Dear Fr. Jenkins,
I am writing to express my gratitude to you for inviting President Obama to speak at this year's commencement. Granted, I am a little disappointed that you didn't hold off until next year, when I will be graduating, but it's my own fault for not notifying you sooner. Still, it's absolutely fantastic that you've invited the President of the United States.
Just last week I was going through my collection of Observers, staring at the gray boxes pleading for Viewpoint letters and wondering what I could possibly say. Then, on Friday, one Mr. Caruso wrote a column in which he insulted ... pretty much everyone, and I thought to myself, finally, at last, we shall have a proper Viewpoint war. Being abroad last semester, I missed all the hubbub about the hookup culture, although I have enjoyed the residual Observer commentaries on the subject.
This semester's Viewpoints have so far only offered the entertaining but short-lived pet squirrel argument. But that same Friday, Fr. Jenkins, you went and invited President Obama to be our Commencement speaker. And Monday, I opened up my Observer to find not one, not two, but three pages devoted to the Viewpoint, including a full two-page spread of verbose outcries of outrage or support from seniors as well as people who aren't even going to be around to watch the commencement on CCTV, much less actually attend the event. Most importantly, this decision drew the all-important alumni letters required to create the perfect Viewpoint war storm.
So thank you, Fr. Jenkins, for bringing quality entertainment back to the Viewpoint section. And thank you, Viewpoint editors, for courageously printing such a large selection of letters. I expect to see many more in the days to come.
Soldiers in the Viewpoint war, I salute you!
Johanna Kirsch
junior
McGlinn
March 23
