Let's Move on With Intelligence
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In my 17 years of reading The Pilot, I’ve never been compelled to write a letter until reading Bonnie Dougherty’s piece regarding “traditional marriage” (April 15). Viewpoints such as Ms. Dougherty’s demonize the stance of gay people.
Gay adults, by most reports, account for approximately 4 percent of the adult population.
We have seen all too frequently the hypocritical comments of individuals regarding the gay population (look no further than the United States Congress to recognize social and political posturing).
It is easy for Ms. Dougherty and her compatriots to ramble from a soapbox, yet I’d like to hear subsequent comments when a close family member reports he or she is gay and wants to marry.
Furthermore, the argument “without the ability to produce natural children together, why marry?” is suspect. So an older couple past child-bearing years or another who for medical reasons cannot reproduce should also be forbidden from marrying?
I truly believe that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated with mutual respect. An individual’s sexual orientation should be respected, not condemned. One certainty in life is that things will always change.
I’m hoping Ms. Dougherty’s views are those of a naive, uninformed minority, and that as a government we can move forward in a secular, intelligent, cohesive manner and leave this demagoguery behind us.
Roy Schneiderman
Pinehurst
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Comments
jimt 1 year, 1 month ago
Other than the fact that the estimate of homosexual men and women is generally estimated to be 10%, I agree with your sentiments.
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
jimt the only ones who estimate homosexuality above 4% are homosexuals, it's called wishfull thinking on your part but has little to do with fact. To Mr. Schneiderman voting for Amendment 1 is the only intelligent choice, the foundation of our society begins with traditional marriage and this amendment will provide one more layer of protection against those who to satisfy their own selfish agendas wish to fundamentaly change american society, we as a civilized society must draw the line. We do have the right to say some things are intolerable.
teufelhunden 1 year, 1 month ago
You have your opinion and Ms. Dougherty has hers. You cannot sit there and say that she is unintelligent for her ideas which are based upon her beliefs. You're wrong too.
MikeNC 1 year, 1 month ago
Ditto on what Bentpan and Teufelhunden had to say....Mike
JD 1 year, 1 month ago
I blame straight couples for having all those gay babies. Don't they know they are destroying sacred marriage with their affairs, divorces, and gay babies? / sarcasm
geoffcutler 1 year, 1 month ago
Roy, what a pleasant surprise to find you gracing the pages of The Pilot and this thread. This should be amusing. 4%...really?
geoffcutler 1 year, 1 month ago
Roy, just curious...since when are "we" a government?
lakeview 1 year, 1 month ago
Mr Schneiderman- I have to agree with Bentpan and Teufelhunden. Just because someone disagrees with your position on any subject does not make them unintelligent. Have you ever thought that Bonnie may think you are unintelligent since you don't share her opinion?
DoubleHeroides 1 year, 1 month ago
Everyone, I am not here to say whether Ms. Dougherty or Mr. Schneiderman is right or wrong. I want us all to take a step back from the brink some us are standing at. The premise that having an opinion entitles you to consider yourself correct simply because it is your opinion is a dangerous road to go down.
Opinions can be fundamentally wrong. Simply believing something, while it makes you “right” in your own head does not mean that you cannot be wrong. I have a right to the opinion that uncooked red meat at every meal is good for me but that doesn’t mean that I am correct.
Again, no comment on either individual opinion that is being discussed nor am I saying that people are not entitled to their opinions I just wanted to make a point of clarification that we should all consider having a rational discussion and not rest on the conversation ending statement "well that's my opinion and because it is mine you can't tell me its wrong" before this gets too far out of hand.
teufelhunden 1 year, 1 month ago
Exactly my point. Just because he wrote this doesn't make him more "enlightened" (people love using this pretentious word-LOL) than any other Joe on the street.
People will lose sight of what is decent and be deceived by depravity. It's all coming to pass...
JimHeim 1 year, 1 month ago
teufelhunden, my reading of history suggests that people have been claiming that we've been going downhill as a civilization for thousands of years. Either we were really super cool back then, the rate of decline is negligible, or we're not really getting worse. I go with the latter.
In fact, I would argue that we're getting ever so slightly better. We no longer sell each other (except the NFL and MLB); we no longer practice human sacrifice; and in this country, children go to schools instead of work houses. We no longer leave the elderly to fend for themselves (SS and Medicare).
I'm hard pressed to see the decay others are so spun up about.
teufelhunden 1 year, 1 month ago
See? Deceived and you don't even know it :)
Guy_Forks 1 year, 1 month ago
So Jim I got to know, which professional athletes are slaves, and which are rich bastards who need to pay their fair share?
DoubleHeroides 1 year, 1 month ago
@teufelhunden: To be frank I was referring more to you than to Mr. Schneiderman. “Calling him out” for expressing an opinion that runs counter to your own and then shielding your position by saying that a person opinion is personal and therefore cannot be wrong is an insufficient argument.
Which led to my point which was that in discourse if we are willing to concede that each person is not only entitled to their opinion but entitled to be allowed to believe that it is correct regardless of the nature of the opinion at no point would anyone be able to dissuade anyone of a poor choice, bad idea or flawed concept which defeats the purpose of civil discourse and debate.
lakeview 1 year, 1 month ago
We're easily getting worse.
Speaking of taxes. Anyone else heard that Rev Al not so Sharpton owes right at $1 million in back taxes. Some of the taxes had to do with his 2008 presidential run. Wait. 2008?? He hasn't paid taxes on that in 4 years. Why is ole Al catching a break? Wouldn't most of us be in jail? I thought you dems LOVED paying increased taxes. You know, spread the wealth and all that other baloney. Apparently, Rev Al not so Sharpton can preach on hyprocisy this Sunday morning. He does preach doesn't he??
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
Hey lakeview even odder is Warren ( my secretary pays more than I do ) Buffet owes $2 B as in Billion in back taxes and is fighting it tooth and nail, what a bunch of hypocrits.
teufelhunden 1 year, 1 month ago
Calling someone unintelligent isn't very nice now is it?
Bentpan 1 year, 1 month ago
DoubleHeroides 37 minutes ago @teufelhunden: To be frank I was referring more to you than to Mr. Schneiderman
So Mr. Schneiderman saying "Ms. Dougherty’s views are those of a naive, uninformed minority" is OK in your book........ Something else to remember is that for at least the last 2000 years the "opinion" of marriage as being between a man and a woman has been the prevailing thought and rule of law in the civilized world.
geoffcutler 1 year, 1 month ago
Really Roy, the naive, uniformed business really brings out the NE elitist in you. Ha-ha!
The_AnonymusProfit 1 year, 1 month ago
gay people getting married will not destabilize our country, continued trust in a government that on both sides is socialistic and operates outside the laws set to govern it will destabilize our country.
lakeview 1 year, 1 month ago
Bentpan- That is odd. That Buffett rule is simply designed to play on the stupid. How many liberals will explain the big reason Mr Buffett claims that his secretary pays more in taxes than he does, None !! It is simply because he has tens of mllions of dollars more in charitable cdonations that Ms Secretary does,,
JustThinking 1 year, 1 month ago
Lakeview hush! This is about all of those people who need to get back in the closet not taxes! (?) Just kidding, but really. Bentpan, yes you are so right, we absolutely do have the RIGHT to say that some things are just INTOLERABLE !