Winston-Salem Journal LTE TH 03/15/12

The Ides of March

Integrity and wisdom

It is with great pleasure that I would like to recommend David Sipprell in his candidacy for Forsyth District Court Judge. He has been a family friend since his junior-high days at Kennedy Middle School and during the years at UNC Chapel Hill, as an assistant staff judge advocate in the USAF and subsequently as an assistant district attorney here in Forsyth County.

I can think of no finer candidate to assume the bench here in our Forsyth County District Court system. He has always shown an integrity and wisdom beyond his years and an incomparable work ethic, which I know will serve us well.

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ELLEN MOORE

Kernersville

Problem solved

I recently received a call from a group asking how I stand on Amendment 1, the marriage amendment.

While I really don't care if two gays marry, the caller's group — which was unnamed — was obviously against the amendment and in favor of gay marriage. He brought up the point of heterosexual couples being denied spousal benefits if it passed. It seemed like subterfuge and political obfuscation.

I have to admit that that tactic annoyed me. Here is what I suggested to him:

If these heterosexual couples really are concerned about losing their spousal benefits, they should invest the few dollars for a marriage certificate and a justice of the peace and get married. Problem solved.

In fact, I will take it one step further — if it passes, all couples should have six months' amnesty to get a free marriage license and free wedding from the courthouse.

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KEN HOGLUND

Clemmons

Obama's Christianity

My curiosity was sufficiently aroused by the letter "No apology needed" (March 9) to look up the speech in which the writer claims President Obama "mocked" the Bible. It's a little more difficult to find the speech in full than the snippet that conservatives have taken out of context to make their claim, but once I did, I had to disagree with the letter writer's assessment. Quoting the Bible isn't the same as mocking it. Ironically, the president's point was about how wrong it is to take parts of the Bible out of context to make your point.

Word for word, President Obama talks about Jesus more than George W. Bush did. His administration's faith-based initiative is larger than Bush's. His speeches at last year's National Prayer Breakfast as well as this years' were deep testimonials to his Christian faith, and I challenge your readers to read the transcripts: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/03/remarks-president-national-prayer-breakfast; www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/02/02/remarks-president-national-prayer-breakfast.

He concludes practically every speech he makes by saying, "God bless you and may God bless the United States of America." Another letter writer just pointed out that the president spent 20 years studying with a United Church of Christ minister ("Go Graham," March 2).

Is there enough evidence to "convict" the president of being a Christian? I guess that depends on how biased the judge is.

I believe there's enough evidence to conclude that anyone who believes the president isn't a Christian wants to believe he isn't. The question is why, and none of the answers is pretty.

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TOMMY H. SIMMONS

Winston-Salem

Finish the thought

Last Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence: "Mitt Romney could close the deal by ..."

* * * * *

"… quietly folding his tent and slipping away to the Cayman Islands to enjoy the millions he's reportedly squirreled away, because if we should unfortunately have him as this country's next president, the economic recovery we're currently experiencing would come to a screeching halt and, being slight, would quickly turn around.

"All registered voters should remember that he is a Republican and, as such, should be expected to act like one."

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KENNETH B. SCALF

* * * * *

"... January 2013 (thankfully for all of us, it will be too late by then!)."

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FRANK RANGE

* * * * *

"… all of the other candidates dropping out. That's the only way he won the Virginia primary, no one else was in the race."

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HAROLD DYSON