Month: September 2015

Theodore F Meyer, III, made statements in his letter of September 27, 2015, that indicates he knows precious little about Christianity, (as expected). Meyer implies that refusing to issue marriage licenses to couples who should not marry fulfills the Kentucky clerk’s “personal commitment to the creator” and “covenant with God”, plus her “right to practice and obey her Christianity.” As if this gross misunderstanding of the teachings of Jesus were not enough, ( No where in the Gospel does Jesus advocate judging others for any reason whatever. No Christian is expected to make a “covenant with God” to deprive people of their basic rights.) Meyer also wants us to “never mind all the verbal exhaust (emphasis mine) about separation of church and state. So now we know why the Bill of Rights starts right off with the First Amendment. It is to protect us from people like the Kentucky clerk and Theodore F. Meyer,III.

Theodore F Meyer, III, made statements in his letter of September 27, 2015, that indicates he knows precious little about Christianity, (as expected). Meyer implies that refusing to issue marriage licenses to couples who should not marry fulfills the Kentucky clerk’s “personal commitment to the creator” and “covenant with God”, plus her “right to practice and obey her Christianity.” As if this gross misunderstanding of the teachings of Jesus were not enough, ( No where in the Gospel does Jesus advocate judging others for any reason whatever. No Christian is expected to make a “covenant with God” to deprive people of their basic rights.) Meyer also wants us to “never mind all the verbal exhaust (emphasis mine) about separation of church and state. So now we know why the Bill of Rights starts right off with the First Amendment. It is to protect us from people like the Kentucky clerk and Theodore F. Meyer,III.

Bradley Anderson (letters September 13, 2015) offers a different take on the Obama legacy, but in his recap, omitted the most egregious of Obama’s many faults. Upon his original election, Obama was handed the ball on the mortgage crisis whereupon he dropped it with a resounding thud and never recovered, as evidenced by the midterms. In 2008, millions of Americans were under actual financial attack by the country’s banks. Financial institutions that had peddled millions of subprime mortgages and then profited greatly by packaging them as securities, were now foreclosing on those very homeowners who were caught short by the housing meltdown. Obama, through his power of presidential fiat, plus the Fed’s influence over the commercial banks, could have engineered a total moratorium on foreclosures, saving millions of ordinary Americans from financial ruin. The financial industry, meanwhile, should have been left to work out a solution to the problems they, themselves, had caused. Obama could have done something meaningful and timely for the country, but he did not. We will never know how the recession would have shaped up if there had been a moratorium. We’ll never know, but neither will we forget.

Bradley Anderson (letters September 13, 2015) offers a different take on the Obama legacy, but in his recap, omitted the most egregious of Obama’s many faults. Upon his original election, Obama was handed the ball on the mortgage crisis whereupon he dropped it with a resounding thud and never recovered, as evidenced by the midterms. In 2008, millions of Americans were under actual financial attack by the country’s banks. Financial institutions that had peddled millions of subprime mortgages and then profited greatly by packaging them as securities, were now foreclosing on those very homeowners who were caught short by the housing meltdown. Obama, through his power of presidential fiat, plus the Fed’s influence over the commercial banks, could have engineered a total moratorium on foreclosures, saving millions of ordinary Americans from financial ruin. The financial industry, meanwhile, should have been left to work out a solution to the problems they, themselves, had caused. Obama could have done something meaningful and timely for the country, but he did not. We will never know how the recession would have shaped up if there had been a moratorium. We’ll never know, but neither will we forget.

Hate is not natural. Love is, but not hate . That Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples was not only refusing to do her job, the one she is paid for. She was also officially expressing the hate she was most likely taught from childhood. And, since it is no longer fashionable to express these strongly-held feelings through Jim Crow, she used her power as a government official to target same-sex couples. But government officials, specifically those in a position to express their religious beliefs officially, should not be allowed to to do so. They should be required to agree in advance of employment, that they will not allow their personal beliefs to interfere with the conduct of their official duties. Any violation should result in immediate termination.

Hate is not natural. Love is, but not hate . That Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples was not only refusing to do her job, the one she is paid for. She was also officially expressing the hate she was most likely taught from childhood. And, since it is no longer fashionable to express these strongly-held feelings through Jim Crow, she used her power as a government official to target same-sex couples. But government officials, specifically those in a position to express their religious beliefs officially, should not be allowed to to do so. They should be required to agree in advance of employment, that they will not allow their personal beliefs to interfere with the conduct of their official duties. Any violation should result in immediate termination.