Cheney’s recent comment regarding gay marriage (“…freedom

means freedom for everyone”) reflects divisions both within the

administration and the United States over government’s role in

society. Clearly, when someone engages in behavior that endangers

others, it is reasonable that society – through government – take

action to prevent such behavior. Where is the parallel for gay

marriages?

Some have argued that allowing gay marriages would damage the

institution itself, or harm children raised by such couples. Yet

the available evidence suggests that when a legal option exists, as

in the Netherlands, same-sex marriages are significantly more

stable than heterosexual marriages (google “Darren Spedale” and

“sfgate.com” for an informative San Francisco Chronicle article).

And a review of parenting studies by the American Psychological

Association concluded that “there is no evidence to suggest that

lesbians and gay men are unfit to be parents or that psychosocial

development among children of gay men or lesbians is compromised in

any respect….” (http://www.apa.org/pi/parent.html).

Our own Declaration of Independence asserts our rights to life,

liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In order to prevent harm to

others we must sometimes place limits on individuals’ pursuit of

happiness. But when no harm is done, whether we approve or

disapprove, it is our duty to actively support the aforementioned

rights, lest we erode our own. Furthermore, when we aid

heterosexual couples in their pursuit of happiness by granting them

the rights afforded by marriage (such as estate control, tax

benefits, medical decision-making, etc.) we are bound by

constitutional law to not discriminate against same-sex couples

that choose to make that same commitment to each other and to

society.

Joe Fass

Post-doctoral researcher

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

I was sorely disappointed with your staff editorial from Oct. 7,

“With free speech, comes responsibility.” In the editorial you

suggest that people wishing to engage in free speech should first

consider the “personal rights of every student on this campus.” The

implication is that if free speech conflicts with a student’s

“personal rights” it should not be practiced.

What are these “personal rights” of which you speak? The U.S.

Constitution protects the right to free speech. There is no right

to not be offended.

Brian Depew

Graduate student

Department of Philosophy

I disagree with Monday’s Collegian’s editorial, in which, the

editorial staff voiced its opinion on deferred recruitment (at CU)

and how it would be good for the Greek Community at CSU. One has to

understand the facts of each case to realize that this policy will

not change anything. First, our two Greek communities (CU and CSU)

are entirely different. CU has done nothing, besides banning

parties, to remedy their problem. In contrast, CSU’s Greek leaders,

the Wednesday after the death, came together and passed new

legislation to ensure that this incident would not happen again.

Anyone can view these policies at www.csugreeks.com, under the

resource tab. Likewise, the Boulder death was a forced consumption

situation; whereas, the death of Sam Spady was a result of her own

decisions. Secondly, do people think that by pushing back

recruitment one semester students are going to stop drinking? The

reality is that most college students drink, and because of this

there should be more effort in educating the CSU student body, as a

whole, about responsible drinking. Finally, by “deferring

recruitment” many first-year students may become too involved in

other activities by the second semester to join a Greek

organization. These organizations pride themselves on attracting

strong students that take initiative, but by postponing recruitment

they could be robbed of these individuals. For any student who is

skeptical about the usefulness of Greeks at CSU, please come visit

us at the Greek Life Office in the Lory Student Center or online at

www.csugreek.com.

Ross Hendrix

Sophomore, information systems major

CSU Greek