Opinion: In today’s pages: Budget ghosts and student religion
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The editorial board continues to parse President Obama’s budget intentions, noting that though his blueprint is indeed transparent about the costs of the Iraq war, it is less forthright about the probably near-term future of the economy. The board also bemoans fractured immigration policies that provide residency to some refugees but not others, and sides with a student who gave a religiously-based speech in class about his views against same-sex marriage, after which he allegedly was taken to task by the professor.
As long as he was opposing same-sex marriage on religious grounds -- and not harassing individual students -- he was making an argument that figured prominently in the public debate about Proposition 8. It’s not an argument this page finds persuasive, but we wouldn’t try to suppress it. Neither should a college preparing students to live in a contentious democracy.
On the other side of the fold, political journalist Marc Cooper chides Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his fuzzy response to questions about whether he will commit to serving out a full second term if he is elected. Take a pass on running for governor and pay full attention to the city’s tremendous needs, Cooper advises. And Joel Stein reflects on how everyone loves science, until it contradicts what they want to believe.
People on the far right don’t believe in evolution, global warming or doing stem cell research. Most of their opposition is rooted in the fact that these ideas challenge the Bible, which is the oldest book they know. I’m guessing Greek conservatives are OK with killing your dad and making love to your mom.But since I moved to L.A., I’ve discovered that liberals hate science just as much as conservatives, and they talk about it a lot more. They’ll reject any study that contradicts their Mother-Nature-is-perfect myth, which is oddly similar to the conservatives’ thesis.’