Winston-Salem Journal LTE TH 01/26/12

So happy

Thanks so much for the Jan. 20 Religion News Service column by Tom Ehrich ("Special treatment hurts church and state"). We were so happy to read his intelligent and thought-provoking words again. Please continue to feature his columns if at all possible.

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JAMES AND CAROL HORTON

Mount Airy

The Top 10 list

Your top 10 issues for 2012 ("Here are our Top 10 issues for 2012," Jan. 22) were interesting. One of the interesting things was that at least five of them involved spending more taxpayer money, something the Journal recommends with great frequency. In fact, in the same issue, one editorial was supporting a .75-percentage-point sales tax increase for "education" ("Legislature must do it for education"). It would seem that if the legislature would use all the lottery money for education like it was supposed to instead of raking off a large part of it for the general fund, the state's education needs would be taken care of. In any event, it seems fiscally irresponsible, in the midst of a serious recession, to be continually pushing for spending money the state doesn't have.

It is very easy to create lists of things that "must" be done without giving even the slightest hint as to how to do it or where the money is to come from. Apparently, just coming up with the list gives the Journal editorial staff sufficient intellectual satisfaction. However, the people upon whom the burden of implementing these things would fall have a much harder job. They have to determine what to do, how to do it, how to pay for it, how to make it happen and when to say no.

Perhaps this helps illustrate the difference between dreamers and doers.

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HERBERT OSMON

Winston-Salem

Sitting in judgment

This spring the Supreme Court will hear arguments about the government-run health-care plan known as "Obamacare." Elena Kagan, the newest justice on the court, was formerly solicitor general, the chief lawyer in the Obama White House. As such, she had final say over all legal questions. It is obvious to me that she would have been very involved in the formulation of the health-care mandates.

On the court now, she would be sitting in judgment of her own work, so she must recuse herself. Federal law (28 U.S.C., Section 455) reads: "Any justice, judge or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his partiality might reasonably be questioned" or "where he has served in government employment and in such capacity participated as counsel, adviser or material witness concerning the proceedings or expressed an opinion concerning the merits of the particular case in controversy."

Eric Segall, a law professor at Georgia State University, recently wrote in Slate Magazine: "Doing the right thing is easy when nothing important is at stake. Doing the right thing is much harder when there is a lot to lose. …[Elena Kagan] is poised to review the constitutionality of Obama's health care statute. … Kagan should recuse herself from hearing challenges to the act."

Surely Kagan will do the right thing.

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GENEVIEVE KAJS

Pfafftown

Finish the Thought

Last Saturday we asked readers to complete: "Freedom of religion means ..."

* * * * *

"… that I have the freedom to not be a person of faith."

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FRANK SCISM

"… I or any Christian can open or close our prayers in the name of Jesus; just as the Bible instructs (John 14:14). But the U.S. Supreme Court, by refusing to hear Forsyth County's appeal, let stand a 2-to-1 ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found Forsyth County had endorsed Christianity with its prayer policy.

"How many times must the county commissioners state that the policy was open to all ? It would be my desire that everyone would truly read the U.S. Constitution and realize just what our Founding Fathers had in mind. Does anyone believe the Constitution anymore?"

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REID JOYCE

* * * * *

"… a person can choose ancient Middle Eastern nomadic tribal beliefs and superstitions over 21st century reason."

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BOB BURWELL

* * * * *

"… freedom for all religions, not just mine."

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CYNTHIA GOUGH NANCE

* * * * *

"… the tolerance of different theological systems of belief. Don't think for one minute we have it in the United States. Consider: Would Tim Tebow be so popular if he were a flagrant Muslim?"

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KAM BENFIELD

* * * * *

"… ending drug prohibition, a failed policy based on conservative religious dogma, not medical or social science."

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JAMES S. CAMPBELL

* * * * *

"… freedom from religion."

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WILLIAM SAMS

* * * * *

"… my religion cannot compel you, nor can your religion compel me."

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DAVE DANNER SR.

* * * * *

"When I read Finish the Thought, the first thing that popped into my mind was the Gestalt Prayer by Philosopher Fritz Perls:

'I do my thing and you do your thing.

I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,

And you are not in this world to live up to mine.

You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other,

it's beautiful.

If not, it can't be helped.' "

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CATHERINE W. PITTS

* * * * *

"… freedom to choose a religion or not; freedom to openly worship and espouse your beliefs; freedom to communicate, without force, your beliefs to others."

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RANDAL BLANKENSHIP

* * * * *

"… the right to worship or not worship as one pleases; and, freedom from having religious bigots' attempts to ram their religion down one's throat, whether by trying to use the public square for that purpose or through other devious attempts.

"Freedom of religion means that religious minorities have the right to practice what they believewithout the interference of bigots ."

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CAROL BODENHEIMER

* * * * *

"... religious expression is no less valid in the public square than all other types of expression protected under the First Amendment. In the view of the Founders, there is no such thing as second-class religious expression."

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DEB PHILLIPS

* * * * *

"… the followers of one religion or one section of a religion are free from the fear of discrimination, persecution, being stigmatized, or violent attack by another religion or another sect."

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BOON T. LEE