February 2003
Letters to the Editor

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Gov. Ryan's Usurpation Threatens
'Rule of Law'
Reactions have been impassioned by the move of the outgoing governor of Illinois, George Ryan, to commute the sentences of 167 death-row inmates. Many favoring capital punishment have been aghast, and talk about the families of the victims of these criminals. Those opposing capital punishment have been delighted, and talk about the possibility of wrongful conviction.

I am appalled at the Governor's actions, for a different reason. Executive clemency was intended for a case-by-case evaluation, not for a blanket overthrow of the whole judicial system. People of good conscience can argue on each side of the death penalty debate, and it is an appropriate subject to be dealt with in this fashion. Our legislatures in each state can come to the decision that they feel best represents the wishes of their constituents. But when a governor usurps the power of the political process, he threatens our system of separation of powers, of checks and balances, of the rule of law. Whatever moral good may have arguably been done by the man's actions, he has done grievous harm to our nation.
Richard N. Freedman
North Billerica

Is Hollywood Turning Against Abortion?
I'd like to comment on the article in the print edition of MassNews titled, "Is Hollywood Turning Against Abortion?"

The thrust of your article is that the entire Western World is having a growing realization that free access to abortion means that too few young people are entering the work force, and this will eventually affect our ability to maintain our culture as we know it.

This reminds me of Pat Buchanan's current book The Death of the West. He says that the entire Western World is slowly dying away because we don't have enough babies even to maintain our population levels. .

He argues that as we continue to dwindle, our population will become grayer and our elderly will command a greater claim on tax resources. Eventually, as the proportion of young workers to retirees continues to dwindle, the ability to maintain programs for the elderly will collapse. Buchanan says there is a short-term solution for this - we can all import huge armies of non-European Gastarbeiter (guest workers) from the third world, who will do our grunt work and prop up our dying native populations. But the problem here is that these peoples are not of our culture, and eventually, when they become too numerous - unlike us, they have many babies - they will overwhelm us and extinguish Western Culture as we know it today.

Buchanan cites a number of reasons why our women are not having more babies, and abortion is but one of them - but, he says too, the fact that we have performed some 40 million abortions since abortion became universally available in the USA simply means, mechanically, that there are that many fewer young workers to contribute their talents and support to our system.

Israel is a good case in point. At current levels, Greater Israel's combined Arab population will outnumber Israel's Jews by 2020. Even if one excludes the territories, Arabs will outnumber Jews inside Israel proper by 2050. They won't even need an Intifada to extinguish the Jewish state when democracy will do the job very nicely via majority rule. Arabs have an average of 6 to 8 babies per family whereas, with the exception of Israel's Orthodox Jewish population, who also has many babies, Israel's Jews have less than ZPG.

Now, I'm going to say something that Patrick Buchanan did not say: It may well be that as a society, we will have to revisit abortion and maybe even birth control not because these practices are arguably immoral. We may have to ban abortion and perhaps even birth control for the basic, simple reason of self-preservation, because we will die-off as a culture if we do not. In the long run, Western Civilization simply will not survive if it continues to allow abortion to remain legal.

Buchanan noted in his book that peoples who believe in God, and whose faith is healthy and vibrant, tend to have large families. This is certainly true of the Arabs. It is also true of Orthodox Jews and Mormons and certain Christian groups. For this reason, Buchanan feels that the West will have to return to its Christian roots or it will die. Personally, I tend to doubt that Christianity still has enough of a fast ball to do the job.
James A. Nollet
Billerica

Editor's Comment: The article to which the reader refers was not "our" article. It was an opinion piece from someone we respect, but with whom we do not necessarily agree.

Comments of the New Senate President, Robert Travaglini
Last Monday, December 2, while at a tree-lighting ceremony in East Boston, I ran into Mr. Robert Travaglini. I have known him for years, photographed his wedding and have had a friendly rapport with him over many years.

In July, I contacted him personally to ask his support on the Marriage amendment. Last Monday, again, I asked him about the amendment and why he voted to adjourn? His answer was that they had to because it is a poorly written piece of legislation and that it does not show concern for the needs of minority groups. I asked him who are the minorities that the Marriage amendment would trample. He retorted by asking me whether I wanted the debate to take place. When I told him yes, he replied that it was going to be defeated anyway.

My parting shot was that I voted for him because of his moral convictions and that I expected him to vote his conscience. He assured me that he always follows the dictates of his Catholic convictions (he's not even a C.A.P.E. Catholic-one who goes to church on Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter).

We definitely know that Mr. Travaglini follows no conviction except that which will keep him in power as a member of the club on Beacon Hill.
Name withheld upon request
East Boston

Bush Not Presidential about Lott
I read the following newsclip: "Philadelphia - President Bush, in rare criticism of a fellow Republican, said Thursday it was offensive and wrong for Senate Republican leader Trent Lott to say a segregationist candidate for president should have won in 1948."

Me thinks this is a tempest in a teapot.

Remember Al Gore used Willie Horton to politically attack Michael Dukakis in his presidential campaign and the press and Democrats were silent.

Remember, your father used Willie Horton to politically attack Michael Dukakis in his presidential campaign and the press and Democrats screamed: "Racism," "Racism," "Racism!"

Now we have the pompous bore, Al Gore, admonishing Trent Lott for saying, "If we had elected Strom Thurmond we wouldn't have these problems today." Just where is the N-word or burning cross in this statement? Why do the press and the Democrats stand behind Al Gore who used the same supposed racism your father used against Dukakis?

I don't see this as presidential to descend to the level of the Chicken Littles of the world.
Arthur MacLeod
Belmont

Letter in response to "Priest Discusses Ethics of Embryo Research and Cloning"
In this article, Father Tad writes: "The immorality of IVF is that it turns the gift of life into mass production, he said. Arguments that IVF is immoral parallel those for cloning. Children are not intended to be manufactured products. They have a right to have real parents and to be conceived as the fruit of marital love"

I take great offense at the implication that if my wife and I go through IVF to have children because we can't conceive any other way, we are somehow less deserving than a couple who doesn't have to deal with infertility or some kind of disability. What an ignorant and truly stupid thing to say!

I think Father Tad should be more concerned about priests molesting children rather than how my wife and I conceived our family.
Mike Kowalski
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Editor's Comment: It is unclear whether Father Tad meant that a husband and wife who use their own egg and sperm to conceive by fertilizing in a glass outside the mother's body are acting immorally. We will attempt to clarify what he believes.

European Christian Experience Different
from America
It's interesting to read your equation of Christianity with anti-fascism. Our experience in Europe is often quite the reverse: The regimes of both Franco and Salazaar relied heavily on the support of the established church; in many respects Iberian fascism was the political expression of a conservative ecclesia. Unfortunately the trend continues, with many Christians in the forefront of attempts to restrict civil liberties and political pluralism. I'm leaving out of consideration the bloody, communal conflicts between Christians that disfigure European society, from Northern Ireland to the former Yugoslavia. In short, there is no easy equation between Christianity and anti fascism.
Austin Fletcher
Somerset, United Kingdom

Editor's Comment: It is true that American Christianity is different from that in Europe. That is why the Pilgrims originally fled Europe for America, and it is why so many Europeans followed them.

False Arrest Records
Edward Perry Jr. will not be charged with the false allegations made by the Hanover, Mass. police of trespassing and interfering with a police officer, for the day Edward Perry stopped at the Hanover Mall, the judge said, he "was just doing his job."

You see, Edward Perry Jr. owns WATD radio in the Plymouth area, and he was told that there might be a car-jacking in process at the Hanover Mall. When he got there to investigate and report on the possible car-jacking, he was falsely arrested by the Hanover police.

On December 19, 2002, the false arrest charges were dropped by the judge, but for the rest of his life, Edward Perry Jr. will have an arrest record, for in Massachusetts, allegations of a crime will stay on the criminal history database, forever. Even if a person is found innocent of the charges by a jury of his peers in Massachusetts, the arrest record is for life.

This is what the Patriots of 1775 fought and died for?
Don Schwarz
Stoughton

Sex Education in Kindergarten
It's very disturbing to me that Planned Parenthood agrees with a bill to give children a sex education from Kindergarten on up. I'm surprised they don't want to start as soon as they are out of the womb!

They had to sneak around the Parental Rights bill that passed so this is their method to get no parental consent.

By the grace of God and intelligent legislators, this bill won't pass.
G. Guptill Marshfield

Mass Citizens Are Sheep for Kennedy
Is it any wonder that the Dishonorable Edward M. Ted Kennedy is aligning himself with the homosexual crowd. Kennedy has ceased to work for the people from MA for many years and is there to serve himself and any interest group that will line his pockets with large green paper.

The people of Massachusetts can no longer call themselves human, they act more like sheep. What else do you expect when the Congressman from MA, the Dishonorable Barney Frank joins the homosexual advocacy groups on MA campuses. One of the previous MA News hard copies had photographic proof of the last statement. The Dishonorable Legislators from MA will not bring up for a vote items that the people have petitioned to have put on the ballot.

Why do the people from MA put up with this? Too many "Illegal Immigrants" and other corruption have made the citizenry Sheep.

Soon, I am gone from this forsaken state and hopefully into a state that is neither as corrupt or favors the trendy homosexual converts.
William Rhoades
Greenland, NH

Priests Should Name Themselves
The Jan. 9th edition of Bay Windows contained an article by Scott Giordano, "Marriage fight shifts to Legislature." In the last paragraph Giordano states: "The voices of some respected Catholic parish priests rang loud on Beacon Hill when they said the Marriage Amendment didn't do anything to strengthen marriage and was bad for children." The inference in this statement is that these "respected Catholic parish priests" agree with the position of the Gay and Lesbian organizations presently working to get both the Legislature and the Judiciary members to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions.

The anonymity of these "respected Catholic parish priests" by the writer and editor of Bay Windows is a devious act. There is no "respected" priest responsible for keeping the integrity of Catholic teaching who would ever teach that marriage should be redefined to include same-sex unions. Certainly, no respected Catholic parish priest would teach the opposite of the teachings contained in the Ciage between a husband and wife? Will the Priests' Forum and Voice of the Faithful members come forward and each state whether they want marriage to be redefined to include same-sex unions as being the same as the complimentary union of a man and a woman in marriage? Do they agree or disagree with the "respected Catholic parish priests" who Scott Giordano believes are supporting gay marriage? Secretiveness is not the order of the day, remember? The leaders of the Priests' Forum and Voice of the Faithful condemned secrecy. Will they themselves come out from behind the secrecy they have maintained regarding their position on such matters as marriage being redefined to include same-sex union? Let's be open and transparent.
Alice Slattery
Framingham

Editor's Comment: Scott was undoubtedly talking about the three priests who were eulogized by the Boston Globe after they testified against the Protection of Marriage Amendment at the State House last April. See our archives for May 2002, p. 19.

Kennedy and Special Rights for Gays
No, no, no, no, I do not approve of or condone what Kennedy is attempting to do in pushing ENDA. Good grief, I don't believe the man and yet I do! This is so like him. This must be fought! I am going to contact his office right now!
Carolyn Dee
West Boylston

What 'Rights' Do Homosexuals Deserve?
Why is it special rights, as you refer to them, for all individuals to be treated equally? Fairness in the workplace has been recognized as a fundamental right protected under federal law. So, you believe it is a special right that would prevent someone from being fired for being gay or lesbian? Fortunately, we already provide protection against employment discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, and disability, but to you it is a special right for gays and lesbians not to want to be fired from their job. I wonder, would Mr. Pawlick ever hire a gay or lesbian to work for the MassNews? I also notice that you use quotes from Rich Tafel, the soon to be departing head of the Log Cabin Republicans. Interesting that you give him credibility in this case because normally when the LCR's are mentioned in your publication you paint them in quite a different light. I am a Republican, but frankly it makes me want to be an Independent because I get lumped in with small-minded thinkers like you. I once again will be more than happy to speak with any of your staff on this or any issue, since you rarely offer any varying point of view.
Michael M. Motzkin,
Wakefield

Editor's Comment: It is impossible to establish a governmental system with bureaucrats everywhere which will establish fairness and equality for everyone. The Socialist or Communist model would be the best in theory, but would you like to live under either of them in the real world?

Have you heard about the Bay Windows editorial which is reported in this issue of MassNews which says that there is no such thing as homosexuals because everyone is bisexual? The editorial says it is "fiction" that gay men are attracted only to other males or that lesbians are attracted only to women.

Have you heard about the psychiatrist, Robert Spitzer, who led the fight in 1973 to remove homosexuals from the disordered list? He now says his research shows that homosexuals can and do change their orientation.

Same-Sex Marriage Is About Civil Rights
The issue of same-sex marriage is about equality, justice, and fairness. It is not a "special interest," it is a civil rights issue. It is about offering the benefits, protections and responsibilities of marriage to gay couples and our families, and ending a long history of discrimination against us.

The institution of marriage has not always been exactly the same as it is now. It has evolved to meet changing societal views. The rights of married women have changed over time. The right of interracial couples to marry, once outlawed, is now seen as a Constitutional right. Religious traditions also change over time. There are now many churches that recognize and bless same-sex couples. So if my church will recognize my partner and I, as a couple, why won't the state? It simply isn't justifiable.

Some say gay couples should be given "civil unions" instead of full marriage rights. Creating a separate institution for gay couples is no better than creating separate schools for black and white children, and calling them "separate but equal." History tells us this approach inevitably furthers discrimination, and cannot be tolerated.

Discrimination can never be justified based on religious views, "tradition," majority-rule mentality, or legal maneuvering. Only full equality through civil marriage will end the second-class status now given to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens.
Carl Sciortino, Jr.
Somerville
Editor's Comment: How about bigamists, heterosexuals who do not want to be married, or those who engage in group sex? Are you passionate about their rights also? Have you heard of Prof. Singer at Princeton who advocates sex with animals? Do you agree that those who wish to practice sex with animals should have a Constitutional right to do so and to sue their employer if any other employee disagrees? Those people who practice sex with animals believe they need such protection. But how will we decide if the animal is willing? This is not "silly" talk. This is seriously advocated by Prof. Peter Singer at Princeton University today. What do you think?

Gay Activism Has Hurt Society
The Conservative Jews [this refers to persons who belong to a Jewish denomination, not to a person's political beliefs] who are reopening discussion about the ban on same-sex unions and ordaining homosexuals are doomed to failure unless they educate themselves about the true nature of homosexuality. Homosexuality is a same-sex attraction disorder (SSAD) which can be compared to obesity and alcoholism when considering the underlying causes and treatment. Same-sex attractions are not inborn, not benign (the average gay man dies decades earlier than the average heterosexual man), and not unchangeable.

Homosexuals are us, and we are them. They are not born a different kind of person. Gay activism has done a disservice to individuals, families and society because it promulgates untrue myths about homosexuality being inborn and unchangeable. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Elaine Silodor Berk,
Co-Director of JONAH,
(Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality)
Harrington Park, NJ