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We welcome letters from our readers. So let us know what's on your mind, what you think about Hoosier Review, your opinion on the issues we cover, or anything else you have to say.

You can email your letter to hreview@indiana.edu. Be sure to include "Letter to Editor" in the subject or top of your message so we know you want it printed. Please include your first and last name, and your phone number for verification.

Letters will be kept online with the issue addressed in the letter, or for a longer period as determined by the editor.


Dear Hoosier Review:

I thought I would take a moment out from my legal studies to respond to Mr. Valetta's comments about the State CR Federation's leadership.

I would hope after serving two years as CR Chairman at IU, two terms as IFCR Vice Chair and one as Treasurer, my record on conservative issues would be clear. Those who know me can imagine how surprised I was to read HR and discover that I was being lumped into a catagory of "squishy" Republicans along with the other members of the IFCR leadership. As a supporter of the conservative/YAF takeover of the IU CR's in the early 90s, a former staffer with John Hostettler, and one who received death threats and constant vilification in the Indiana Daily Student for opposing the public funding of the Gay, Lesbian Culture Center at IU, I found this amusing.

In fact, no one is more concerned with maintaining the ideological consistancy of the Republican party than I. I would not support Kinley Dumas as IFCR Chair if her purpose was to only back pro-choice moderate Republicans. However, I have witnessed Kinley work tirelessly on behalf of all Republican candidates. Her active support of John Hostettler and Gary Hofmeister is much appreciated by me from both a political and personal standpoint. In fact, I saw Kinley up bright and early one weekend going door to door for conservative challenger Hofmeister while many admittedly more conservative CRs were sleeping.

The bottom line is this: The IFCR is an organizational resource for the individual CR chapters. Its constitution (whereever it is) does not permit the endorsement of candidates in opposed primaries. Furthermore, the IFCR is just that, a Federation. The individual chapters are the real force behind CRs and the Federation should do nothing to interfer with their autonomy. As long as I'm involved, it won't. Kinley has done a fine job organizing the Federation and I see no evidence that her differing views have effected the way she approaches her position. As long as she continues to work so hard in helping to elect conservatives like Hostettler and Hofmeister she will have my support dispite our differing views on certain social issues.

Sincerely,

Jim Holden
IFCR Treasurer
IU School of Law-Indy


Dear HR,

Thank you for providing this excellent forum through which conservative ideals can be debated and discussed.

I am writing in response to a recent letter that appeared from Franklin College CR chair David Veleta. As the former president of Students for Life at Purdue University, I share Veleta's sentiment about the sanctity of human life. I do take issue, however, with his unfair characterization of the state IFCR chair. Kinley Dumas is by no means a "squishy Republican," as Veleta alluded, and his statements are both inaccurate and inappropriate.

Veleta's letter sounded like an announcement for IFCR office. In fact, HR's response to his remarks seem to echo this observation. Veleta argues that the IFCR should take strong stands on social issues and that he is dedicated to making such a stance a reality.

Veleta would be correct if the IFCR were a policy-making organization. However, the IFCR is an auxillary of the Republican Party. It is not the role of the IFCR to take an official stand on individual issues. Rather, the IFCR, as a recognized extension of the Indiana Republican State Central Committee, is obligated to support all Republican candidates for office, regardless of their positions on various issues.

It is worth noting that taking official stands on issues and ridiculing Republicans who did not concur is one factor that led the Republican National Committee to de-recognize the College Republicans during the tenure of national CRNC chairman Bill Spadia.

The IFCR's proper function is to faciliate the growth and development of local chapters while aiding Republican candidates in election to office. Some Republican candidates are pro-life, some are pro-choice. Some support NAFTA, others oppose NAFTA. Some support reducing the capital gains tax, others oppose such an effort. The list is endless.

Kinley Dumas recognizes that the Republican Party welcomes all persons who believe in limited government and individual liberty. Her commitment to the Republican cause is evident. Kinley has been extremely supportive of David's initatives at Franklin, so I hope that his recent letter was more a lapse in good manners than a sign of future division.

Ryan Travis
2nd Vice Chairman, Indiana Federation of College Republicans
Graduate Student, Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs

Thanks for writing, Ryan, and explaining the role of the IFCR. If conservative ideas are to win, we do need unity in groups like the Republican Party and others that generally support conservative ideology.


Dear HR,

So what does the Hoosier Review think of the fact the CR state chairman isn't socially conservative? Do the CR's at IU like our state leadership being squishy on the important issues? As the Chairman of the Franklin College Republicans I am dedicated to taking the CR's back to fighting for Conservatism. I don't want Pro-Choice Leadership. That by itself scares me enough, before you factor in their views on other issues.

National groups like the Intercollegiate Studies Institue(ISI) are laying the groundwork for our revival. They might be non-partisan, but when it comes down to it, they are for Conservatism. See in Indiana you're either a conservative Republican or you're a squish Republican. I think it's time that the Conservative Republicans take control of things and show everyone that CR's do make a difference.

Sincerely David E. Veleta
David E. Veleta, Chairman of the Franklin College Republicans

Good to hear from you, David. HR is first and foremost a conservative publication, so we are indeed concerned about the stances of the Indiana Federation of College Republicans. In general, we have found that the larger a group is, the less ideologically pure their stances tend to be.

As for the IFCR, neither HR nor the IU College Republicans have found them to have much impact on our activities, yet their public stances are important. We would certainly encourage you to run for an office in the IFCR if you want to make the vision you have a reality. See you at the state convention!


Hi,
I just read your "Bits and Bytes" section today(April 29), I sometimes visit your webisite, because as a IU student who is a conservative I find it interesting. Well there was one bit of disinformation you did have in that section. You were talking about the National Day of Silence put on by Gay Lesbian and Bisexual students, and in the note it mentions there was a pro-GLB protestor with a megaphone. Well if you had actually read the whole article in the IDS you would of learned that the national day of silence only lasts from 8am to 5pm, as a participant in the National Day of Silence(yes I am gay and conservative), I know that at 5pm, they were meeting at the sample gates to join together, and then they could talk as soon as it was 5pm. Please don't fall into the same games of the IDS and HT or other "liberal" press and report disinformation.

Sincerely,
David Horne

Thanks for writing, David. As opposed to the rest of Hoosier Review, which treats events seriously with a conservative viewpoint, Bits & Bytes is our section for a humorous or sarcastic slant on current events. And ya gotta admit that a picture of someone using a megaphone is rather incongruous next to an article about silence!


Editors!

Wow! I like your brand spankin' new website, and have bookmarked it so I can continue to watch the fun. Glad to see that Mad Max and Brother Dan are still kickin. I used to see them at Purdue a lot. Al Gore could learn a few things about public speaking from them.

My niece, Emily Brauer, will probably wind up at IU in journalism. I'll make sure she knows who to hang with.....

And now, a plug of my prolife pharmacy pages and a little story that has been picked up by Knight-Ridder: Kmart fires Pharmacist for not distributing abortifacient birth control methods and Will the "Conscience" Policy of the American Pharmaceutical Association Sell Pharmacists Down the River? If you think the story is interesting, link it, print it, help yourself.

Keep up the good work. Conservatives are going to take over someday, just because most of the liberals are into abortion. (There is evidence of micro-evolution, heh heh.)

Have FUN!

Karen L. Brauer M.S. R.Ph.
18023 Pribble Rd.
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
kbrauer@seidata.com

What do you know? Purdue managed to produce some intelligent conservative graduates! Thanks for the letter, Karen!


Hey, everyone!

This is my first of many visits to the Hoosier Review Web-Site. Thanks for finally providing a voice that isn't rabid anti-Christian, anti-logic, pro-screaming liberal. Do you publish a paper version? If so, I'd love to carry it around because it's always a great conversation starter. Anyway, keep up the good work!

Gratefully,
Heather Martin

Heather, we don't publish a full edition on paper at this time, but there will be a few partial printed copies available at future College Republican mass meetings. In the future, we'd like to have Hoosier Review available around campus like Bloomington Voice and other publications. Until then, keep checking us out on the web!




Eric Seymour


Robert Schiener


Joel Corbin


Bryant Lewis