Sunday Newscape Magazine

I have always believed that, whether dealing with local community issues or with issues of national import, much common sense and wisdom can be found in many of the letters written daily by regular Americans to the editors of their newspapers. In a book dedicated to Letters to the Editor*, the authors make this comment:

"As we leafed through thousands of letters, we sensed we were on to something. Sure, there were plenty of the angry diatribes and political screeds…but there was also something more. Again and again, we found citizens speaking freely and from their hearts, recording a personal yet public diary of our community…Here was a marvelous sense of humor, there a deep need to set the record straight. And under it all was a resilient faith that no matter the crisis at hand, things were bound to get better in time…"

And so it was a couple of days ago. My local newspaper published a letter that expresses my sentiments - and, I believe, the sentiments of millions of Americans - on the recent succession of moral and family values transgressions by politicians of the party that, in my opinion, have claimed those values to be exclusively theirs and, moreover, have attempted to use such alleged moral and religious superiority to malign and marginalize members of the opposing party.

Here’s the letter that expresses “a deep need to set the record straight”

"Friday, June 26, 2009

It’s over, Republicans

You are not the party of family values, the moral majority, the party of God or any other silly title you want to give yourselves. You’re just like everyone else - black or white, gay or straight, atheist or believers.

You can go to church seven days a week and pray seven times a day. You’re just human beings. No better than anybody else.

As a proud atheist, I will put my morals up against Pat Robertson, George W. Bush or anyone else who pretends to speak to God. Get over yourselves and work with the rest of us to make our country and the rest of the world a better place.

Remember God may or may not be watching you, but if he or she is, that deity knows who you really are - and so do we.

Randy Humphries - Round Rock"

I truly believe that all Americans, Republicans, Democrats, or whatever, share virtues and failings equally, including politicians. However, when politicians of either party, or officials and pundits of the party itself, use such virtues or failings to vilify the entire opposition, it is not only hypocritical, it’s just wrong.

And, yes, Democratic politicians have been guilty of this, too.

*The book referred to above, “Letters to the Editor - Two Hundred Years in the Life of an American Town,” was edited by Gerard Stropnicky, Tom Byrn, James Goode, and Jerry Matheny.