An unspectacular line of LTE's today. Isn't it about time for Dr. Cutri to stir the pot?
Discrimination
The debate over whether our gay and lesbian citizens should enjoy the rights and privileges of all other citizens should be over. Sometime in the future our gay and lesbian citizens will no longer have to live under the indignity of being second-class Americans. We will, at some point, embrace reality just as we now know that the Earth revolves around the sun and that the world is not flat.
But there is serious resistance that will postpone the day of equality. There are fellow citizens who hold sincere religious convictions that homosexuality is wrong, and that is their right. It is not their right, however, to impose their convictions on those who believe differently. There are others who will block the path to equality by using same-sex marriage as a political ruse to increase voter turnout for their causes. There are still others who are simply bigots.
Whenever a government body passes a law that intentionally discriminates against its own citizens, we are in deep trouble. Our gay and lesbian citizens are victims of such legislation, and they pay taxes, contribute to society, attend our houses of worship and serve in the military. How can we make laws that deliberately discriminate against our friends, neighbors and even our own family members?
CHARLES FRANCIS WILSON
Winston-Salem
Live without
Looking at the proposed eastern beltway map in the Journal (" 'You've got it in writing,' " Sept. 7), I am forced to ask this question: With all the pressing financial needs facing our state and our community, can't we live without an expressway from Kernersville to Walkertown for a few more decades?
A.L. "BUDDY" COLLINS
WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER
Kernersville
Disgusted
I was disgusted to read about Baptist Hospital's lawsuit against Joseph Vincoli ("N.C. Baptist suing ex-employee turned whistle-blower," Sept. 11). I hope the ACLU gets involved.
ELLA NIX
Winston-Salem
One thing
There is one thing that our president can personally do to create jobs — not just talk about it. That is by letting the oil industry prosper. By making the EPA and the Interior Department withdraw their bans on drilling for oil in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, on federal land and off our coasts, the president, who says he is so interested in creating jobs, will personally create thousands of good jobs in this country while at the same time reducing the price of gas and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
Talk is cheap — actions mean something.
FRED S. HUTCHINS JR.
Clemmons
Needs for all students
Your recent article on the new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Center at Wake Forest University is interesting, and I am sure it will be helpful to many perturbed students ("LGBTQ center at WFU to offer support services to students," Sept. 2). However, it is unfortunate that this article was not in the context of needs for all students and the services provided for heterosexuals who also have personal problems and disturbances in our perplexing modern society. No doubt sexual orientations are very problematic for our young people, but to single out one group without due regard to the others is biased and discriminatory and unfair to the college with its great variety of individuals and their lifestyles.
In fact, it is quite disturbing that states like California feel a need to teach public-school students about homosexuality but do not apparently present an equal emphasis on the values of wholesome heterosexual relationships that are missing in many of today's families. This failure leads to many of our nation's social and political along with sexual problems.
Unfortunately, too many young people are led to make sexual identity instead of spiritual identity the primary issue of their lives. Spiritual dedication manifests respect for everyone, black and white, foreign and native, male and female, and gives people a sense of value as human beings. This is what a college experience provides when it has programs that lead all students to tend to the well being of others, as Christ did.
JIM HELVEY
Winston-Salem
The debate over whether our gay and lesbian citizens should enjoy the rights and privileges of all other citizens should be over. Sometime in the future our gay and lesbian citizens will no longer have to live under the indignity of being second-class Americans. We will, at some point, embrace reality just as we now know that the Earth revolves around the sun and that the world is not flat.
But there is serious resistance that will postpone the day of equality. There are fellow citizens who hold sincere religious convictions that homosexuality is wrong, and that is their right. It is not their right, however, to impose their convictions on those who believe differently. There are others who will block the path to equality by using same-sex marriage as a political ruse to increase voter turnout for their causes. There are still others who are simply bigots.
Whenever a government body passes a law that intentionally discriminates against its own citizens, we are in deep trouble. Our gay and lesbian citizens are victims of such legislation, and they pay taxes, contribute to society, attend our houses of worship and serve in the military. How can we make laws that deliberately discriminate against our friends, neighbors and even our own family members?
If Rep. Dale Folwell had wanted to represent all citizens, he would have sought to repeal the current law banning same-sex marriage instead of co-sponsoring an amendment that is even more divisive and discriminatory.
CHARLES FRANCIS WILSON
Winston-Salem
Live without
Looking at the proposed eastern beltway map in the Journal (" 'You've got it in writing,' " Sept. 7), I am forced to ask this question: With all the pressing financial needs facing our state and our community, can't we live without an expressway from Kernersville to Walkertown for a few more decades?
A.L. "BUDDY" COLLINS
WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER
Kernersville
Disgusted
I was disgusted to read about Baptist Hospital's lawsuit against Joseph Vincoli ("N.C. Baptist suing ex-employee turned whistle-blower," Sept. 11). I hope the ACLU gets involved.
ELLA NIX
Winston-Salem
One thing
There is one thing that our president can personally do to create jobs — not just talk about it. That is by letting the oil industry prosper. By making the EPA and the Interior Department withdraw their bans on drilling for oil in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, on federal land and off our coasts, the president, who says he is so interested in creating jobs, will personally create thousands of good jobs in this country while at the same time reducing the price of gas and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
Talk is cheap — actions mean something.
FRED S. HUTCHINS JR.
Clemmons
Needs for all students
Your recent article on the new Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Center at Wake Forest University is interesting, and I am sure it will be helpful to many perturbed students ("LGBTQ center at WFU to offer support services to students," Sept. 2). However, it is unfortunate that this article was not in the context of needs for all students and the services provided for heterosexuals who also have personal problems and disturbances in our perplexing modern society. No doubt sexual orientations are very problematic for our young people, but to single out one group without due regard to the others is biased and discriminatory and unfair to the college with its great variety of individuals and their lifestyles.
In fact, it is quite disturbing that states like California feel a need to teach public-school students about homosexuality but do not apparently present an equal emphasis on the values of wholesome heterosexual relationships that are missing in many of today's families. This failure leads to many of our nation's social and political along with sexual problems.
Unfortunately, too many young people are led to make sexual identity instead of spiritual identity the primary issue of their lives. Spiritual dedication manifests respect for everyone, black and white, foreign and native, male and female, and gives people a sense of value as human beings. This is what a college experience provides when it has programs that lead all students to tend to the well being of others, as Christ did.
JIM HELVEY
Winston-Salem
Dr Cutri or Marcialitto Cam and one of his "good comrade" letters.
ReplyDeleteGood AM, WW!
ReplyDeleteBoth Cutri and Cam are welcome to stir the pot here with their comradely missives. Think of the fun it would be to watch our own Bucky tackle them.
Good AM, Sharon!
ReplyDeleteI am pasting your comment from a few minutes ago on yesterday's LTE's to today's:
__________________________________________
Sharon said...
Psychology of Men & Masculinity, Vol 10(3), Jul 2009, 231-236.
ABSTRACT:
Research has found that proximity to sexual minorities is associated with negative affect in homophobic individuals. To test whether negative feelings serve a protective function in homophobic men against the sexual behavior of gay men, 54 collegiate men assessed for homophobic attitudes were primed with explicit male homosexual or heterosexual erotica followed by a lexical decision task measuring anger, fear, happiness, and disgust. Results indicated that in the group primed with homosexual erotica, homophobia is positively related to anger and fear and negatively related to happiness and disgust. No such associations were found for the heterosexual prime. The findings are placed in the context of purported protective mechanisms of negative emotions of fear and anger, but not disgust, in sexually prejudiced people who may possess fear of, or actual sexual arousal associated with, same-sex stimuli.
September 19, 2011 8:18 AM
Sharon said...
Edward O'Connor:
Great point... in this case non-response would most likely be associated with people who believe homosexuals be allowed equal rights.
Oh, and well said on your first point.
September 19, 2011 8:23 AM
Sharon said...
Greetings all!
September 19, 2011 8:26 AM
Morning Stab. I agree re Cutri and Cam.
ReplyDeleteSharon, good morning where ever you are.
Hi Staballoy, Hi Whitewall!
ReplyDeleteI was posting on yesterday's topics as today's were being posted, I guess. Or my coffee hasn't kicked in. One or the other. Maybe both. I'll let you know in another hour when I'm in full gear.
I hope you're all well and enjoying this beautiful weather.
Sharon, doing well here! I got a haircut and a new shirt over the weekend. I can't find enough mirrors....
ReplyDeleteYes, very happy with the weather.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I suspect your comments and today's LTE's went up about the same time, so I captured 'em for today's discussion.
Has your house recovered from the earthquake-induced plumbing leak?
Hey Whitewall, you handsome rascal, I bet all the ladies are looking at Mrs. WW and thinking "lucky lady."!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Staballoy! I've been thinking about your new gig, I'm excited for you! The leak stopped but we have a hole in the ceiling above our foyer. What a welcoming home reminder I get every time I walk in the door..... At least now I know the pipes look good. We're not going to fix the plaster for a few weeks, as we're taking the "open" opportunity to do some much-needed electrical work. Thank goodness for our architect. And our HELOC.
The Fred Hutchins Lte has a good final line. Instead of this White House reaching for the low hanging fruit of job creation--energy jobs, we get kow towing to the eco freaks as policy.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Will summed up Obama pretty well yesterday on tv :"His default position is give a speech. He has astonishing faith in his persuasive powers. It's refuted by evidence. He went to Massachusetts to campaign against Scott Brown. Brown is now senator. He went to New Jersey to campaign against Chris Christie, who is now governor. He went to Virginia to campaign against Bob McDonnell, who is now governor. He campaigned for the health care plan extensively. It became less popular. He campaigned in 2010 for the Democrats. They were shellacked. He began, in a sense, his presidency flying to Copenhagen to get Chicago the Olympics. Chicago was the first city eliminated. There is no evidence that the man has rhetorical powers that he is relying on." Voters have pretty well tuned him out. He must be stopped until he can be defeated next year.
There are fellow citizens who hold sincere religious convictions that homosexuality is wrong, and that is their right. It is not their right, however, to impose their convictions on those who believe differently.
ReplyDelete--Mr. Wilson
What's interesting about Mr. Wilson's little dissertation is that his own opinion contradicts with itself.
In short, he wants to impose his beliefs on people who do not hold the same views. Precisely, what he says other people should not be able to do.
Nobody said the liberals writing into the Journal were too sharp though. So I guess I should give him a pass.
Hello Bucky.
ReplyDeleteI do not see where favoring gay marriage is imposing anything on anyone. Those who oppose homosexuality on religious grounds are free to remain in churches that do not sanction such. Some people oppose warfare on religious grounds, but we use their taxes to wage war. Or, some folks like me oppose the DP, but our dough is used to kill convicts.
People getting married have to PAY for marriage licenses, so there are no impositions of belief on opponents of gay marriage.
LTE #5 - "Spiritual dedication manifests respect for everyone, black and white, foreign and native, male and female..."
ReplyDeleteExcept in Mr. Helvey's white male southern Baptist world, home of the KKK, the gay bashers and the masters of submissive women. Good christians all
No wonder he cannot understand that gay young people who have been abused and brutalized for most of their lives might need a little extra help.
Mr. Helvey ran for Congress in 2004 (guess which party)and raised about $1.5 million. Out of his top 20 contributers, only 3 were from NC, among them Scott Livengood, who almost single handedly brought down Krispy Kreme. Most of the others were from the financial instruments world, which later helped bring down the USA.
I have said this about Nathan Tabor, but the same applies to Helvey: he is one of the reasons I am now Unaffiliated.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: I share Mr. Wilson's vision that there will be a day when gays are no longer second class citizens and will enjoy full rights. "How can we make laws that deliberately discriminate..."? There were laws on the books for centuries that discriminated against people based on the color of their skin, so this is nothing new. It's surprising there hasn't been laws discriminating against left-handed people. After all, that's "abnormal" as well isn't it?
LTE 2: Mr. Collins lives in Kernersville and still asks this question? Apparently, he doesn't drive 66 to W-S and have to sit through 10 minutes of traffic every morning school is open at a particular Walkertown intersection. As for the timing, it's hard to imagine when it would be cheaper to build.
LTE 3: Not sure if the ACLU will get involved, but I imagine many are willing to help pay for Mr. Vincoli's defense.
LTE 4: More "drill, baby, drill". Firstly, I'm not sure where this claim of "thousands of jobs created" comes from. How many workers does it take to drill an ocean well? How long does it take to obtain all of the permits and determine where to drill before drilling can even begin? As far as any affect on pricing and internal use, will the future increase in oil demand swallow up any additional supply from the new wells? Has it been determined that the new oil will be used solely for internal use and not subject to exportation? How will the new wells affect the supply of gasoline if no new refineries are built?
LTE 5: Actually, Wake Forest does have many services available to all students to help out with whatever problems they may have. Wake, like the vast majority (but not all) schools recruits and accepts students without regard to their sexual preference, race, nationality or faith preference, so it's only natural that programs would be set up that cater to the needs of each of these students. It's not about making sexual identity the "primary issue", but recognizing that it is a part of who that person is. It's also about helping homosexuals, who have an alarming suicide rate among teens, feel welcome instead of ostracized. Programs such as California's may save many lives.
Stab...you're not really a conservative, you may have some conservative beliefs, but your core principles are liberal.
ReplyDeleteYour logic is too twisted to fit into a conservative value system. I would imagine you attend church primarily for the social life, and not for the spiritual side of church going. That's just my opinion.
It's kinda funny that four or five people including yourself in this forum are working so diligently to discredit me, with little success. Keep trying though, we all need goals in life. Hee Hee...you gotta love it.
Almost forgot. LTE #2 - Over the years, I have almost always disagreed with Buddy Collins. But not this time.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I would suggest that since this project is about 40 years old and totally obsolete we just scrap it and start over. The world isn't going to end if it doesn't get built, unless we all get raptured October 21...well then there's that business about December, 2012.
Considering who the front runners in the presidential race are, that Nostradamus chap may be on to something. Isn't his date right around the time that they certify the election?
Bucky, our friend OT posted a link to a site where I could find out where I stand on the political spectrum. I answered questions, and when finished, the application placed me on a graph of the political spectrum.
ReplyDeleteThe graph places those of liberal persuasion on the negative (left) side of the "x" axis, and conservative leaning folks on the right. It also positions respondents based their inclination toward being authoritarian or libertarian, with authoritarian being on the positive (high) side of the "y" axis and libertarian being on the low side.
My answers placed me slightly left of center and slightly toward libertarian, but essentially in the center. So, you are more or less correct, but I tend to vary sharply in places, sort of like the guy with one hand in superfreezing liquid and one in scalding water. On average, he's comfortable.
As to my spirituality, my church attendance/membership transcends the social aspect, which I nonetheless enjoy. I must tell you that I laughed out loud and at length when I read your comment. Thank you for brightening my day :)
Time for some re-education. I suggest that you watch the film "Inside Job" and then stop and think that the current Prez, over whom you are foaming at the mouth, has done nothing to charge the wall street elite with criminal charges and civil penalties. This guy is more conservative than the old time Republicans, but the current crop of Coulter repubs just don't see it. The repubs are looking a gift horse in the mouth.
ReplyDeleteAjv....I haven't seen the film you mention, but if it is true, why do you suppose it is?
ReplyDeleteBecause the Prez has no cojones and still wants wall street's support for the election. Pretty simple.
ReplyDeleteAjv...I agree on his lack of stones, but I don't believe that is the only reason. Can you imagine the stories with names going back years these Wall Street honchos have hidden away in safes? I'm all for some Wall Streeters doing a perp walk...as long some pols are handcuffed along side.
ReplyDeleteI too had a laugh.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lucky man. Free comedy on here, and free comedy whenever the Perry/Bachmann/Palin group opens its mouth.
I was referring to Stab's comment way up above, not the latest about Wall Street. No comedy there, except for a comedy of errors.
ReplyDeleteO.T., I tried some Dos Equis the other day, light amber style, and they are good! I may get some more, but for today I will just have to walk around back and "tap" the Clydesdale.
ReplyDeleteYou're a lucky man, WW. Not many have their own Clydesdale dispenser...better than a keg.
ReplyDeleteWW...stay thirsty my friend.
ReplyDelete