Someone recently suggested that I publish on this page my letters to the editor of the Chattanooga Times-Free Press.  So here is one:

 

Mr. Editor, you consistently choose the most divisive topics and the most inflammatory aspects of them to make a point. In this, you invariably miss the bigger picture and do your readers a disservice by not illuminating the complexity of the issues.

Case in point: the installation of footbaths within the University of Michigan. You’re upset that all students pay fees for a religious accommodation for Muslim students. You decry that Christmas music is disallowed on beverage carts, but you forget that the school calendar is a convenience to Christians.

You don’t mention the footbaths can be used by anyone and are not designed strictly as a religious accommodation; you ignore that other universities already have such accommodations and you fail to mention that Muslim students now use the sink to wash their feet.

You say the ACLU backs the project. The NY Times article you quote reports the ACLU saying the issues are complex.

Including these subtle points in your editorial along with a discussion of halal or kosher food in the cafeteria would give your editorial some balance and suggest to your readers that cultural or religious issues are not resolved by “common sense,” as you imply.