NCAA team names not disrespectful

8/29/2005

I have an MBA degree from Central Michigan University, a bachelor's degree from Bowling Green State University, and a law degree from the University of Toledo.

I say both the pompous elitists of the NCAA and the legal-political extremists of the ACLU can kindly go pound sand regarding their asinine witch-hunt against colleges whose sports teams have nicknames related to Native Americans, particularly Central Michigan.

CMU removed all logos from uniforms and other athletic apparel and structures years ago that had any relationship to Indians, e.g., a flint spear on the helmets, and replaced those logos with a simple block "C."

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has enjoyed a great relationship with CMU, and the tribal government has recently spoken out against this latest NCAA delusion of grandeur, saying that CMU is very respectful of the Chippewa tribe and the tribe approves CMU's continued use of the Chippewas' name for its athletic teams. The majority of the tribal council hold degrees from CMU.

Next thing we know, PETA will rail against colleges whose sports teams are named for animals, like BGSU and Michigan, and liberal-pacifists will say that UT's Rockets nickname advocates nuclear war!

As an ethnic Irish Catholic, I take offense to Notre Dame's depiction of Irishmen as drunken leprechauns who love to fight. Imagine the reaction if Cal State-San Francisco called its teams the Closet Queens in reference to the local gay community.

The NCAA and leftist do-gooders need to worry about cheating and graduation rates for student-athletes, period.

JIM ADAMS

Carleton, Mich.

I am an occasional user of a cell phone in the car, but really believe they should be outlawed while one is driving.

I have seen enough examples of dangerous driving while using a cell phone (and, yes, I've caught myself in a few numbskull situations).

However, a recent trip up I-475/US23 brought the matter home. It was rush hour and traffic was heavy, moving bumper to bumper at about 70 mph. I was on my motorcycle maintaining a position in my "moving slot" and beside me was a woman with her left hand pressing a cell phone to her ear.

Her right hand was sometimes on the steering wheel but more often was used to emphasize a point of her conversation. At such times, her car would wander into my lane, off to the other side, or both.

Since traffic was heavy, I was unable to get away from her, though she did frequently slow down and speed up, all the while punctuating her conversation with her right hand and obviously not paying real close attention to her driving.

Finally, fearing that she would veer too far into my lane, I touched my horn and when she looked, gestured that she should maintain control of her car.

She obviously appreciated my concern and signaled that she thought I was First Rate, Number One in her book - at least that's what I think her hand gesture meant!

TOM DAWSON

Maumee

Ten million illegal aliens in this country, and most likely more coming. Those people pay thousands of dollars to be smuggled into this country. Most are young.

So how does one so young save up thousands of dollars in such an economically poor country? Now if they could do that in their short young lives, why would you leave such a good paying job to take a chance in a foreign country?

Could someone in this country be so interested in them that they would pay thousands for them? Not without knowing that they would get that money back. Sounds like pre-Civil War slave trade, with modern innovations, of course.

JAMES P. STRUBLE

Regency Drive

A recent Forum contributor claimed that the evidence supporting evolution is flawed. Unfortunately, her arguments supporting intelligent design suffer from worse flaws. She stated that "[h]undreds of real scientists with advanced degrees from reputable universities" dispute Darwin's theory. While technically correct, she fails to disclose that none of these "real scientists" have biology degrees; their degrees are in fields like chemistry, mathematics, and law.

I challenge ID supporters to find a "real scientist" with a biology degree from a reputable university who questions Darwin's theory.

A review of the biological literature conducted by the National Center for Science Education shows that thousands of articles have been published on evolution over the past decades. In contrast, only 37 papers mentioned ID, all in a negative light.

The writer characterized evolutionary theory as an "atheistic view." There is no basis for this assertion. Like many scientists working in biology-related fields (I have a PhD in neuropsychology), I believe in both God and Darwin. I recommend that the writer read Michael Ruse's 2000 book, Can a Darwinian be a Christian? (His answer is "Yes.")

Finally, she mentioned that evolutionary theory has not been proven. But it is impossible to prove any scientific theory. As the philosopher of science, Karl Popper, demonstrated, science progresses by disproving theories, not by proving them. That is the crux of the argument against ID: it is not a scientific theory because it cannot be disproven, not because it invokes a "designer."

As a human, I have no problem with the prospect that we were designed by some intelligent agent. However, as a scientist, I will attack the ID movement until it comes up with a scientifically testable version of its theory. If and when it does, I look forward to seeing what happens.

STEPHEN CHRISTMAN

Cloister Court

The definition of a soldier is one who serves in an army; an enlisted person as distinguished from an officer. Does that indicate that the job of a soldier is to fight wars?

I'm the mother of an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. Our sons and daughters voluntarily join the military and are trained to protect and defend our country. Does this mean we need to force democracy on a country where the majority of the population is living in the 7th century?

The issue of separating religious beliefs and political agendas are difficult for the average citizen there to comprehend. Religion is an enormous part of their particular political process and always will be.

Is that why we as a democracy have separation of church and state?

What right have we to think what we have works for everyone? Who appointed us the world's decision-maker?

Those who choose to proudly and unselfishly serve their country as a soldier expect our political leaders to make sound, rational, and intelligent decisions before entering into an armed conflict and sending them to defend us against a known enemy.

When that "mission is accomplished," our soldiers would like to know that there is a logical and timely plan for dealing with the consequences of our actions.

Only when President Bush "walks the walk" and has a child fighting for questionable motives and hidden agendas in a country that did not ask for our help or our type of government will he understand the grief of a parent.

An Aug. 22 letter writer did not think before he assumed and just set those thoughts to pen and paper. Ironically, President Bush assumed much in the same manner before sending our sons and daughters to the Middle East.

SUSAN M. FIX

Waterville

I agree with The Blade that The DaVinci Code is fiction and that it is a masterful job of media marketing. But it is fiction presented as history.

Should the Church be silent on what is a blasphemous attack by Hollywood on Jesus Christ?

The DaVinci Code will be greeted with howls of protest and indignation by Christians of every denomination, not just Catholics.

MARTIN LaPORTE

South Reynolds Road