Four official candidates on the Ohio ballot

With the 2004 election only a few days away, I am glad to see that the BGNews has taken the opportunity to inform its readers with its recent front-page comparisons of the presidential candidates’ positions on important issues.

I am especially happy to see that the editors chose to include a third-party candidate, Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party, in this feature. The Democrats and Republicans are not the only political parties in our country, and their opinions are not the only ones that matter. I applaud the BGNews for placing Badnarik side-by-side with Bush and Kerry.

However, there are four presidential candidates on Ohio’s ballot, not three. I am curious as to why the BGNews editors chose to exclude Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka from their quick issues guide.

Peroutka is on the ballot in 36 states and is a write-in candidate in eight more. This means that, like Badnarik, Peroutka could, in theory, win enough states’ electoral votes to win the presidency.

While no newspaper can possibly give equal coverage to the dozens of minor parties and candidates out there, it seems reasonable to me that an Ohio paper should provide information on at least the four candidates whose names Ohio voters will see when they go to the polls on November 2.

For more information on Michael Peroutka, you can visit his campaign web site at www.peroutka2004.com. You can read about the Constitution Party and their platform at www.constitutionparty.com.

ALLAN DIEBALL

STUDENT

Welcome to new frat, but make changes

I would first like to welcome the Delta Lambda Phi Fraternity to our Greek Community.

Being a founding father of a fraternity here on campus I can definitely appreciate what you will face in the upcoming months.

However there are some aspects of DLP that I find ironic.

The mere fact that a fraternity has a mission statement that designates the type of men it seeks based on sexual orientation exists is nonsensical.

Over the past 50 years fraternities across the nation have worked to erase the stereotypes of being prejudice, racial or discriminatory. There have been changes in mottoes, National Constitutions, and even in the reasoning behind some ritual symbols to accommodate the ever maturing world that is waking up to an America where everyone is equal.

I understand that the world is not perfect; I also feel that a group which is formed to help separate people from one another is a step in the wrong direction.

I personally feel that by adding a social fraternity that has pre-determined focus on certain group of individuals, does not “complete a quality undergraduate fraternity and sorority experience that builds community among all Greeks” as the GreekBGSU mission statement reads.

The fraternity that I helped start has always been open to all men and has current and past openly gay brothers. We feel confident in our stance again discrimination of any kind. I simply ask that groups such as DLP do the same.

I do not want to see DLP leave or not form. I would simply ask that the group doesn’t continue to ‘advertise’ itself, or recruit purely on sexual orientation, but form as a social fraternity just like all the others, and that Delta Lambda Phi gains its reputation just like the other BGSU fraternities had to, by earning it.

CHAD NICHOLS

GREEK STUDENT

Story reveals the need for organ donors

Your story about Carolyn Ruge’s presentation on organ donation(10/27/04) highlighted the tragic shortage of human organs for transplant operations.

That shortage kills over 6,000 Americans every year. Most of those deaths are needless. Americans donate only half of the organs that could save lives and reduce suffering. They bury or cremate the rest.

The solution to the organ shortage is simple — if you don’t agree to donate your organs when you die, then you go to the back of the waiting list if you ever need an organ to live.

A grass-roots group of organ donors called LifeSharers is making this idea a reality one member at a time.

LifeSharers is a non-profit network of organ donors. Members agree to donate their organs when they die, and they give fellow members “first dibs” on their organs. This creates a pool of organs available first to members. The existence of this pool gives other people an incentive to sign donor cards and join the network, and this incentive grows stronger as the network expands.

LifeSharers also makes the organ allocation system fairer. About 70% of the organs transplanted in the United States go to people who haven’t agreed to donate their own organs when they die.

Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers at http://www.lifesharers.com. Membership is free.

LifeSharers has 2,627 members, including 83 members in Ohio.

DAVID J. UNDIS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

LIFESHARERS

News coverage of Moore event was objective

I was appalled when I read Mr. Bissa’s letter to the editor in which he questioned one of the reporters for the BGNews and her objectivity in her article highlighting Michael Moore’s recent visit to the Seagate Center. I have enjoyed reading Hoesman’s articles, mainly because of her objectivity and effort to show all sides of a story. Furthermore, I think the BG News staff as a whole does an outstanding job of being as unbiased as possible in an election year.

While Bissa argues that one word in Hoesman’s article taints the entire piece, I would contend that Bissa is missing the point. Hoesman wrote an article showing both sides of a political event and how it affected BG students.

I applaud the BGNews and their reporters for putting such emphasis on the election and trying to make political information as easily accessible as possible to the young voters on campus.

are to political information, the more likly they are to actually think before they head to the voting booths on Tuesday. I for one am thankful that a reporter like Ms. Hoesman writes for the BG News and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Katie McMahon

Student