OCF Has Right to Evangelize

To the Editors:

I realize that being approached by evangelists can be an unwelcome encounter at best for non-Christians, but the Review's complaint against OCF was unfounded.

The OCF and Christians in general share certain rights with the rest of us, and in the United States these rights are protected by the government and invoked regularly by Americans. The extension of that same freedom of religion that protects us from religious control by the government also entitles everyone to practice his/her own religion, so long as they do so without infringing on the rights of others.

For Christians, this includes preaching the gospel (they believe they are explicitly commanded to do so), which also intimately involves their freedom to express themselves. By trying to attract people to Christianity through word and example, they do not infringe on the right of others to choose and practice their own religions; they only attempt to bring others to theirs ‹ which, I repeat, is an integral doctrine of Christianity. Denying Christians the right to approach non-Christians is denying them the protected right to practice their religion.

America does not recognize any right of the people to "go about their business without having to confront" any view they disagree with, regardless of how personally it may strike them or how uncomfortable it may make them, nor does it allow for limiting verbal evangelism. If a passer-by is made uncomfortable by what is being said, it is his/her own duty to strengthen him/herself in his/her own beliefs and be comforted in them. The Review must understand that personal feelings have absolutely no place in this issue and move on; the freedom to evangelize cannot be denied.

---Benjamin Schaffer, Conservatory Junior

Gore Education Plan Praised

To the Editors:

As a concerned and semi-informed college student, the weeks of late have left me disillusioned with the presidential election. While the political pundits concentrate the majority of their time on George W. Bush's 'Regis-wear' and Vice President Gore's famous 'convention kiss,' these schemes are mere gimmicks orchestrated by the Campaign 2000 maestros and leave a great deal of substance to be desired. Being the idealist that I am, I want to believe that the rest of my 18-24 year old "demographic" is as concerned as I am about the issues before us: saving for college, making tuition more affordable, and expanding the availability of grants and scholarships. We must look past the messages spun for us by the campaign moguls and realize which candidate will deliver legislation to help college students: Al Gore.

Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore's record as vice president shows a proven commitment to the growing needs of college students. Vice President Gore's platform includes plans to help parents and students save tax-free to make college more affordable and make up to $10,000 of college tuition tax-deductible. His record on higher education stands uncontested. During the past eight years, the Clinton/Gore Administration made the largest single investment in higher education in thirty years by proposing and winning funding for the HOPE scholarship tax credit program. HOPE scholarships assist nearly 7 million students by providing a $1,500 tax credit to help make the first two years of college universally accessible for all Americans. The Vice President has consistently prioritized higher education and delivered legislation to help college students.

In contrast, George W. Bush has virtually ignored college students and the need for quality, affordable education. The governor of the second largest state in the Union said, flat-out, that "higher education is not my priority." (San Antonio Express-News, 3/22/98). The best thing I can say about Mr. Bush is that his record reflects his words. In 1999, Texas ranked 48th in the nation in the percentage of high school students who enroll and graduate from college [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6/2/99]. According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, Texas ranked 35th in the nation in estimated grant dollars for undergraduates awarded per college-age resident.

In a world where education is the key to opportunity, this nation needs a president committed to making higher education affordable and available to everyone. George W. Bush has made a tax cut for the rich his first priority, which will inevitably crowd out education investments. Vice President Gore's record proves he is committed to helping us and our parents save tax-free dollars for college, making tuition tax-deductible, and creating more scholarships to close the education gap in America.

We, as college students, should demand attention from our leaders and make sure we elect a president who will be committed to our cause. We cannot stand idly by while America elects George W. Bush. We must vote. We must be heard. This election will affect us more than any other. On November 7th, make the choice between being highly ignored or highly regarded: Vote Al Gore.

--Amanda Stitt, Kalamazoo College

Promoting Voting

To the Editors:

As hard as it is to believe, we will all soon be entering the "real" world. College marks the final transition from childhood to adulthood (for most of us). Soon we will be paying taxes, getting married, buying homes and starting families. At some point we'll even be thinking about retirement. We're not kids anymore, even though sometimes we still act like it.

If we're supposed to be beginning our adult lives, why are we still letting other people make decisions for us? We're forfeiting our power over the future to our parents and grandparents every election. They're the ones who vote, and we're the ones who sit around making excuses. The people they elect today are making decisions that affect our tomorrow.

Why do the vst majority of college students not vote? Probably for the same reasons we turn in papers late, skip classes, and party the night before a big exam. But let's assume that one reason a lot of us don't vote is because we don't know how. We're registered at home, but Election Day is during the school week so we can't get back to vote. (If you're not registered go to a board of elections or a public library and get it done by October 10th ‹ it only takes a minute).

If you cannot get home for elections don't worry. You have several options. One is that you can register in your college's town. Either fill out a registration form at least 30 days before the election, or just show up at the board of elections anytime within 28 days of the election. If you opt for the second route you will be voting on a provisional ballot, which is similar to an absentee ballot.

The absentee ballot is your other option. The easiest way to get an absentee ballot is to go to your board of elections and ask for one. You can also write the board of elections where you are registered and give them your name and voting residence, the election you want a ballot for, the reason you can't vote in person, the mailing address to send the ballot to and your signature.

You can request an absentee ballot anytime up until noon the Saturday before the elections (November 4th this fall). However, to make sure there is time for you to get it sent back before the close of elections you should take care of this by mid-October. Remember, ELECTIONS ARE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7th. For more information about any of this go to www.ohio.gov/sos.

The future is ours, but only if we take responsibility for it. That means, among other things, voting. On November 7th Ohioans will be electing the U.S. President and Vice President, U.S. and Ohio legislators, Ohio Supreme Court justices, and local officials. Take part in this process ‹ there's no excuse not to.

--Karla Ruth, Bowling Green State University, Senior Special Education and Elemetary Education Major

OSU Student Finds Fault in Silkworm CD Review

To the Editors:

I just read Nick Stillman's review of Silkworm's Lifestyle, and I thought someone should correct Mr. Stillman, since he doesn't seem to know much about what he's writing about.

First, Silkworm has two main songwriters, Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett. Stillman's favorite song on Lifestyle, "Contempt," he attributes to Cohen. It's Midgett's song. Cohen and Midgett do not sound exactly the same; most people would have noticed that there were two lead singers, especially someone who supposedly knows something about the band he's reviewing.

Second, Stillman laments that Silkworm's efforts sound "overwhelmingly conventional". Well, they are overwhelmingly conventional, because the band is focusing more on songwriting, not on being unconventional. It's a sad day in rock and roll when a band can't sit down and write a good song without being criticized for being "conventional."

Third, Silkworm is described by Stillman as "abandon[ing] their blase alterna-rock tendencies in favor of a sound more akin to Massachsetts-era Scud Mountain Boys." Unfortunately, nothing in this comment makes any sense whatsoever. I don't have a clue what "blase alterna-rock tendencies" Stillman thinks have described Silkworm in the past; if he knows the band well enough to be able to deride their previous work (even while lamenting that they've gone "conventional"), then he ought to be aware there are two lead singers. The comparison to the Scud Mountain Boys is especially bizarre, because the two bands sound nothing alike and never have.

Fourth, Stillman goes on to say that "any fan of Built to Spill would recognize the clear connection that Silkworm seems intent on establishing with the seminal Midwestern band." As the listowner for the online discussion mailing lists for both Silkworm and Built to Spill, I have to wonder what on earth Stillman is talking about. Not only do I not hear the connection, I also must point out to Stillman that Boise, Idaho is not generally considered to be part of the Midwest. In fact, Stillman opens his review by talking about the "Seattle indie rock scene," when Built to Spill, not Silkworm, is the band associated with being among those at the forefront of that scene. If Built to Spill is so "seminal" in Stillman's eyes ‹ not that I'm disagreeing with his word choice, per se ‹ at the very least he should get his geography straight.

The final paragraph is extremely funny, because not only does it once again mention "Cohen's pleasing voice" (when Stillman seems to like Tim Midgett's songs better!), he suggests that Touch & Go would drop the band if they don't stick with their slower bands. Considering the relationship Silkworm has with Touch & Go ‹ and the fact that Touch & Go stalwart Steve Albini grew up in Missoula, Montana with the guys from Silkworm, and has recorded most of their albums ‹ it's really unlikely that the band and the label, which are a perfect fit for each other right now, would go their separate ways anytime soon.

If Nick Stillman is going to continue speaking like he's some authority on indie-rock, then he ought to at least know what's going on around him, or his reviews will continue to come across as confused and ill-informed as this one did.

--Phil Huckelberry, Ohio State University

PIRGers Continue Efforts

To the Editor:

Everyone on campus is familiar by now with Ohio PIRG, because we've probably asked you at some point to sign one of our postcards to stop logging of our national heritage forests or to get kids out of a school built on top of a toxic waste dump. Well, this is a big thank you to everyone out there who helped us out last year.

The PIRG toxics campaign worked to relocate River Valley Schools in Marion, which were built on a military toxic waste dump. Since the schools in Marion were built, deaths from leukemia have risen 122%, and students continue to go to school every day exposed to high levels of toxic chemicals. We spent last year targeting Governor Taft by sending him postcards and letters to convince him to relocate the schools. We had about 1200 postcards and letters signed last year, many by Oberlin students. So thank you.

The good news is that Governor Taft and the Army Corps of Engineers have worked out an agreement to build new schools on uncontaminated land. The bad news is that building these new schools will take at least three years. That's three years of students being exposed to harmful chemicals that, according to a respected independent toxicologist, put them in immediate danger.

Three years is too long to wait to move these students off of this toxic waste dump. Ohio PIRG is working this semester on getting Governor Taft to order an emergency evacuation of the River Valley Schools. Thank you again for all of your help last year, and you can look forward to seeing us around campus again this semester.

If you have any questions or want to get involved, contact us at ohio.pirg@oberlin.edu or at extension 8137.

--Abbie Turiansky, College Sophomore

More "Silk" Defense

To the Editor:

Nick Stillman's Silkworm review is a terribly written article, made even worse by gross inaccuracies. I never thought I'd hear Silkworm compared to Scud Mountain Boys or Built to Spill, and who knew Built to Spill (Boise, ID) was actually from the midwest....

--Kerry Seed, Received Via Email

Students Thanked

Dear Editor,

Last Wednesday three Oberlin students went with Ohio PIRG to a senate hearing regarding clean water laws in Columbus, Ohio, to testify against Senate Bill 141, a bill that would likely increase the amount of agricultural and animal waste dumped into Ohio's already polluted waterways. Several other citizens were there to speak against the bill, and many moving testimonials were given. Afterwards, Ohio PIRG students and staff delivered thousands of citizen comments to Governor Taft requesting stronger water protection.

Ohio PIRG would like to thank all the students at Oberlin for getting their voices heard and helping us work to help clean up Ohio's waterways. We will keep you updated on progress as it unfolds.

--Larissa Stuart, Winston Vaughan, College Sophomores

Stillman Critique Lacking

To the Editors:

As a Seattlelite, I must say that your review was somewhat lacking. Bad reviews are fine (no matter if it contradicts Spin, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, NY Times), but do please provide a bit of substance. Substance, just might enhance your writing.

--George Schiffer, Seattle Resident