Madness in the mid-west
The following Letter to the Editor was published in the Morris Sun Tribune on Saturday 16th April 2005.
Decision to skip show disappointing
The Morris Human Rights Commission is disappointed in the decision of the Morris Area Elementary School and St. Mary’s School to cancel attendance at this year’s Children Theater production on the UMM campus.
Tolerance of diversity and appreciations of difference are central to the quality of our society and are enshrined in our state and federal laws. They are the reason for the existence of this commission.
This year’s children’s play explicitly focused on this theme of tolerance of diversity. That some parents find this focus unsettling is regrettable but not surprising. That the schools would allow that discomfort to cancel the participation of all of the students is deeply disturbing.
We have lost an important opportunity to help our youth understand the value of tolerance. For those parents who wish to take their children to the play, performances are at 1 p.m. on April 21, 22, 27, 29 and at 10 a.m. on April 22, 28 and 29 in the Proscenium Theater, UMM.
Ann Streed, Bert Ahern, Mike Miller, Tom McRoberts, Jerry Schmidt, Jody Snow, Twig Webster
July 5th, 2005 at 3:22 pm
W/R/T Hats off in Mourning
Dear Pete:
Yes, I agree. Sadly, Mel Foss is a smalltime self-appointed minder of the moral structure of the US, something he does from his lofty position as a weekly columnist for the Norwood/Young America Times (circ. ~2400). Unfortunately, he represents most of what is repugnant in American Christianity today: self-righteous, bigoted, judgemental, and just plain unpleasant. I’ve read his column periodically and he loves wrapping his little local prejudices selective Bible quotations as if that made them more palatable. Mel exemplifies the statement “You can tell a Christian, but you cannot tell him much!”
A lot of my friends are gay. One of my kids is a lesbian. She’s getting her Ph.D, on full scholarship, no less. Her partner, who already has her Ph.D., is doing very well in her chosen profession (”Good, good, you married a doctor!” ). I am as proud of her as I am of the other two kids. Life is short and people should find whoever they can to bond with that makes them happier and fills their lives with love. The plumbing doesn’t matter.
Mel’s attitude, both as stated here and in his columns, that she and anyone like her deserves whatever they get because they’re a moral blight on the face of ‘Murrka is both un-American and un-Christian. While he has a right to his opinions and to state them, I am also reminded that the problem with free speech is that you have to put up with a lot of c***.