Editor, Daily Nexus,

Arguing that liberals are “intolerant” of conservatives, as Courtney Stevens does in her column (“Liberty Belle: Americans Falsely Claim Tolerance,” Daily Nexus, May 15), is one of the most hypocritical and overused attacks from the right. Stevens describes conservatism as “a minority political view,” forgetting that the governor of California and the president of the United States are Republicans, as is about half of the country. We are not “afraid of hearing” conservative opinions. We have already heard them. It is an oxymoron to be tolerant of a party that is itself intolerant of homosexuals, women’s reproductive rights and scientifically proven theories. After all, conservatism is about maintaining the status quo, not creating change. And it is not America’s “presence” in Iraq that bothers liberals, it is the result of this presence – the death of Iraqi civilians and American soldiers – which is so troubling.

Stevens should also open a dictionary and look up “judgmental” again. Defending yourself against someone who has already proven “to be dishonest, to lie, steal or cheat” is not considered “judgmental.” Judgmental would be to preemptively assume that someone is a criminal, based on inconsequential evidence. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict who will snap and become a mass murderer, such as Cho Seung-Hui. But Stevens’ column hints that racism is a productive way to solve crime. Stevens seems to think that this liberal opposition to racism is an example of “moral superiority.” In fact, the best examples of “moral superiority” are right-wing Evangelical Christians who think they know who God will send to heaven and hell. Claiming to know the eternal fates of strangers is about as morally superior and judgmental as one can get. For your next column, try not to confuse the traits of the right with the left.