Even though a magistrate in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals correctly ruled against Forsyth County in the legislative sectarian prayer case, members of the right-wing Alliance Defense Fund, the legal defense team for the County, are still smiling. They are smiling because they won a political victory. They will condemn an activist judiciary and call them anti-Christian. God-forbid if our county commissioners vote to not continue the fight for sectarian legislative prayer.
The ADF and other right-wing sympathizers will paint those opposing a continuation of the legal battles as heathens opposed to prayer who must be voted out of office. I pray that these right-wingers are in the minority.
Individual prayer is not under attack. The ACLU is not trying to outlaw an individual's right to pray. In fact, the ACLU is in the forefront of protecting individual religious freedom. As one example, let us take the case of Jim Webber. He was a street preacher in Las Vegas. The casinos tried to ban him from preaching. The ACLU successfully intervened on behalf of Preacher Webber. Mr. Webber said, "The ACLU has been my guardian angel. They have been the ones that have provided the ability for me to stand on the street and talk to the people about Jesus Christ."
Governmental prayer is another matter. James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, had it right when he said, "...religion and government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."
RUDY DIAMOND
Lewisville
A tacit admission
Surely the overly idealistic and hopelessly naive voters remember those halcyon days of the Obama campaign when the President vowed to "build the economy from the bottom up", as if his exercise of power would yield the same utopian results as his community organizing.
Now the Journal dutifully reports on Dec. 4 that Obama has asked for help in job creation. And whom does he summon for guidance? Some of the giants of industry -- Google, Xerox, Boeing and General Electric.
Conspicuously absent are the butcher, baker and candlestick maker. This seems a tacit admission that (gasp) the government has no clue about job creation and (egads) perhaps many jobs come from the success of evil big businesses.
It is too bad our native-son designer Alexander Julian missed the jobs summit. He could have told the Emperor that he had no clothes.
HARRY R. COOKE
Winston-Salem
Bill needs to be tabled
I would like to thank Rep. Virginia Foxx for voting to protect Medicare Advantage benefits for seniors. Seniors paid all their lives into the Medicare Trust Fund and now are in danger of having $500 billion cut out of it if the health-care reform bill is passed. The Medicare Trust Fund should not be used to support a new government-run health-care system. For the year 2010, my health coverage will increase 13% because federal subsides for the Medicare Advantage plan were dramatically reduced resulting in large Medicare Advantage Plan premium increases.
We are at the time when the health-care reform bill needs to be tabled and done later and done right.
The cost of health-care reform will add to our deficit, increase taxes and cause more fraud and cheating if run by the government. Creating jobs and the economy should be top priority in Washington.
RON KIRKPATRICK
Kernersville
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