Ian S. Thompson – 7/6/06

This page was last updated on July 9, 2006.

Our freedoms are under attack; Ian S. Thompson; Beaver County Times; July 6, 2006.

As background, Mr. Thompson began writing letters as a Penn State student. His alleged fields of study were English and international politics and he graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in International Politics. In letters to the Penn State Daily Collegian, Mr. Thompson identified himself as the political director of Allies, a PSU organization now known as SpeakOut. The mission statement of SpeakOut reads, “Works to organize the family, friends, supporters and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally (LGBTA) community at PSU and is committed to a safe and social network open to all students, political and social education, and to increasing visibility and fostering a positive climate for LGBTA students at PSU.” When he “signed” an anti-landmine “treaty” on the web, Mr. Thompson indicated he was a member of Amnesty International.

If you’ve read Mr. Thompson’s letters since at least mid-2004, you know he’s a full-blown socialist (“a proud progressive” in his own words from 2003) who tends to resort to name-calling and unsupported talking points. This letter continues that tradition.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“As Americans celebrated the 230th anniversary of this nation’s birth on Tuesday, I looked back on the past month, which sadly provides for a depressing commentary on the low regard with which some elected officials seem to hold our Constitution and Bill of Rights, the ultimate safeguards of liberty and freedom.”

[RWC] “[O]ur Constitution and Bill of Rights” are not “the ultimate safeguards of liberty and freedom.” “We the People” are.

“June began with an effort, largely spearheaded by the bigoted religious right, to amend the Constitution to forever deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.”

[RWC] It took Mr. Thompson only two sentences to get into name-calling. If you don’t support Mr. Thompson’s vision, you’re a bigot. What about homosexuals who don’t support same-sex “marriage?” Are they bigots too?

I should note this is not the first time a Thompson letter has attempted to denigrate the “religious right.” I don’t know if Mr. Thompson has a problem only with the so-called “religious right,” or if his problem is with anyone he deems religious.

What’s the difference between “gay and lesbian couples?” I don’t use the word “gay” in this context, but I thought “gay” meant homosexual and aren’t lesbians homosexuals?

Here is the full text of the amendment (S. J. Res. 1).

“SECTION 1. This article may be cited as the ‘Marriage Protection Amendment.’”

“SECTION 2. Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”

We should note the amendment would not just “deny gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry.” It would also disallow same-sex “marriages” involving heterosexuals.

“While it is certainly true that this amendment represents the very worst of American politics today, it had the potential to undermine over two centuries of progress on the path towards basic fairness and equality.”

[RWC] To what “progress on the path towards basic fairness and equality” does Mr. Thompson refer? This is gobbledygook.

“Fortunately, those who hope to win elections by exploiting fear and ignorance could not even muster 50 votes (67 are needed to actually pass a constitutional amendment) in the U.S. Senate.

“Clearly, the appetite for enshrining discrimination in this nation’s founding document is far from achieving success.”

[RWC] Mr. Thompson may not want to admit it, but the vast majority of Americans appear to disagree with his position. During May 2004, various polls indicated 70-75% of Americans believed marriage should include only a man and a woman, and 38 states - 76% - already had “defense of marriage” acts. Further, during the 2004 general elections, 11 states had defense of marriage amendments on the ballot. All 11 amendments passed with significant majorities (maximum of 86%, minimum of 57%, 8 passed with 66% or greater). According to the Associated Press, “45 states have specifically barred same-sex marriage through statutes or constitutional amendments.”

Let’s also remember the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 (DOMA) that did essentially the same thing as S. J. Res. 1 except it was not an amendment. The DOMA passed the Senate 85-14 and the House 342-67.

Finally, at least some senators who opposed S. J. Res. 1 did so because they claimed the DOMA already addressed the issue.

I wonder why Mr. Thompson didn’t mention the DOMA.

Finally, on the same day as Mr. Thompson’s letter was published, the Georgia and New York supreme courts ruled their state laws banning same-sex marriages were constitutional. According to the AP, “76% of Georgia voters approved the ban when it was on the ballot in 2004.”

“Sadly, the same cannot be said for June’s second failed assault on the Constitution - the so-called flag desecration amendment, which sought to protect a symbol of our freedom by actually undermining the very freedoms that symbol represents.”

[RWC] Though I disagreed with the amendment, how was it an “assault on the Constitution?” I guess Mr. Thompson is a fan of hyperbole.

“No one wants to see our flag burned or otherwise misused; however, I would take exception to any effort to amend our Bill of Rights (and freedom of speech in particular) for the purpose of weakening it. This amendment, if passed, would have put an invisible stain on every flag in this country, by weakening what that great symbol represents. The Senate came within one vote of doing so.”

[RWC] As a student of international politics, Mr. Thompson should know the Senate can’t pass an amendment on its own. In addition to passing both houses of Congress with at least a two-thirds majority, an amendment must be approved by 75% of the states.

Mr. Thompson should also know “the freedom of speech, or of the press” is not absolute. For example, individuals and the press can be prosecuted for libel and slander, and to the best of my knowledge a person can be prosecuted for falsely yelling “fire” in a theater.

“These two efforts should show every American the need to stay vigilant in defense of our precious liberties and freedom, especially when far too many of our elected officials are so willing to take them away.”

[RWC] Anyone want to bet Mr. Thompson would support liberal judges taking away “our precious liberties and freedom?” When the Supreme Court eminent domain ruling stripped property rights from individuals, we didn’t hear a peep from Mr. Thompson.

I haven’t seen any Thompson letters complaining about smoking bans that would infringe on personal choice and private property rights.

I also haven’t seen any letters from Mr. Thompson speaking out against university “speech codes” and penalties for so-called “hate speech.”

We did read, however, five letters this year alone from Mr. Thompson that defended the rights of terrorists and convicted felons.