Opinion
 

Religion and government inseparable

To the editor:

I am writing in response to Paul Saleeba's column "Religion, government not practically compatible" (Opinion, Friday). I believe government and religion are inseparable. Governments are institutions that create laws for nations.

Those laws distinguish what is right from wrong for the citizens. The process of creating the laws requires discussion and debate, but the law that is enacted is the standard for the people. That standard is not arbitrary or without context. The existence of the law assumes values, morals and ethics.

These values are rooted in some view of humanity, and that view of humanity is religion. A religion does not need to be defined in a system like Christianity or Islam. A religion is a view of the nature of mankind, the proper relationships between people and possibly humanity's relationship to a god. Whatever form a religion takes, it will dictate a value system, which will shape the laws of a nation. Even a system that claims to hold all other values equal makes a moral statement. 

Joy Chavez, physics junior

Hawaii's hijinks

To the editor:

This is in response to Bradley David Williams' guest column "Cougar football must be held accountable" (Opinion, Monday). Hawaii is a thug team and has been so for a couple of years under head coach June Jones. Recently, Hawaii's fans were charged with inciting a riot in Las Vegas.

And their behavior was no different on their home field of Aloha Stadium. I guess you didn't notice when ESPN's cameras panned the part of the crowd where the UH fans were sitting — the number of women whose clothes were two-tone? Those UH fans were constantly being barraged by food, beer and soft drinks by Hawaii fans. Hawaii fans at the game were looking to pick fights with UH supporters.

Athletics Director Dave Maggard was on the field and in the middle of the fray. I trust his eyewitness report certainly more than anyone else's — including what I saw on ESPN.

Was the brawl pretty? No. Did it do irreparable harm to our University? No. Has it negatively impacted recruiting? Au contraire. I've heard high school football coaches say they thought UH showed backbone by taking on those thugs on their home turf.

It was an unfortunate incident that occurred because of the incessant taunting and physical intimidation of the uncontrolled Hawaii players and their idiotic mascot. You may not like it. You may want to express your opinion. But my advice to you, someone who witnessed the event from afar and wants to comment, is to get up, walk over to Maggard's office and find out the true story from someone who was actually there.

Chris Vaughan, alumnus, class of 1979
 

Letters to the editor are welcome from all members of the UH community and should focus on issues, not personalities. Letters must be typed and must include the author's name, telephone number and affiliation with the University. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters are subject to editing for clarity, language and space. Letters may be delivered in person to Room 151, Communication; e-mailed to dclettrs@mail.uh.edu ; or faxed to (713) 743-5384.Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu