Lisa Dawson – 7/25/10

This page was last updated on July 26, 2010.

Focus on gay rights is a distraction; Lisa Dawson; Beaver County Times; July 25, 2010.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I am writing in response to Sandra Kolavic’s and Lillian Vance’s letters regarding homosexuality.

“While I am not a big proponent for gay rights, I believe this argument has outlived its usefulness. This is merely a smokescreen to distract people from the bigger problems that exist in the world.”

[RWC] Read the referenced letters and you find neither mentioned “gay rights.” The first author expressed displeasure with the Presbyterian Church (USA) regarding a decision about homosexuality and the second agreed.

“We still remain dependent on foreign oil. Our young men and woman [sic] are still dying as a result of one foolish war and one that was poorly executed as a result of having an incompetent commander-in-chief for eight years.”

[RWC] Mr. Obama has been in office only 18 months, not “eight years” as Ms. Dawson asserts. <g>

“Children in our own towns are going to bed hungry tonight while their parents lie awake at night trying to figure out a way to pay the mortgage and avoid ending up on the street.”

[RWC] I thought Ms. Dawson’s fellow travelers were claiming we have a childhood obesity crisis. Granted childhood hunger and obesity “crises” are not necessarily mutually exclusive, but these concurrent claims should make us all think about the credibility of the claims.

“Meanwhile, Republicans are voting to take food out of children’s mouths because they think that their unemployed parents are merely lazy.”

[RWC] It’s interesting to see Ms. Dawson doesn’t let facts get in the way of a good rant. Whether right or wrong, Congressional Republicans supported extending unemployment benefits and made several proposals that that effect. All the Republicans wanted was to make the extension debt neutral, such as using unused TARP funding. When unemployment benefits were extended last November, President Obama thought this was a good idea. When he signed the bill, Mr. Obama said, “It is fully paid for and so it is fiscally responsible.” Since then, Congressional Democrats passed and Mr. Obama signed two extensions that increased our debt. What changed?

“The Bible also says ‘whatever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me.’ Are we really going to continue to waste valuable time and resources judging those who love inappropriately?

“At the risk of sounding cliched, what would Jesus do?”

[RWC] I have to concede it’s been awhile since my eight years at St. Titus grade school and four years of high school CCD classes, but I don’t recall anything about The Bible or Jesus advocating government taking from one family to give to another. Ms. Dawson’s paraphrasing of Matthew 25:40 is about voluntary personal behavior, not about government programs. There’s nothing altruistic or charitable in “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”