Letters on campus religious groups, opiate increase, Good Samaritan

Constitution protects religious groups

Those against Senate Bill 175, which protects the rights of campus religious groups, believe that it will enable discrimination due to race and sexual orientation at Kansas’ public universities. However, the one-page bill, which Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law this week, includes no mention of race.

Merriam-Webster says the most basic meaning of “discrimination” is “the ability to understand that one thing is different from another thing.” Understood in this way, some discrimination could be acceptable while other discrimination is unjust and deplorable. Those against SB 175 have the burden of demonstrating that it permits unjust discrimination.

Some may fear that it is unjust with respect to sexual orientation, because under SB 175 a student religious group could restrict its membership to those who adhere to its religion’s understanding of human sexuality. But the government does not correct university sports teams or musical ensembles who restrict membership to those who adhere to the rules of the game or musical theory. Also, no explicit constitutional right exists for teams and ensembles to freely exercise their activity, but a constitutional right does exist for religious groups to freely exercise their activity.

Our founders thought this right most essential to the human person. They protected it in the first clause of the First Amendment of our Constitution.

Knee-jerk legislation

I am embarrassed that another Kansas State University graduate would reason so poorly. Tim Schultz, president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, purports to defend “the religious rights of people of all faiths,” but his commentary “Law safeguards religious groups on campuses” (March 23 Opinion) actually took off in another direction.

If a person wants to belong to a group that thinks as he does, the local Cheers is the best place.

Schultz said that universities in more than two dozen states have punished some groups, such as by curtailing their access to campus. Yet only seven states other than Kansas have felt the need for a knee-jerk reaction in the form of legislation. The example of Kansas’ involvement in a contentious issue was from 2004, and it was settled after the exchange of bad words.

This new law was a ridiculous use of legislative time and money.

Cause of increase?

Has anyone considered the possibility that the alleged increase in the use of opiates for pain might be related to the fact that, because of Obamacare, more people can afford to go to a physician to get a prescription for a legitimate and effective pain reliever, rather than having to depend on home remedies such as alcohol? I am just wondering.

Good Samaritan

My 21-year-old daughter, her boyfriend and three other friends were headed to Daytona Beach, Fla., for spring break. They had been on the road for 18 hours and stopped in Jonesboro, Ga., to get gas. When they tried to start the truck, it wouldn’t start.

My daughter’s boyfriend approached a man who had stopped with his wife and kids and asked whether they would try to jump-start her truck. It didn’t work, unfortunately.

The man told them that they were from Wichita and headed to Florida for a St. Louis Cardinals spring training game. The man handed them $150 to help with the repairs to her truck.

They tried to turn down the money, but the man said he hadn’t planned to stop at the gas station and something had told him to. He told them to please take the money. My daughter and her friends, in their surprise, didn’t get his name. The truck was fixed, and they made it to Daytona.

This mom wants to say a huge “thank you” to this wonderful man and his family. They have restored my faith in humanity.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on campus religious groups, opiate increase, Good Samaritan."