Letters

Free will

Editor:

I am impressed by how offended and defended Princeton Kim is by
religious solicitation on Bruin Walk. Kim began his Jan. 24 column,
"Heaven help me: Bibles blitz Bruin Walk," with a disclaimer,
warning that "the events and persons in this column are
fictitious." But of course, proselytism on Bruin Walk is fact, not
fiction. I found myself wondering about the origins of Kim’s
penchant to disclaim his views. Perhaps he sensed the irony in his
writing style.

Further into his piece, Kim’s vacillating argument alternately
refers to solicitors of religious material as "zealots,"
"assailants," "scripture-spewing savior(s)" and "primarily harmless
preacher teachers." Despite his use of judgmental and derogatory
labels, I sympathize with Kim, who reports that "many is (sic) the
time" these persons have told him that he was a "whoremongering,
corrupt, lost demonic soul … bound for hell." It is painful to be
insulted in this manner.

Again, I wondered whether Kim sensed the hypocrisy in his
writing style. Don’t "zealous, spewing assailants" have feelings?
Kim asks, "How much (good deeds and good will) is enough?" I don’t
know, but perhaps mutual respect is a good start.

Later, Kim ponders, "… why do so many live their lives based
upon the occurrences after death, and not upon the events in life?"
I challenge Kim to answer a tougher question: Why do so many live
their lives based only on the events in their own lives?

My opinion is that without a collective, simultaneous regard for
how our actions impact the world now and after our death, we are
all headed for something more discomforting than Kim’s "luxurious
resort of Hades."

Kim ends his piece with the benediction, "Until next time, may
your soul be blessed with the droppings of pigeons from on high."
Given the choice between a blessing of excrement and the blessing
of free will – which alternately allows me to ignore or attend to
stimuli, including religious solicitation on Bruin Walk – I would
choose free will. Wouldn’t Princeton Kim?

Christopher Thurber

Doctoral student

Clinical psychology

No-fault gasoline

Editor:

I thoroughly enjoyed Edmond Banayan’s missive pertaining to
no-fault insurance ("Cancel free rides with no-fault insurance
initiative," Jan. 26). Mandating proof of auto insurance to
register a vehicle is the measure’s Achilles’ heel.

Those of less-than-stellar honor will simply drop their
insurance once they obtain registration – perhaps even producing a
thriving new industry in counterfeit insurance documentation.

A more realistic solution is to include the cost of
minimum-liability coverage in the purchase price of each gallon of
gas. Additional insurance may be purchased separately for those
intelligent enough to want more than minimum auto insurance
coverage. Insurance companies that wish, may join a pool to provide
the minimum coverage included in the gas price.

D.J. Schulte

Concerned bicycle commuterComments to
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