Morality fundamental part of governance

In his column published July 19, Andrew McGhee wrote, “”Behind every effort to add religious elements to a nation’s governance is a desire to control and impose.”” That’s fair, but that desire isn’t limited to “”religious elements”” – governance is, by definition, control. So the question is: “”What principles should we use to create and enforce laws – what form should that control take?”” It’s not self-evident, as McGhee seems to think it is, that religious doctrine can have no part in the formulation of law. Moreover, since the inception of our nation, lawmakers have been guided by morality, and nearly all criminal statutes have irreducibly moral roots. You may object to the application of certain moral principles (such as those of the religious right) in the creation of law, but to argue that a legal system could do without morality completely is downright foolish.

Equally silly is the writer’s digression about the U.S. veto of a UN Security Council resolution. Most Americans don’t “”subscribe to some form of Judeo-Christian belief.”” They subscribe to Christianity. While Judaism and Christianity may share historical, moral and textual roots, they are not culturally or politically related on any siginificant scale in the U.S. A much more likely explanation for the veto (than some sort of unspoken Judeo-Christian conspiracy) is the fact that U.S. and Israeli political interests in the Middle East align almost perfectly. It’s not surprising that no other nation supports Israel, since no other nation has clear designs on Iran and Syria.

Caitlin S. Hall
UA alumna
Former Wildcat editor in chief and opinions editor

Mexican students need transparent political system, not organized religion

I read with interest Janne Perona’s column about her experience in Mexico this summer and was curious as to why the Wildcat would publish such a pointless and self-indulgent item. Certainly I respect whatever religious beliefs Ms. Perona might espouse, however her assertion that the students of Mexico “”need Jesus”” (seemingly more than others) is blatantly elitist and epitomizes the problem with conservative organized religion. Her assertion about a non-existent middle class in the country is also patently false; Mexico has a growing middle class that is one of the largest of any Latin American country. Her trite political analysis speaks of this idea of change in the wake of PRI’s loss in the 2000 election; she fails to mention the voting improprieties that occurred in the recent election, causing millions to protest the election results in the zÇücalo of Mexico City. PAN is quickly becoming a PRI for the new millennium. I agree with Ms. Perona’s point that Mexico is a country faced with problems; however, I would argue that what Mexican students need is a transparent political system that promotes true democracy. The last thing they need is Americans taking advantage of the poor and downtrodden by proselytizing them and judging their culture from an uninformed and ethnocentric point of view.

Andy Gaona
Senior majoring in political science and Spanish