Discussion didn’t seem very open

Published 9:00 pm Monday, February 26, 2007

In response to Friday’s letter, “Don’t discourage thoughtful studies”:

It seems that the writer may have missed the obvious. As the father of Lanae, the student who first objected to teacher Gary McDonald’s lecture and assignment, I can tell you it was for that very reason that the atmosphere created in his classroom did not lend itself to “open discussion.” For a teacher to assign and then grade based on his atheist bias doesn’t come remotely close to inviting “opposing views.” We need more individuals in and out of classroom settings to become “critical thinkers” and developing convictions so as to become contributing American citizens.

My daughter recognized an agenda forced on a “captive audience” in the context of an American literature class and I am proud of her for not letting Mr. McDonald’s “closed bias” thinking continue to be taught as truth which could be classified as “indoctrination.”

I thank the letter writer for his response and I thank him for his service and sacrifices as a naval officer. I am proud of you and all our servicemen, including my son Caleb, who serves as a Marine and is days away from deployment to Iraq. Without men and women who sacrificially serve, we would not be the nation that allows so much freedom of speech.

Ken Olsen

Lake Stevens