Published: July 13, 2009 06:22 pm      

Letters to the editor - Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Advocates of tolerance usually are intolerant

After reading the editorial piece written by Ms. Stephanie Salter on July 2, I felt compelled to respond. I disagree with Ms. Salter on many levels, but most of all I take exception to the nastiness that is pervasive throughout her piece.

Perhaps the most objectionable was her callous reference to adopted children as “someone else’s castaways.” As an adoptive mother of two, I was shocked by her language. Ms. Salter seems to view herself as a champion for “non-traditional families,” yet her words dealt my “non-traditional family” a sucker punch.

My children’s birth mothers made painful decisions to place their children for adoption. As a result of their courageous choices, my husband and I were blessed with two of the most treasured gifts we will ever receive. We have never, and will never, view our children as “castaways.” Her words are demeaning to my children and their birth mothers.

An additional note to Ms. Salter: not all of us who are followers of Christ are “know it all dictators of morality for all.” In fact, many of us will share openly with others about our own moral struggles. If she spent any time at all investigating what our faith is truly about, she’d find that we see ourselves as imperfect people desperately in need of grace.

Unlike Ms. Salter, we do not seek to “cheer the humiliation” of others, nor do we become “gleeful” when others struggle. We don’t seek to “feed our narrow ideals” down others’ throats.

God has given all of us the free will to choose our own path, but it is important to remember that he also allows us to suffer the consequences when we make poor choices.

It seems to me that the biggest proponents of tolerance are often the most intolerant when it comes to those who place their faith in Christ. Sad, isn’t it?

Michelle E. Gutierrez Sample, Kokomo

Folks stood together during hard times

After reading the article on foreclosures, I was immediately reminded of unemployment councils. Most people have probably not heard of these, but it is a part of history and even current times in some places.

I first came across unemployment councils when I read the book, “How I Got Out of Jail and Ran for Governor of Indiana: The Jim Moore Story.” During the Great Depression, ordinary people got together in large numbers to stop the repossession of their homes.

These people were losing their homes, not due to their own decisions, but to the decisions of the banks. These people had not chosen to become unemployed; that decision was left up to someone else.

These common people would gather at someone’s home the day that they were to be evicted. Sometimes the mood could be festive, as drinks and food were served, as well as people playing music while they waited on the sheriff to show up.

The majority of time, the sheriff would leave or drive on as the crowd stood firm in their opposition to what many people considered a crime.

Now I’m not advocating anything like this, but it is interesting that people stood together when times were tough. People knew back then that if anything was to be accomplished, it was up to them. Perhaps we can learn something from these courageous people. They knew that they were carrying the burden of a system and its unfairness toward working-class people. Then again, maybe I am advocating something, since change is best when it comes from the people.

Chris Ryan, Kokomo

Alarmists setting unproven policy

Ever since the late 1700s, when the Industrial Revolution began, people have been using coal and later oil. The U.S. has plenty of oil if the Democrats would allow us to drill and refine it. Then we would not be dependent on foreign oil.

Somehow the world has struggled through burning coal and oil. In fact, people in the industrialized world live longer than the unfortunate third-world countries that try to keep warm and cook over wood fires in confined areas. People in this country suffer from smoking cigarettes, not from burning wood or coal.

Yes, Holland, a tiny country, can get by with windmills, but our industries will not run on windmills and solar panels. Our industries can’t get by with either of these and compete in the industrial world.

The planet has managed to survive without the environmentalists and will continue to survive until nuclear energy is available. The alarmists are like Al Gore and President Obama – book smart, but with very little common sense. It is more important to take care of people than to let a few alarmists set a new, unproven policy.

Evelyn B. Harrington, Kokomo