Friday, May 28, 2004
The Rapid City Journal
May 29, 2004
Phelps is welcome
Area pastors and the Journal editorial board (May 16 editorial) are wrong. The ministry of Fred Phelps is welcome in Rapid City.
Gay and lesbian students in area schools face the same epithets, slurs, and inhumane treatment as typified by this "man of God" every day while teachers and classmates look on.
Voicing anything but a position of hellfire and brimstone in public leads to unwelcome mail with religious pamphlets and tracts demanding repentance with a seldom-matched ferocity. Such harassment even extends to repeated anonymous phone calls.
The schizophrenic nature of this public battle is that the "outrageous" message of Rev. Phelps must be publicly denied while it's cheered on from behind closed doors. Too many of our own agree with not only the message but desperately need the top messenger to make their own messages seem sane and "centrist" by comparison.
The true test is not to pretend that these prejudices aren't here, but to rise up as a community and overcome them.
THOMAS ALLEN HEALD
Rapid City
May 29, 2004
Phelps is welcome
Area pastors and the Journal editorial board (May 16 editorial) are wrong. The ministry of Fred Phelps is welcome in Rapid City.
Gay and lesbian students in area schools face the same epithets, slurs, and inhumane treatment as typified by this "man of God" every day while teachers and classmates look on.
Voicing anything but a position of hellfire and brimstone in public leads to unwelcome mail with religious pamphlets and tracts demanding repentance with a seldom-matched ferocity. Such harassment even extends to repeated anonymous phone calls.
The schizophrenic nature of this public battle is that the "outrageous" message of Rev. Phelps must be publicly denied while it's cheered on from behind closed doors. Too many of our own agree with not only the message but desperately need the top messenger to make their own messages seem sane and "centrist" by comparison.
The true test is not to pretend that these prejudices aren't here, but to rise up as a community and overcome them.
THOMAS ALLEN HEALD
Rapid City
Friday, May 14, 2004
The Rapid City Journal
May 8, 2004
Don't stay home
The Federal Marriage Amendment (engineered by Karl Rove) isn't just to encourage voting from the fundamentalist minority but to create anger and disgust with a government willing to attack minorities via Constitution. (Phone "Push polls" with gross distortions of candidates' records are also a well-documented tool from Rove to alienate and manipulate the electorate.)
An issueless candidate, Larry Diedrich, cravenly forced the issue in our Legislature - a gratuitous attack on the character of his fellow South Dakotans, furthering the impression that the evangelical fringe is worth pandering to.
Given the "spontaneous" campaign of "EMILY's List" letters appearing across the state, it's laughable to assume the GOP's extremist religious fringe would view Stephanie Herseth as anything but a witch (daring to wear pants in public). The only power these money-changers of the temple have is that they always vote.
While her opponents complain about "outside interests," Herseth is being gunned for from the White House itself.
If you're Native American, Jewish, Black, Hispanic, disabled, Asian, gay, or female, the Republican Party isn't just assuming you won't vote for their candidate, they're counting on you not to vote at all. S.D.'s true majority must not stay home from the polls.
May 8, 2004
Don't stay home
The Federal Marriage Amendment (engineered by Karl Rove) isn't just to encourage voting from the fundamentalist minority but to create anger and disgust with a government willing to attack minorities via Constitution. (Phone "Push polls" with gross distortions of candidates' records are also a well-documented tool from Rove to alienate and manipulate the electorate.)
An issueless candidate, Larry Diedrich, cravenly forced the issue in our Legislature - a gratuitous attack on the character of his fellow South Dakotans, furthering the impression that the evangelical fringe is worth pandering to.
Given the "spontaneous" campaign of "EMILY's List" letters appearing across the state, it's laughable to assume the GOP's extremist religious fringe would view Stephanie Herseth as anything but a witch (daring to wear pants in public). The only power these money-changers of the temple have is that they always vote.
While her opponents complain about "outside interests," Herseth is being gunned for from the White House itself.
If you're Native American, Jewish, Black, Hispanic, disabled, Asian, gay, or female, the Republican Party isn't just assuming you won't vote for their candidate, they're counting on you not to vote at all. S.D.'s true majority must not stay home from the polls.
