Editor:

I’m full of confusion and disgust when I read the callous letters of my fellow students. The elementary school adage “sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me” is great for kids, but this isn’t elementary school anymore, and the words we choose have an impact.

If someone says, “conservatives are Satan’s minions,” they divide people, even though it is a fallacious statement. It causes the attacked to feel as though they have to defend themselves.

In a time when we, as a country, are supposed to be enlightening the rest of the world as to what’s best, there’s no need for this sort of slandering.

We should stand together as conscious beings, equals-each understanding that while we may not agree with each other’s life choices and belief systems, we are trying to love one another because hate does nothing but drive us away from the divine.

It’s up to each of us to make our own decisions about where our life goes. We all make good and bad choices with our lives.

Being fallible is an intrinsic part of human nature. But it’s our life, our decisions. Making the wrong one often allows for the greatest learning experience.

To get a letter full of offensive material published, such as Samantha Ward’s letter, “Gay people cause all our problems,” Oct. 25, produces nothing positive and tells me how immature the author is. Besides, writing a letter like that makes Samantha Ward seem, at least to me, to be an arrogant, unenlightened, close-minded bigot.

Is that really how you want to portray yourself, Ward? Even if it was a joke-which I’m hoping it was-you still discredit yourself.

C.P. Elliott

Junior, Set Design