Letters to the Editor Michigan sports fans are better than OSU's To the Daily: After watching the Michigan-OSU hockey game on TV last Friday, I realized one thing: Michigan has the best teams and fans around. I was appalled at the sad behavior of the "fans" at Value City Arena (that name - another thing I won't get into). Did anyone else see this? Yes, someone from OSU behaved like an ass on live television. (Those in question were fortunately removed from the arena.) I am hoping that the Yost regulars will show up in droves next Saturday and show Ohio State what being a fan really means. We do not throw things on the ice in an unsportsmanlike rage, we do not physically attack the other team when we are losing. Friendly (or maybe not so friendly) jocularity is a part of hockey, but the obscene behavior of a few persons last Friday night is unwelcome. I'm looking forward to Saturday, and I hope that we maintain our usual decorum. We have such a great team, it's the least we can do to uphold their dignity. So let's fill the barn on Saturday and show them how it's done. Erin O'Rourke LSA first-year student Birth control methods should be pro-active To the Daily: In response to Jesse Herzog's Jan. 21 letter "God's opinion on abortion unclear," claiming God created abortion: God did create abortions. They occur naturally and we refer to them as miscarriages. Humans created induced abortions, which is the subject under scrutiny, and these are unnatural and unnecessary, except in rare cases when the procedure can be used to save the life of the mother. I, too, used to be avid pro-choice until I chose to terminate a pregnancy which could have and should have been avoided. Here in the United States, with easy access to cheap birth control, there is no excuse for such destructive measures. A better solution: be pro-active, not reactive. Promote access to fertilization prevention in places where abortion is illegal, rather than passing laws to play God. Daisy Rateau LSA first-year student Letter's abortion argument was severely flawed To the Daily: In regards to Jesse Herzog's letter to the editor ("God's opinion on abortion unclear," 1/21/00), I would like to point out several flaws in his argument. While it is true that the Bible is unclear as to "God's opinion" on the subject of abortion, Herzog's assertion that God created everything, and therefore, God created abortion, is misdirected. Following his line of thought, God must have created sin, immorality and all of the negative aspects of human life. This illogical assumption is the result of an improper interpretation of Revelation 10, which is not mindful of the context in which verse 6 is written. The verse is speaking of "things" which God has created. These "things," which in other textual references refers to physical objects, include all that is in heaven, on the earth and in the sea. Abortion is not an object, but an act, an unnatural intervention to disturb a natural process. In all of nature, willful abortion of the fetus by its mother is, so far, not observed. To illustrate the shortcomings of Herzog's interpretation, let me use the example of divorce. Did God create divorce? He may have created the people involved in the divorce process, but to say that God created the institution of divorce is hardly an accurate conclusion. To the contrary, God has laid down moral codes throughout the Bible which show His abhorrence with all sinful practices. Through Moses, He allowed for divorce in the Pentateuch, but Jesus (pertaining to Christians) said that divorce was not an original institution, but rather the product of man's sinful nature (Matthew 19:8). Also, in Malachi 2:16, it is clear that God hates divorce. To say that a man made institution is God's creation would require that in any mental and physical exercise, God's intentions and thoughts are channeled through man's intentions and thoughts. This would be an abrogation of man's free will, thus the two origins of institutions must be kept separate. Like divorce, abortion is not natural (in most cases). Moreover, abortion is unique to the human species, as is marriage, and thus divorce (more complicated, but I must be brief). Like divorce, abortion is a man made institution, not originally intended by the laws of nature. Whether it is a sin or not, however, is still unclear, as the Bible is silent on the matter. The only passage that I know of related to this issue, and which involves children of very young age (infants and is found in 1 Samuel 15:3, where God instructs Saul to commit genocide on the Amalekites for what they did to Israel during the Exodus. This includes killing all the infants and "sucklings" as well as their domesticated animals. It is difficult to ascertain, doctrinally speaking, whether this inclusion of newborns is equating their "value" with adults, thus preserving their rights, or if it is, implying that any living being that is tainted with sin is worthy of death. Personally, I support the latter, since contextually speaking, the prior conclusion would imply that all humans are on par with animals. Yet I believe in pro-life in most instances. This is my personal stance. Publically, I think that laws based on moral principles have no place in a democracy that doesn't want to abide by them, especially in the form of sweeping legislation. Rather, the decision to abort a child rests solely on hearts and consciences of the parent. All who believe in a final judgement should keep this in mind, as only God has the right to "convict" sinners in the last days. Remember that true freedom includes not just the freedom to be morally equipped, but also the freedom to make mistakes. Joseph Kim School of Dentistry Basketball team needs to beat Michigan State To the Daily: During the last week the Michigan basketball team has turned hopes of a cameo appearance in the Top 25 to pipe dreams of the NIT. In the game against Iowa, their loss could be attributed to missed free throws. The margin and style of their loss to Indiana is not. Everything fell apart. Ridiculous shot attempts, awful defense and zero intensity. As a maize rager, I would hope that this team can show some sign of life when Michigan State comes to town. If we lose to Michigan State, I think it will be awfully tough to rebound with Ohio State, Illinois and Indiana on tap. all I have to say is get your act together and please put up some sort of a fight against State. Dan Bernthal LSA first-year student Originally on page 4A in the 1-27-2000 issue of the Daily.