Letters to the Editor

I HATE THE YANKEES

Let me say that again in the hopes that it might piss Adam Karlin (Dawg Breath, Oct. 24) off: I HATE THE FUCKING YANKEES. How dare he matriculate to this city and purport to be able to tell us die-hard Seattle sports fans how WE feel about anything, let alone our hatred for the Yankees. That's right, hatred. Not "mild antipathy," and certainly not a "dislike." It's a level even above hatred. It's "Fucking Hatred." I now not only hate the Yankees and their fans, but I dislike anything and everything related to New York. I don't give a shit about Yankee fans, though I hope they all burn in hell, too. The fans didn't beat the M's, the team did. Thus, I HATE the team. Your article must be the most ignorant piece of uninformed shit I've ever had the misfortune to read, and I'm sure that most Seattleites agree with me. You mention Boston, Baltimore, and Philly fans in the same breath as Seattle fans; they've all won something at one point or another. With the exception of the '79 Sonics, we haven't even made it to the championship game in ANY sport except once. You're as bad as those pseudo-Yankee fans you gripe about that come to another town and talk shit. In short, don't think you can come here and tell US how WE feel, especially about those devil-spawned Yankees.

Oh yeah, and to Vernon Chin ( letters, Oct. 24), "Mr. All Worldly"; you don't like it here, get the hell out and make room for somebody who does have half a brain.

Derek Einhaus

senior, biochemistry

Look again

With regard to Second Look (Josh Kahn, Oct. 23), almost no nation is without sin when it comes to sponsoring terrorism. To claim that it is only endemic in the Middle East is an utter fallacy. America is probably one of the worst culprits in the Western world. Furthermore, re: a coup in Pakistan, how did the present "government" get into power? A coup to take over a coup -- that would probably be a first in world government.

William Roberts

graduate student, atmospheric science

Pray for the lying heathens

I would like to respond to Angelo Baca's op-ed piece in The Daily (Oct. 25) in which he attacks and ridicules missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My heart feels sick inside me to know that someone out there enjoys manipulating these humble servants of the lord for his own personal amusement. Though I will pray for Mr. Baca, I will certainly not dignify his article with a direct response. Rather, I write to bear simple testimony of the master in hopes that it will provide you readers with a contrast to Mr. Baca's virulent brand of lies.

My dear brothers and sisters of the UW community, I bear you my testimony that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I know for myself that these things are true because the Holy Ghost has borne record of them to my heart, and my witness is made sure. I also testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true, and is another testament of Jesus Christ. I invite all people everywhere to read the Book of Mormon and ponder its message in their hearts. Then, if they will ask God with a sincere heart and real intent, he will manifest the truth of it unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that this promise is real to all those who will seek in the light of truth. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, and look forward with all my heart to sharing it as a missionary when I, too, am called to serve this spring.

Brian Nyberg

sophomore, pre-engineer

Prostitution is immoral

I write in response to Because I say so by Omari Taylor (Oct. 24), concerning legalized prostitution. His article was misleading, misguided, poorly thought out and illogical in nearly every respect. Although he has a right to express his views, these views are wrong.

First, prostitution is time-honored in the sense of having been around for a while. That does not imply, as Taylor seems to believe, people-honored. In the same breath, he mentions the more conservative viewpoint of prostitution being wrong as "useless, outdated morality." It would appear that only some parts of antiquity are acceptable -- namely, short-term pleasure. Time-honored ... useless, outdated ... both describing practices which have been around for a long while.

Second, like it or not, this country, indeed, Western civilization as a whole, is rooted in Judeo-Christian ethics -- ethics which adamantly oppose prostitution. Those cultures in which prostitution was seen as a holy act were seen as barbaric and intolerable by those who created our society. Again, antiquity does not equate with outdated. After all, it's pretty old-fashioned to wear clothing and brush our hair; why stick with such useless, outdated moralities when it could be, in Taylor's own words, the most liberating thing we've done in our lives?

Third, Taylor argues that prostitution should be legalized "for the simple fact that it's not going to be stopped." What folly there is in this "logic." Under the same rationale, murder, theft, rape and virtually every other insidious act should also be legalized.

Although his arguments are flawed in many other aspects, I will close with this: Prostitution is hardly a "business transaction" that is "not a moral issue." Were that the case, rape victims would not be traumatized but simply annoyed, rape itself would not be a violation of intimacy and virtue but petty theft, and adultery would be nothing more than outside interests in a corporate venture. Business transactions, as they are seen now, are far from the kind of "harmless service" by which Taylor describes prostitution. This issue is very much moral in nature, and it is more than just delusion to think otherwise.

Jason Roe

freshman, criminal psychology