Letters: Keep ‘Under God’ Out of School
Keep 'Under God' Out of School
Editor, Times-Dispatch: Although I am a devoted Christian and attend church regularly, those citizens who still say church should be a part of a child's education are inconsiderate and selfish.
Personally, I would love to learn more about my religion while at school, but I would not want to force my religious beliefs upon someone who doesn't share the same thoughts as me. While my job as a Christian is to expand my religion and teach it to others, I cannot force another being into believing my views.
Making a child recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of school every morning is a violation of the separation of church and state. A child making the oath "under God" is a wonderful thing -- if that is what the child believes. Otherwise, having the child state that can violate his or her own personal religious feelings.
Megan Davis.
Warsaw.
The Community Isn't A Solution for All
Editor, Times-Dispatch: In his letter, "We Can All Pay for One Another," Correspondent of the Day Brad Barrett claims to have discovered the problem with today's conservatives: The individual. Unfortunately, the conservatives long ago abandoned any connection to a philosophy of individual rights. On the contrary, most conservatives and leftists share a common morality.
This is alluded to by Barrett's solution to today's issues: The community. Such terms as community, or the indefinable common good are rooted in the morality of altruism (literally, other-ism), which states that it is better to sacrifice your values for strangers than to pursue your own happiness. It is no coincidence that the words community and communism share a similar etymology.
The conservatives concede principles to the leftists. And the leftists stand to win the argument, since they are more consistent to their own principles. For example, they state that health care is not just a need, but a right. It therefore logically follows that individuals should be forced to pay for the health care of their neighbors (or whatever special interest has the loudest voice in Washington), while others must be conscripted to serve as the providers of care (i.e., doctors, nurses, insurance companies). Altruism should not be confused with kindness or voluntary acts of charity, neither of which requires forcing individuals to act contrary to their self-interest.
The alternative to individualism is collectivism, and collectivism has proven throughout history to be a failed philosophy that has brought nothing but misery where it is implemented. It is time for America to rediscover its founding principle of individual rights. If the conservatives would re-embrace this principle, we would be on the path to health care reform through a truly free market in medicine, which we have not enjoyed for decades.
Bob Murphy.
Henrico.
Williams Must Have Very Short Memory
Editor, Times-Dispatch: After reading Michael Paul Williams' column, "Obama Banner Is a Bad Joke," I can only assume that he has a very selective memory.
Williams pulls out all the stops on everything that is wrong about the banner hanging outside of a building in downtown Richmond. I read the piece several times, and I can't find any reference to the first time such a horrendous comparison was made. Let me help Williams refresh his memory: Vanity Fair magazine used the same application of The Joker, only it was President George W. Bush whose face was "grotesquely smeared with lipstick."
Williams also writes: "I can't recall a president being treated with such disrespect by U.S. citizens." Really? So his memory doesn't reach back as far as one calendar year? Bush was, and continues to be, one of the most ridiculed and disrespected presidents of all time.
Once again, the liberal double standard continues.
R. Martin Long.
Sutherland.
. . .
Editor, Times-Dispatch: "I can't recall a president being treated with such disrespect by U.S. citizens," wrote Paul Michael Williams. Where has he been the past eight years?
Almost every day President George W. Bush was ridiculed, maligned, slandered, or libeled by U.S. citizens working for newspapers, TV networks, magazines, the music industry, and Hollywood.
A movie about Bush's assassination was even produced. One American citizen, Dan Rather, lost his job by pushing a phony story about the president. And yes, the ultimate charge, Bush equals Hitler, was repeated over and over.
Barry Stoss.
Richmond.
Reader Reactions
Why does the word God offend when there are so many greater issues?
God has so many meanings; God can be said in many languages. God to me is a personal belief and interpretation. Whether you speak about the Egyptian God’s or Mohammad, or even Buda or what ever else comes to mind. For some people money may be there God.
The principals of the founding of America were founded on freedom of religion amongst other things, though I believe they use the term God loosely.
When I think of the term God the Ten Commandments come to mind. One so out spoken on the list is thou shall not kill. What is so wrong with this?
Some peoples beliefs is that they are accountable for what they do there fore it drives them to be a better person. What is wrong with that?
Also some people in grieving for a loved one finds comfort in their death from God. What is wrong with that?
I know people that don’t believe in anything, they don’t like talking about death, even though it is inevitable in life, they are scared and miserable.
Sufficed to say I often see work hounds that don’t believe in anything in life they work and work to find happiness but yet are alone and bitter when they die.
I also take into account; parents can’t be around their children 24/7. If they have an expectation to look up to, some seem to choose a better way of life rather than that of unaccountability, and being a menace to society.
Look at it this way if you must; Santa isn’t real but how many try to use him as a behavioral tool? How many don’t believe in God that take advantage of Christmas and thanksgiving as other well known religious holidays?
Better yet when I was growing up in a public school, one history lesson that sticks out in my mind is the first Thanksgiving. When should we expect this to come out of our American history books?
I know some people try to take advantage and make a buck in the name of religion. I as well know about those pesky Jehovah’s witnesses that come to the door. Also tell-a- marketers, campaign flunkies, and salesman. We as a society seem to focus more effort and monies on piddle crap for no reason.
I don’t agree with forcing religion down any ones throats, but at the same time if someone is praying around you, you have the choice not to listen. If you see the Ten Commandments put up and don’t believe in God that’s your choice, but the wording makes sense.
As well if wording like what this article is about seems to give more people hope than not, why screw with it.
“Bush was, and continues to be, one of the most ridiculed and disrespected presidents of all time.“
A true statement.
Irrefutable- recognizable by his dissenters who cannot have forgotten that they were the ones who were doing the disrespecting and ridiculing.
Equivication-“by all objective measures?“ he was “the worst president of the modern era.“
Therefore, deserving by objective fiat, all the bad manners and bad taste that could be heaped upon him.
Barack Obama has only two accomplishments to date.
He has become the latest European oratorial rock star.
And he is not George Bush.
We will have to wait and see if that proves a plus.
This last Nobel debacle has yet to play out in Europe. Americans are viewed mostly in a sort of “teacher’s pet” role.
They always win the prize.
They will tolerate this one for a while because they believe that it will help to grease the wheels to American capitulation in Copenhagen.
Misery loves company.
We can join them in their 3 day weeks and rolling blackouts..
“Bush was, and continues to be, one of the most ridiculed and disrespected presidents of all time.“
Which is what happens when you are the worst president of the modern era, bar none, by all objective measures. Foreign and domestic. He utterly failed in his primary responsibility: to protect the country. As of 9/11/2009, President Obama officially become more successful at defending America from terrorists than his predecessor, Mr. Bush.
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