Christianity not at fault

I am writing in response to Eoin Howe’s “Christianity Perpetuates World Suffering” article, published in Friday’s paper.

If Mr. Howe would be so kind, I would enjoy knowing where in the Bible is the passage, “Blessed be the racists, for the power be with Whitey!” I would also like to know when a religion practiced by a third of the world’s population became one massive Ku Klux Klan movement. Let’s remember that the religion is based on the faith in a man who washed the feet of the poor; Jesus Christ served the lowest of the low. The only people who objected to this? The greedy, the rich, and the selfish; those who Mr. Howe equated with the religion itself.

I am a Christian. My faith has taught me the values of saving sex for the woman I one day marry, to treat my parents with the highest respect, and to do whatever is necessary to aid all who play a role in my life. These are not values “decent human beings” should live by in the 21st century? Then my personality must make me the scum of the earth.

To blame the world’s problems on Christianity is outright laughable. The religion has existed for a hair under two thousand years. Mankind has been on the planet for approximately 500,000 years. And guess what? Before Christianity appeared, there were wars, rapes and every other form of violence in existence. If the 2 billion Christians in the world were to disappear entirely, you’d still have those same wars, and rapes, and so on. I would expect more from a person who plays a hand in the education of students on this campus than to make the narrow-minded assumptions found in Mr. Howe’s writing.

Joe Kaiser

Student

President’s service questioned

New evidence has surfaced concerning George Bush’s National Guard service and verifying charges of AWOL against him. He was AWOL for about one year from the Alabama National Guard in 1972, while many Americans were fighting and dying in Viet Nam.

Ben Barnes, former speaker of the Texas State House admits on 60 Minutes that in 1968 he pulled strings to get Bush his coveted Texas Guard slot just 12 days before his student deferent was to expire, so he could avoid service in Viet Nam and Barnes says he is “ashamed of the deed.”

Then we have the testimony of Linda Allison, (salon.com 9/2/04) widow of Jimmy Allison, a Bush family friend, who hired young George Bush for the Alabama campaign of Winton “Red” Blount. Bush claimed he transferred from the Texas Air National Guard to the Alabama Guard to gain high–level experience. Linda Allison says her husband told her the real reason was that Bush was becoming a political liability to his father, who was the US ambassador to the United Nations. The Bushs “wanted him out of Texas” and “they wanted someone they trusted to keep an eye on him”, Allison said.

Asked if she had ever seen Bush in uniform. Allison said, “Good Lord, no. I had no idea the National Guard was involved in his life in any way”. She also confirmed other published reports that Bush often showed up about noon in the campaign office, boasting about his previous night’s alcohol consumption. “After about a month, I asked Jimmy what was Georgie’s job, because I couldn’t figure it out…”

To this date, George Bush has provided no verifiable evidence that he showed up for any service from Oct. 72 until the fall of 1973, other than a dental exam.

Bush avoided combat duty, went AWOL from his National Guard unit and then, as president, sent American troops into harms way when he attacked a Iraq, which was no threat to the US and had no Al Qaeda terrorists. (Remember, those were the people who destroyed the twin towers in N.Y.) So far, the war has cost a staggering $150 billion, resulted in 979 Americans dead, about 7000 wounded and there is no end in sight.

Bush has shown he is entirely unfit to be the commander-in-chief of the military.

Let us vote for John Kerry, who served heroically in Viet Nam, experienced combat, knows the horrors of war and is more inclined to use diplomacy first than “bring it on” George. Re-defeat Bush. Elect Kerry. Are you registered to vote?

Cliff Cleland Jr.

518 S. 2nd St.

DeKalb IL 60115

Publication appreciated

Hi, I’m the great aunt of Chris Willig, I wish to express my thrill in reading the article wrote by Chrisand you placed on the Internet. I’m new to the computer and as a senior citizen, I can not express enough how much fun it is and how you helped by placing this page for me to view. Thank you.

Jackie Gilroy