The Traveler

Issue date: 10/13/08 Section: Opinion

Vote to preserve freedom

The most patriotic action taken by any citizen in a democracy is to vote, and a major responsibility of the government is to guarantee both an honest election and that every vote be counted in the manner as cast by the voter.

Republicans are noted for the purging of voters lists, "caging" (disenfranchising) overseas military personnel and college students, phony absentee ballots, contesting eligibility of people whose homes have been foreclosed on, faulty voting machines, and more.

As has been proven over the past three decades, we can no longer trust or simply leave it to the government to protect our freedom or the future for our children, grandchildren or descendents yet to be born, even in the area of assuring honest, verifiable election results.

Consequently, it becomes the obligation of all patriots to protect their precious rights to vote, and no excuse is acceptable or justifiable for apathy and nonparticipation. Either you are a part of the solution or a part of the problem.

It is imperative that all qualified people, including those in the military or college, check their voter statuses, talk to their friends to make sure they do the same, vote early, demand paper ballots and do whatever else necessary to assure their votes are counted.

The act of voting is an obligation needed to retain freedom, and in the words of Benjamin Franklin, people who would sacrifice a little freedom to acquire a little safety gain neither and will lose both.

Lew Huddleston
Fayetteville, Ark.



Experience matters in mayoral candidates

Why would we want Lioneld Jordan for mayor? I suppose if integrity, trustworthiness, accountability and, of course, more service and relevant experience than all the rest of the candidates combined didn't matter, maybe we wouldn't.

But as I see it, these are the very attributes that will take Fayetteville to the next level.

For me, the choice is quite obvious. We need Lioneld Jordan as our next mayor. Please remember to vote your choice Nov. 4.

Randall Woodlee
Fayetteville, Ark.



Homosexuality is not a disease

In a recent article on Gay Days at the University of Arkansas, a student, Peter Triplett, was interviewed on his opinion of the event. In the article, he compares homosexuality to diabetes, an illness he suffers from.

By publishing this statement, without commenting that homosexuality is not an illness or something to be "cured," the Traveler may have inadvertently condoned this view. A proper comparison would be if Triplett said he never participated in heterosexual weddings, went to dance clubs or flirted with girls in public because he doesn't feel the need to "parade his heterosexuality around." I doubt such statements would be true, nor should society pressure him to avoid these events.

The American Psychological Association announced decades ago that homosexuality is not an illness. This event is not a battle against a disease or a fundraising event. To compare sexual orientation to an illness for which we search for a cure is insensitive and shows a lack of comprehension of the battles that face the homosexual community.

This is a celebration of the strength of a persecuted community and a time to recognize the losses the community has suffered because of intolerance and hatred. To evoke comparisons to diseases we are trying to cure is insensitive and continues to perpetrate the myth that homosexuality is something to "fix."

Amber Culbertson-Faegre
Graduate student
Psychology

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