Free speech comes with responsibility

I am writing in regard to your article last week, “Evangelicals push for social change” (April 25). Faith can be such a wonderful thing when it acts as a guiding force for its members to make a positive impact on the world. I commend them.

I do find fault with The Daily, however, for including a young man’s opposition to equal rights for marriage for gays and lesbians. I am all for freedom of speech. However, with freedom comes responsibility. Would such a remark be printed if the young man held beliefs against interracial marriage? Or had he voiced any number of the divisive beliefs of the Christian faith against other religions based on their alleged inferiority according to Christian doctrine? Notice, I am not listing those beliefs here.

The Daily is not alone in this oversight. Some months ago, Fox News Television aired a survey asking viewers to phone in for their feelings on same sex marriage. Would Fox News put out such a survey for whether or not Blacks should be allowed to marry? How about Jews? Muslims? Black Jews and Muslims?

I am dismayed that opposition to equal rights should not be considered taboo. Why is this? Could it be because it is presently the opinion of the majority? The opinion of George Bush? Similar polls made within recent years have also found the majority of Americans opposed to interracial marriage.

Should we go back and vote for that state by state? As for being morally “disordered,” tattoos and cotton poly blends are not met with such opposition when they are equally listed as transgressions in that same passage of the Bible (where by the way, slavery is apparently condoned). Funny no one ever expresses those rules. So why is it considered socially acceptable to express opposition to gay marriage?

Perhaps all opinions of social and religious elitism should be voiced to exhaustion so that the privileged classes can ostentatiously display their cherished position of apparent superiority. Why does this continue? Whose purpose is this exploitation of inequality serving?

Either solidarity is being sought, or it is being unconsciously gained by voicing such ideas of exclusion to the masses, not unlike one eccentric man from Germany who used a such method to gather willing forces for his empire culminating in something called World War II.

Please, let us not take for granted the rights that have been, and continue to be won for us in blood; use freedom of speech for the advancement of mankind. Please stop abusing this right for the spread of ignorance and hatred. Keep hurtful beliefs to yourself.

– Sean KrollMusic ’03Administrative Assistant, Student AffairsKellogg School of Business

ASG should continue funding newspaper ad

First of all: Josiah Jenkins, I love your column.

However, Josiah’s good cheer cannot hide the fact that I am incredibly disappointed with the always venerable Associated Student Government and their decision to cease purchasing an ad in The Daily for Northwestern student groups to use free of charge. ASG claims that the ad is an inefficient use of funds. However – considering the student theater show I am currently a part of has a budget that must be utilized to put on a high quality production that is thought-provoking, sophisticated, and entertaining – and an ad in The Daily is absurdly expensive (without a student group rate), ASG’s ad would have been my only shot to tell The Daily readership.

I sincerely hope that ASG will rethink their decision. At least they will be able to use their $1000 clickers to vote on the resolution in a technologically advanced and sufficient manner.

– Michael Kessler Communication sophomorePublicity Chair, A Room Embodied(The views expressed are his own.)