Stripes letters: One on Kerry, the other on gay marriage

[lebkuchen]

Don’t accuse Kerry

In response to “Kerry undeserving” (Aug. 11), the author is justifiably proud of his record of service in Vietnam. What he presumably fought for, then, was “to defend the Constitution.” He was fighting, at least in part, for the right of the people to peacefully protest and petition their government.

That’s what John Kerry was doing, and he did so after having made the same commitment, faced the same risks, and also undergone similar sacrifice as those who served in the Vietnam conflict.

Was anyone hurt by his means of protest? What some of the protesters were angry enough to protest about was the fact that the events used to justify the buildup of forces and escalate the conflict in Vietnam were essentially concocted. That isn’t some “liberal media” that came up with that information. It was the government’s own study, notably the Pentagon Papers.

I mean, wouldn’t you be angry if you had to go to war on the basis of less-than-accurate information?

The letter writer may disagree with Kerry’s positions, but please don’t accuse him of being unable to lead. I should think the writer’s own experience in Vietnam would produce greater respect for the soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought and bled there. While Kerry fought, our incumbent came nowhere near. I know which one I’d rather serve under.

Stephen Pera
Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=23801


Same-sex marriage OK

I just read “Sodom and Gomorrah” (Aug. 2) and I could not help but laugh.

If the writer honestly believes that if we don’t stop gay people from engaging in sex that the “Grandpa on a cloud” God is going to rain fire and brimstone down on the world, he needs to go on medication. By no means am I trying to say that God does not exist, only that this person’s idea of God is a tad “B.C.”

Besides that, he says, “God is serious about same-sex marriages, look at his word at the account of Sodom (short for sodomy) and Gomorrah.” Same-sex marriage was never, ever mentioned in Genesis 19. Also, Sodom is not short for sodomy; sodomy was a term coined because they thought that anal intercourse was the sin of the cities, so it’s like saying that the Greek “theos” is short for theology.

Next, the author claims that allowing gay people to marry will lead to pedophilia and bestiality. This is like saying that allowing people to hunt for deer means that they will start shooting bald eagles. The two just aren’t related. When we (those of us who support gay marriage) talk about allowing it, what we say is that we believe that the government should not restrict the activities of “consenting adults” not “consenters or adults.”

Consent eliminates the argument of allowing people to do this with animals, as there is no way for a person to know conclusively whether an animal is giving his/her consent. And the “adult” part is self-explanatory — no children, period. Pedophiles, including priests, should face severe consequences when they engage in such relationships with children.

Jason Enderton
Heidelberg, Germany

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=23778