The Rules and Purpose of this Blog

Lately, there has been some issues with people misunderstanding the rules and purpose of this blog. I would like to clear up any confusion right now.

First, I would like to address the rules, primarily comment moderation. Comment moderation exists on this blog for non-contributing authors out of necessity. Contributing authors/Danegeld staff members are subject to losing their accounts if they violate this trust. Anonymous comments may be eventually banned if etiquette is too often disregarded (well, guess what: as of 2/11/08, anonymous comments are banned). Being that this blog is connected with Viewmont High School, we must follow District rules regarding Internet Use and Publishing, and are required that we block personal information and inappropriate or threatening language. Comment moderation is necessary to do this. Besides that, the free exchange of ideas is promoted on this blog. I will never reject any comments or delete any posts that do not violate District rules. I encourage you to take a look at the Acceptable Use Agreement and District Publishing Guidelines, which are available on the footer of the Viewmont High School homepage, as well as on the footer of the Danegeld homepage (where you can access PDFs of past issues; it can be found by clicking on the Danegeld Online icon below the picture of the school on the Viewmont homepage).

Secondly, I would like to stress the purpose of this blog, if it was not communicated clearly before. This blog's purpose is to give Viewmont students, parents, and faculty an open online forum to discuss issues, pertaining to the Danegeld newspaper or not. Nearly all views and opinions are acceptable, and diversity is encouraged. But what is not acceptable is threatening comments, or anything that is purposefully and/or directly hurtful to either a person or persons (including groups of all sizes), or the blog itself. Let me remind you, that an opinion that contradicts your opinion, and may seem offensive to you, does not necessarily mean it is offensive. An opinion in itself does not warrant offense. It is the target or direction of the opinion that warrants offense. Also, behaviors inspired by that opinion can be offensive if they are threatening and/or hurtful, and may be examined if the need presents itself. If you find something to be stupid, whether it's about an opinion or something else, express your thoughts and/or feelings through respectful dissent. You may have many people agree or disagree with you. As long as you stick to the rules, though, you will always be in the right. I will often face this issue, as I have views that are contradictory to many people in this community. You are welcome to debate an issue or address a concern, but remember to stay adequately polite. Criticism, when constructive, is welcome and encouraged.

Lastly, representation/advocacy has come up as an issue. An anonymous crude comment (which I had to reject due to its language) on my Faith Persecuted? post complained that the views in the post should not be views advocated by the school newspaper. An individual's opinion on this blog, whether through a post or a comment, does not necessarily represent the views of the school and/or the school's newspaper, the Danegeld. This principle is the same as with op/eds in the Danegeld newspaper itself, which are not necessarily representing the school and/or the newspaper. But, individuals still have the right to have their opinion and to share it. For many people not on the newspaper staff, by sending letters to vhs.danegeld@gmail.com, this blog may become a place to write their own op/eds, or to respond to things read in the newspaper, or to voice concerns (new rule - 2/11/08: Only members of the newspapers staff may be contributors, although non-members may still comment and send letters via email, which will likely be posted if relevant and appropriate). For people on the staff, this may become a place to write their opinions that can't fit or didn't make it into the newspaper. But also, this blog should not become just an op/ed piece. Other posts of interest are encouraged and expected.

I know that this blog can be a great success as long as people understand the rules and purpose of the blog, as enumerated here (but also including anything I forgot to mention, such as implicit and expected/obvious unenumerated rules), and contribute regularly. Thank you everyone! Go Vikes!

- Adam

Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Former Prime Minister to Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated earlier today by a shot to the neck following a political rally. President Bush and most U.S Presidential candidates from both parties have publicly condemned the act of terror, and mourned alongside her supporters. Bhutto had long been both a tangible and symbolic figure for democracy and women's rights in the Middle East, with many honoring her with the title of "Most Powerful Woman in the Middle East." She will be missed worldwide.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/27/pakistan.bhutto/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/27/us.pakistan.ap/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/27/candidates.reaction/index.html

Reply to Letter to the Editor

The "Please show us that ALL of us are important," from the letter to the editor in behalf of Miles Knepper, stirred some emotion in me. I was waiting for the right time to acknowledge him and thought this was an appropriate time to do so. You really are ALL important!

I was one who noticed Miles last year when I took his mother's paper route. The first morning I spent from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. delivering papers with his mother hoping to help make his life a little easier. I learned what a great person she was and also how much her admiration of Miles made me like him even more than before. I left that experience being a better person!

The second morning I was on my own in the dark to figure out addresses where there was none and figure who had what paper and how many of each. My new map took me many hours to make. And let's not forget the fact that the press was down until around 6:00 a.m. which left me dancing on the street with the trash man. At least by 7:30 a.m. I could read street names and house adresses! Well, I lasted at that job only two mornings which is the reason I am now at Viewmont being an aide in Special Education. I love it too!

Miles helped his mother do that paper route for over two years and I could only do it 2 days!!! Miles would get up with his mother at 1:30 a.m. to fold and bag his papers at the Woods Cross Warehouse with rubberbands and plastic they had to pay for themselves. The pay was practically nothing and was dependant upon tips from the subscriber, if there were any?

The Knepper's route extended along the whole North west side of Centerville. And many households took both papers where they had specific places on their property which to place them. Let's not forget the homes with no addresses and those that had no lighting to see where to step or place the paper. In fact, my husband ended up footing the whole route to place the papers perfectly or else a complaint would cost us a dollar each complaint. We ended up in the whole! He's still an attorney from that experience, happier than before of course! The sacrifice for education is worth it!!!

Yeah, Miles counts in the Blotter home!!! We noticed his death. We took notice of his t-shirt his friends wore in memory of him. He is someone great to be remembered!!! And we are not the only one's who are missing him! He is a loss to all of Viewmont and our community just like his friends would be! And thank you Taylor Smith for recipricating the same kindness and being the best peer tutor ever!

Scott Blotter

Faith Persecuted?

Lately, faith has taken quite the spotlight in the national news. Whether it has been the controversy surrounding the atheistic, soul-sucking children's film The Golden Compass (read Jenni Davis' excellent and accurate op/ed in the most recent issue); the city-approved 'Imagine No Religion' 3D sign next to Hanukkah and Christmas decorations in Rockville, Connecticut's Central Park (http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7470226&nav=menu29_2); Borders Book Stores tagging atheist Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion with 'O Come All Ye Faithless' cards (http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071217/30535_Borders_Tags_Atheist_Book_with_'O_Come_All_Ye_Faithl); or the speculation and criticism (and even condemnation) surrounding the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney due to his Mormon (or LDS) faith, nearly all I have heard is complaints and drivel about (and usually from) people of faith being persecuted.

Regardless of the religion(s) involved, no faith has been persecuted in any of these recent scenarios. Criticism of one's faith or the support of one's lack of faith is central to open and democratic discussion on the topic of religion. It is not persecution of faith. On the contrary, persecution would involve these criticisms or supports being suppressed, obstructed, or even attempted to be suppressed or obstructed. This is what has happened in all of the four scenarios listed above. Whole groups boycotted the free-thought provoking The Golden Compass (even after the studio whitewashed it of any blatant atheism or anti-religion). Nearly every person of faith in Rockville, Connecticut tried to remove and/or destroy the 'Imagine No Religion' sign, and were successful in blocking it from view with a Christmas tree. Whole groups boycotted Borders Book Stores and made various threats due to the atheist Xmas cards. Mitt Romney, and many Mormons alike, constantly whine of being persecuted whenever probed about their doctrinal beliefs. None of these reactions ever happen to the actions of religious people, but they happen nearly every time to the actions of irreligious people.

The candidacy and controversy of Mitt Romney has hit close to home here in overwhelmingly LDS Davis County, Utah. It often feels like living in a single-party state with the unbalanced reaction in favor of Mitt Romney, and the condemnation of any condemnation of Mitt Romney's candidacy on the basis of his LDS faith. It is true that the Constitution bans a religious test for office. This does not mean you cannot condemn a candidacy based on the candidate's faith, it just means you cannot officially disqualify the candidate. If this public opinion test of religion is persecution, then it is the faithless who again are most prone to persecution, as it is virtually impossible to be elected to public office as an atheist (http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=267). If Mitt Romney's Faith in America speech did one thing, it re-pointed out how people of no faith are still and will continue to be persecuted in the field of politics and government. Columnist Eduardo Porter elaborates impressively on this observation in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/opinion/14fri3.html?_r=1&oref=slogin).

Mitt Romney should be ready to stand up for his faith, and that includes answering all doctrinal questions (unlike his persecution-whimpering dodging of the "Do you believe Satan and Jesus are brothers?" question). He shouldn't refer people to the Church web site (which does not give a complete explanation for all doctrines), saying that he is not a Church official, because he is a representative for the faith, as far as politics is concerned. Besides, what is he so afraid of? Is he afraid that an honest answer to all such questions would devastate his campaign? Well, it probably would. Many of the doctrines of Mormonism are still unsettling to most people of all other faiths. Change, or get over it. Christopher Hitchens does a better job at explaining these realistic and often ironic truths in the online magazine Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2180159/).

I am not criticizing religion, I am criticizing those who protect religion from all profound and provocative inquiries. I am tired of religious people painting irreligious people with the negative qualities that they most distinctly possess themselves. It is the people of faith who are the main persecutors, not the persecuted. This is reaction formation at its finest. It is really quite a sad, non-paradoxical cheat that many people of faith have trapped faithless people into. I recommend people appreciate nonbelievers in a more overlapping convention (although, not the same with reason and logic). It seems that it would be beneficial to the country if more of her people, and her politicians (being not people), were aware of Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Necessity of Atheism (which he published anonymously out of fear, and was expelled from Oxford for not denying his authorship of), and the message he strongly conveys in it, of the nature of belief and disbelief, and how disbelieving citizens is certainly a necessary component in a healthy society, at the very least. This begets the logical conclusion that disbelieving politicians is also a necessary component of a healthy society. Americans need to shake off their prejudices and stop persecuting nonbelievers, and instead embrace them with open arms! To read the treatise yourself, utilize the following link: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~djb/shelley/necessity1880.html

Please comment if you agree or disagree (or have a neutral opinion) with this perspective, or if you have any questions - and please, when doing so, show some understanding and sophistication, and please don't jump on me as a insensitive and stupid atheist, as that is just simply not true. Thanks! I hope everyone is having/had a happy holiday (and don't believe in the claims that there is a war on Christmas, it is at most a war on theocracy) and is staying/stayed safe until the return of school in the next year!

- Adam

Welcome!

Welcome to the brand new Danegeld blog, the official blog for Viewmont High School's newspaper! Anyone can comment on any blogs posted here, although all comments must include the author's REAL first and last name. If you have a letter to the editor, please email it to VHS.Danegeld@gmail.com, and we will likely post it on the blog for you (assuming it is appropriate). Things will be slow at first, as everyone on the staff adjusts, but in no time, we will have numerous posts for everyone to feel free commenting to! Remember: absolutely no threatening, blatantly offensive, crude, or inappropriate language/content of any kind will be allowed. All such material will be immediately rejected. And also, remember to visit the new Danegeld Online, if you have not already, to read the most recent and past Danegeld issues! It is easily accessible from the "Danegeld Online" logo on the Viewmont Home page at http://www.viewmont.org/.

Thank you! Let's make this blog a success! Go Vikes!

- Adam