I commend Sean Kelly for expressing his aspirations for a new skate park on campus. Unfortunately, while sifting thorough his animosity towards the CSU Police Department and the Associated Students of CSU, the real message was abstract and sounded immature.

First, I laud CSUPD for their constant watch over our safety, as well as students who take the time to serve on the ASCSU council only to receive ill-directed criticism from someone who has likely yet to meet them.

Secondly, poor choice of prospective names for the club, christening it FUCSU would undoubtedly help you shed the "ne're-do-well" stigma you board with day in and out. A recreational club is a very constructive idea and with proper planning and guidance may foster an atmosphere in which young adults with similar outdoor interests can meet/interact. Instead of spending time on sarcastic editorials and finger pointing, why not reinvest that time into really putting your "private and public funds" where your mouth is?

Sincerely look into what it will take to start Colorado SKATE University, rally for enrollment (without alienating others [pedestrians, CSUPD and ASCSU]), and raise funds. To be direct, the odds of a new club acquiring a skate park on campus may be slight at best (I'd like a parking garage). Would a better starting point for this rec club be building a strong student base with a positive reputation, and canvassing money for the addition of lights to the already constructed skate parks in Fort Collins?

It may be difficult to garner financial clout from individuals you previously described – the younger people without money for vehicles or fuel. It also may be difficult to persuade those at CSU and ASCSU to fund this opportunity the more often you patronize them.

The beauty of this campus is its capability to allow diversity without enormity. Find those who share the same voice as you, but don't be so quick to fault others. I would expect that at some time each student/faculty/staff member on this campus has experienced some sort of prejudice, and that is regrettable. However, don't allow the few that have cast premature judgment on you reduce you to one meager, mocking and negative editorial, rather than actual accomplishment. Good Luck.

Catie Simpson

Animal Sciences

Graduate Student

I am writing in regards to Tim Waddingham's article about Christian Conservatives.

First, it is obvious his article is extremely one-sided. I have always considered myself a conservative Christian and will continue to do so. He made the comment about the separation of church and state being one of the reasons why our country has remained so great. As far as I can remember, this country was founded on Christian principles. It was because of religious persecution that the pilgrims came over. This was a Christian nation. It wasn't until 1947, when American's United for the Separation of Church and State, was founded. So, our country wasn't great until this point? The generations before us were just mediocre? I find that hard to believe.

Second of all, he says "Christians" wouldn't go to war because the Bible says not to kill. However, if Mr. Waddingham knew his Bible, he would also know the Bible talks about God telling people to go to war with others. If he had ever heard of the battle of Jericho, maybe he wouldn't be so quick to judge. The true version of the Bible says not to murder. There is a difference between killing and murdering. Murdering is the crime of unlawfully killing a person with malice aforethought. Killing is ending a life. God doesn't want us to murder someone out of hatred. However, according to MANY examples from the Bible, He allows man to kill for other reasons.

Waddingham also tries to make a point about Hurricane Katrina. However, those people had been warned about the hurricane many days in advance. Everyone in the nation knew the hurricane was heading for New Orleans. Those people weren't caught off guard. I'm not saying it's their fault; I am saying they should have heeded the warning. What did they expect? To just stay in their homes while their town flooded, hoping someone would come rescue them? I don't know about everyone else, but if I had been told my city was about to be destroyed, I would leave.

It's not the government's fault some people decided to stay, nor is it their fault if they can't get down there right away. I don't see the people who are complaining getting in their cars and driving to Texas to see how they can help. They just want to sit and complain. Maybe some conservatives do not hold to Christian ideals, but I can just about bet that many Christians hold to conservative ideals.

An article like this should be printed in a point/counterpoint format, because when something is as one-sided as this, it makes the whole newspaper lose credibility.

Reaghan Endres

Sophomore technical journalism

Hi there,

While on campus yesterday I noticed a publication called the "Student Voice" in a wire stand next to the one holding the Collegian. Since it said "Student Voice" and was on green, white and black printed paper I assumed (like I suspect others might) that it was a related CSU publication.

When I looked through it I noticed that it was highly religiously-oriented and relatively one-sided in terms of the information presented. I was astonished that CSU, as a public institution, would welcome obviously religious literature at all, let alone in the stand right next to its own paper as if it were a related publication.

It was very confusing to me and it is not obvious from the "Student Voice" contents that it is unrelated. Just thought I would mention it because it seemed that the placement, name and look of the paper was intentionally misleading, such that it was easy to think it was associated with CSU or the Collegian.

Kristen Brezinski

Education/Human Resources student

Has anybody seen the new rec center policy for forgetting your ID? If you forget it three times, the next time you go they won't let you in unless you have your ID, or pay five bucks.

Lame! I don't like carrying my ID with me. My name is like eight letters! It isn't hard to type that into a computer. My girlfriend's cat, Waverly, could do that. And I think she has work study.

Speaking of jobs that cats could do, I just want to say thanks to Courtney Healey for cutting the Transfort bus routes. Thanks Court! I can't wait until gas is $37 a gallon and I'm walking forty miles per day around Fort Collins after you cut all the bus routes. With the money you save by cutting bus routes you should build a time machine so I can go back in time and not vote for you in ASCSU elections.

Ian Skyler Brown

Vaudevillian Arts Major

This is in response to Tim Waddingham's opinion article on Sept. 21. This was the most ridiculous article I have ever read. Journalists are supposed to write interesting opinions that have truth behind what they are trying to express, not blasphemous ideology and false perceptions. Those are for people who have no idea of what they are talking about.

In Mr. Waddinghams's article, it says conservatives are just upper-middle class suburbanites who believe people in poverty shouldn't go on welfare because they're not in need of help, they're just lazy. It also says conservatives are just rich snobs who have no idea what the "real world" is like!

I quote from the article, "Just because you grew up in a upper-middle class society doesn't mean everyone else did. Christians try to help these unfortunate people (people in poverty), sadly, conservatives don't." How can you write such nonsense!?

This is the truth, many conservatives don't support welfare; not because they think people are lazy, but because a lot of people on welfare abuse it! Many (not all!) welfare checks are spent on the very things that help cause poverty and homelessness – drugs and booze. I don't believe every person on welfare abuses it, but many of do; it's the simple truth. I know this fact is something you chose to ignore, but it's something a journalist must do – uncover the truth and write about it.

I am very disappointed the Collegian chose to print this type of nonsense; I'm all for free speech, but a journalist is supposed to print truth. Even if it is an opinion, it's an opinion about the truth, not on whatever you choose to believe. But hey, that's just my opinion!

Robert Drost

Sophomore

History

I found Tim Waddingham's article "A Christian conservative is really an ignorant Republican" closed-minded, hateful and lacking in factual backing. As an independent, who tends to lean conservative and also happens to be a Christian, I was appalled at the article's hateful and ignorant tone. I would expect an "open-minded" liberal publication to be a little more, should I say open-minded.

America was created under the supervision of so- called Christian conservatives, so I would hardly say we have stuck firmly to a policy of church and state separation. And it is purely ignorant to say a person should not allow their religious background to help them determine their opinions on public matters.

Of course a Christian is going to tend to vote conservative. We don't believe killing unborn children is a woman's right and we don't believe gays should have the right to defy the sanctity of marriage, all opinions that can be traced to our religious beliefs. No upright conservative is going to go against his or her moral beliefs and vote liberal as Tim so ignorantly stated we should.

Nowhere is it stated we must vote in a non-church influenced way, I therefore see no problem with combining Christian and conservative. However, I will agree this is a somewhat over-used slogan, but so are all those snazzy liberal bumper stickers. Conservatives, 1: Liberals, 1,000,000.

On the response to hurricane Katrina, America in fact, led one of the swiftest rescue operations in history. It took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in Florida after Hurricane Andrew; Katrina only 3.

Tim's comment about welfare and middle-class living were also astounding. Conservatives, especially Christians, account for most of the charity moneys given to the less fortunate. And as a conservative, I belief the welfare system is in need of an extreme overhaul. Many people on welfare are lazy and are not learning to break that paradox of poverty.

Finally, the war with Iraq. I disagree with Tom in saying Iraq was not a threat. I feel Iraq was a very real threat that needed to be checked, and yes sometimes killing is the answer to better and safer lives to the majority. Nowhere in the Christian teaching is it taught war is not allowed.

War, as horrible as it is, is essential. A lot of good has come out of the war in Iraq. All of the hospitals in Iraq are now operational, 1,500 schools have been renovated, school attendance is up 80 percent and 3.5 million children have been immunized, the list goes on and on.

I would say, at the very least, the threat of millions of children growing up being brainwashed to hate Americans was reason enough to invade Iraq. When a man is willing to strap a bomb on his chest and  walk into a crowded area something needs to be done.

Kevin Curry

Freshman

Biological science