Being biased by one dominant view is always dangerous. Early church leaders warned that the U.S. Constitution would "hang by a thread." Mormon right-wingers and their extremist friends always thought such dangers would come from Communism or its more genteel form, the Democratic Party. Now, it is quite evident that if our constitutional liberties are in danger, it is due to the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Gonzales squad, which has been ruthlessly pursuing its illicit agenda for six devastating years.

Thank goodness, at BYU, there is a heavy emphasis on personal honesty and integrity. The ethical bar is high. And the vice president can't reach it.

I seek the day when BYU officials embrace the idea of a more open society, a campus of exploration, where we consider all theories and seek, as Joseph Smith himself declared, "to receive truth, let it come from whence it may." In a secular vein, the words of John F. Kennedy are appropriate: "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people."

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Warner P. Woodworth is a professor in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University.