OUR VIEW: UVSC did a good thing

With the McKay Events Center at Utah Valley State College sold out for both Sean Hannity and Michael Moore, and the two entertainers having come and gone, the month-long controversy has ended. The president and vice president of the student government at UVSC should be commended for standing up for the freedom of the First Amendment and not backing down for bringing in such a controversial speaker.

The university handled the situation well considering the stupidity of some of the surrounding public’s outcry. Many disagree with the reasons behind Hannity’s appearance at UVSC. However, the decision to bring him in as an additional speaker was better than to cancel Moore. Although both sides presented completely opposing views, the purpose of both lectures seemed to be nothing but propaganda for their respective political parties.

However biased his opinion may be, Moore should be praised for refraining from taking the opportunity to bash Hannity. Hannity took the lesser of two roads by attacking Moore’s character.

Neither appearances did anything to change anyone’s minds about which political party they affiliate with. It is disgraceful to see many fellow Utahns stoop to such petty levels in their protest against Moore and disheartening to know that state residents would send death threats to the student body of a state college. However, it is encouraging to see UVSC trying toraise political awareness among its students.

Let’s hope that next time a liberal speaker comes to Utah, Utahns embrace the value of respect for different view points. In a democratic society, when it comes to the election of our commander-in-chief, all view points deserve to be heard and should not be silenced.