Levy has much to learn about sex
Adir Levy (“All sex, no love make Jack awfully
desensitized,” Jan. 15, 2003) makes the claim that “the
more frequently physical pleasure is experienced, the less special
it feels” and that based on this claim, abstinence from
sexual activity prior to meeting the one “I truly love (i.e.
the girl I will hopefully marry)” is recommended.
It is difficult to know where to begin in deconstructing the
fallacies which are built into this argument. First of all, by
Levy’s argument, sex between long-married couples is less
special because they have engaged in sexual activity so frequently.
Secondly (and paradoxically), Levy’s argument
effectively objectifies sexual activity as if it were always just a
one dimensional “act.” It is not. Practice does make
perfect. We all undergo socialization, and the various
levels of intimacy that can come in sexual activity help
promote emotional maturity. The first fumblings become
more genuine ways of demonstrating love. These are things that
are learned.
If Levy chooses to be a virgin for religious reasons, then
that is his right. In religious terms, marriage is not just
about the heart but also about the exercise of the will. Love is
better served by being open to change and growth and the risk
involved in maturing into love rather than waiting for someone he
“truly loves” to come along. After all, no one yet
has found an infallible way to make that determination.Fr.
Mark Speeks, Episcopal Chaplain to UCLA
Environment needs a war on Bush
The Daily Bruin is absolutely correct in its exposure of
Bush’s “games and deceptions” in the Jan. 16,
2003 editorial, “Stop hiding behind the war, President
Bush.” The Bush administration, aka the
Masterminded-Manipulators, have conned the American public into
believing the war against Iraq is our most immediate threat. But in
reality, our biggest threat comes from the administration’s
environmental policies.
Bush has deliberately used the war as a screen to roll back the
laws created after the first Earth Day in 1970. To disguise his
agenda to “ravage the environment,” he is using
misleading names to implement anti-environmental policies in favor
of corporate interests. For example, his “Healthy Forests
Initiative” will expose 60 million acres of wilderness to
logging, oil drilling and mining. His “Clear Skies
Initiative” will release 17,000 dirty power plants and
factories from current clean-air regulations.
Bush has even targeted UCLA students’ efforts to protect
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska from oil drilling.
Here on campus, hundreds of students worked with CALPIRG to
successfully keep oil companies out of this precious land. Now Bush
wants to kill the efforts of UCLA students.
If future generations ever want to enjoy the beauty of this
country, we need to stand up for the environment like never
before.Joyce Wu First-year, microbiology
Universities are clearly liberal
The authors of the Daily Bruin’s Jan. 15 submission titled
“Universities not leftist citadels” tried to challenge
this assertion. Unfortunately, they provided neither data nor a
coherent argument to support their claim. I believe this is because
the authors are fully aware that the statistics on this matter are
conclusive.
For example, in 1998, reporter Vince Carroll surveyed the
humanities and social sciences faculty at the University of
Colorado, Boulder. He found that of 190 professors affiliated with
a political party, 184 were Democrats. Other surveys show similar
results at schools around the nation.
As a left-leaning person, I enjoy having professors who share my
views. But as a student, I value the premise that college is a time
to be exposed to new and potentially conflicting ideas. Diversity
of political ideas is no less valuable than racial and cultural
diversity to the college student. Do not be swindled into thinking
that ours is a politically diverse institution.Dennis Gies
Graduate student, electrical engineering