I checked, and most
Americans still know how to write. Get moving, people. Write or
call Congress. Sign an impeachment petition online. Restore your
self-respect. Anne Logue Springfield WHAT’S MISSING FROM IT I love my Illinois
Times. I make a special stop every
Thursday morning to pick it up. It stays in my house for a week
because we use the calendar so much. We won’t quit reading
it, no matter what. However, two weeks and no crossword puzzle?
What’s going on? Just wondering. Victoria Vincent Springfield I hope that this is the right address to send
this e-mail to. I was just wondering what happened to the
“Flicks” column by Marc Sigoloff. I read and enjoy his
views every week and was rather disappointed to see no column this
week and no explanation. Is this a temporary break? I have been
online for about six months and stumbled over Marc’s articles
while searching for movie reviews online (I must say that it was
one of my more fortunate Internet discoveries). Many writers in the
U.K. press are either a bit behind the times or just simply not as
good at balancing sensible critiques with a sensibility
encapsulating a genuine affection for movies. Not to dismiss them,
but they’re just not often that appealing. Kevin Matthews Edinburgh, Scotland Editor’s note: The crossword puzzle was
discontinued; Sigoloff’s column is on hiatus. IMMIGRATION, THE AMERICAN WAY This is in response to Christina
Martinez-Romero’s misrepresentation that this country was
founded by “illegal immigrants” [“Letters,”
April 13]. She needs to pick up an American-history book and read
it. This country was founded by those seeking freedom from
persecution and oppression. Afterward, many migrated to the States
for the same reason, legally (as decreed by the people of this
country through representation). Once here, they sought to
assimilate themselves into our society — not change it to fit
their own needs and/or desires. This is what Theodore Roosevelt had to say in
1907 on the subject: “We should insist that if the immigrant
who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates
himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with
everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any
such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is
predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an
Amer-ican and nothing but an American. . . . There can be no
divided allegiance here.” Walt Foster Springfield DO THE FAIR AND MORAL THING How do you deport 12 million illegal
immigrants? You don’t. It is impossible. The logistics of
such an undertaking are mind-boggling. The first crucial step to resolution of the
illegal immigrant problem is to stop the influx of the illegal
aliens. If our military were not spread around the world in
“policing actions,” still in Afghanistan accomplishing
nothing and deployed in the ill-advised war in Iraq, it could be
used to guard all of our borders. Bringing the troops home and ending
our involvement in all military action would infuriate many in the
world. What else is new? Now is the time to stop trying to be the
savior of the world and give full attention to the problems of the
United States. Serious consideration might be given to a
moratorium on all immigration until the illegal immigration problem
is solved. The next step is to give the illegal
immigrants the option of becoming U.S. citizens or returning to
their homelands. The time allowed to decide should be short, 30 to
60 days. Those who choose to stay must apply for citizenship,
attend citizenship classes, learn English, and register with Social
Security. There certainly are more requirements, but these are
essential. The government must immediately prohibit
bilingual teaching in all levels of public schools. This is
America. The language spoken here is English. We are all immigrants
or descendents of immigrants. Most retain affection for their
heritage. But as Americans our loyalty is to our homeland, the
United States of America. There will be attempts by employers to
circumvent the illegal-alien law. No mercy or exception must be
shown to them. The severest possible penalties must be levied. All
jobs performed now by illegal immigrants will be done by legal
immigrants and U.S. citizens for a fair wage. Will this increase
the cost of consumer goods? Possibly. But what’s better,
paying a few dollars more for goods or, in the near future, having
30 million to 40 million illegal aliens in your country? This is America. We must do the fair and
moral thing. Stop the influx and assimilate those present into
American society. John D. Kolaz Springfield
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2006.
