[Vision2020] Good Old Climate

[hayman@moscow.com]

Dear Nate and all,

I will ignore the sarcasm of your salutation to this post. I will also honor 
your implied request for not condemning vandalism, though I must say 
that the idea of the people you mention performing such acts of vandalism 
is as ludicrous as it is almost funny.

We live in a by and large college town (it is also the county seat). Winter 
break has been occurring for a few weeks. Young people have stayed; 
others have been returning on a daily basis. No classes, etc. There are 
several bars (even Zume proffers strong drink) within a four or so block 
radius. Put it together.

I would wager (purposely chosen word) that at least a 50% chance exists 
that said Vandals knew not the difference between your spires and the 
golden arches of a local franchise.

You may remember, a few years ago, that the trees planted along Main 
Street (same block, even!) were vandalized to the point of death 
themselves. I don't remember anyone insinuating that it was the result of 
anti-Moscow terrorists, or even the local logger's union.

You asked not to condemn vandalism, so I won't. I will say that were my 
own lights vandalized, I would consider the four-year-old terror who lives 
down the street before blaming St Andrews lecturers.

Warren Hayman



> Dear People with Perfect Vision,
>  Farewell. I have been lingering on this list for only one reason. So 
> that, at the end of the Christmas season, I might give you a final tally 
> of vandalism at New St. Andrews College. In my capacity as freshman 
> Rhetoric instructor (a position for which Dr. Gier finds me wildly 
> inadequate) I volunteered to become the official Christmas light fellow 
> (a position for which even Dr. Gier must admit I have superb academic 
> qualifications). The first instance of vandalism occured only two and a 
> half hours after the first lights had been hung, and before completion. 
> Approximately three weeks later the lights have been vandalized more 
> than ten times with between seventy and eighty strands of lights 
> damaged, destroyed, or stolen (a graph Mr. Courtney, please). 
Throughout 
> the season damaged strands were repaired, or replaced only to be 
once 
> again vandalized.
>     Now before everyone piles on in unanimous condemnation of such 
> actions, I would like to come to the defense of the vandals. Apparently, 
> they have the courage of their convictions. Some people have enough 
guts 
> to type a snippy missive to this forum. Others have the courage to pay 
> two dollars to add their names to a list of people who don't like us. 
> But the particular war party that cracked their knuckles and got to work 
> on the NSA Christmas lights last night had enough courage of their 
> convictions to actually risk a felony vandal charge. Of course some 
> people, who are always able to grasp the main point at hand, will now 
> object to my usage of the insensitive phrase 'war party' but back to the 
> issue at hand. I admire people who, when they say 'Not in Our Town', 
> really mean it. People who want to do what they can to make us 
miserable 
> here. People who are actually willing to admit that they think it 
> illiberal for anyone to let us have Christmas lights.
>     Of course the fracas of the last few months has had more than a few 
> ironies. Tolerance and diversity gurus have successfully created a 
> climate in which UI students feel free to vandalize the property of 
> Christians. In fact I'm curious if there have actually been any 
> businesses downtown, beyond "Christ Church Affiliates" that have been 
> vandalized in the last few months. In normal circumstances I would 
> suspect such acts of kindness to be more truly random. But lately, 
> vandals have seemed more discriminating in their tastes: multi racial 
> businesses and a Christian college. At this point I would like to invite 
> Mr. Fox to insinuate that I tore down our own Christmas lights in an 
> attempt to grab some attention. After all, I have Jewish blood, and we 
> do that sort of thing. I would like to invite Andreas to wink, wink, 
> nudge, nudge, insuate something about anti-semitism and Christ 
Church. 
> If Wossname Graden would like to bring up the fact that we will most 
> likely be contributing to the murder of homosexuals, now would be the 
> time. Mr. London, I think asking the City Council to make it officially 
> open season on Christ Church members is an excellent idea with 
historic 
> precedent in any number of foreign countries throughout the last 
century.
>     But perhaps the greatest irony of all (even more ironic than Raul 
> Sanchez and people on this list using the words, tolerance, diversity, 
> theocracy, or research) came when members of the GSA explained, in 
> informal conversation, that Dean and Toni Helleckson, part owners of  
> Bucer's Coffeehouse, were actually bigoted racists because they 
adopted 
> Haitian children. You see, they were saying that life in white American 
> culture is superior to life in black Haitian orphanage culture. And then 
> they imposed that view on helpless children.
>     That's what we've come to. Ideas grip. A climate of hatred is 
> created. Lights torn down, multi-racial businesses vandalized, official 
> unpopularity lists, and we're told that we're the threat. People are 
> scared. We're dangerous. You ought to have us put-down because we 
might 
> bite the mailman.
>     To finally wrap things up, I'm glad we bring meaning and purpose to 
> your lives. That's what we're here for. Cheers.
> 
> NDW
> 


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