This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016
Far from natural?
Dr. Bill Cummings must have been asleep in his Moral Theology classes, or skipped them, when he was in the seminary. Same sex attraction in itself has never been considered sinful or condemned by the church, only the actuation of that attraction into sexual activity. Left-handedness compared to SSA? Really? "Doin' what comes natur'lly?" Really? Dr. Cummings has bought into the big lie of the gay agenda. As for his "statistics," they're completely skewed. The 2000 U.S. Census Bureau found that homosexual couples constitute less than 1 percent of American households. The Family Research Report says "around 2-3 percent of men, and 2 percent of women, are homosexual or bisexual."
One can "rejoice" over the U.S. Supreme Court's acceptance of same-sex "marriage," but the reality of the gay culture is not monogamy, fidelity and exclusivity, but rather promiscuity on a grand scale with a superfluity of associated diseases. Independent researcher Dale O'Leary published a hair-raising paper in The Linacre Quarterly two years ago called "The Syndemic of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among MSM" (men who have sex with men) that tells a plethora of uncomfortable truths about MSM.(See www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034619.)
I refer you also to a recent article in Crisis Magazine on the staggering cost of medical care for the gay community: www.crisismagazine.com/2016/their-sexual-proclivities-are-killing-them-and-costing-us-billions.
Besides these physical diseases, studies also show that active homosexuals are far more likely to have a history of psychological disorders, suicidal ideation and substance abuse problems than the general population. I can't see what's natural about that.
— The Rev. Mr. Dennis A. Arcand, OFS
Warner Robins
Up is down
So, in the bizarre "Through the Looking Glass" world we live in today, our fearless leaders tell us that; global warming causes blizzards, heat waves, tornadoes, hurricanes, rainstorms, drought, hot summers, cool summers, freezing winters, mild winters, snow, lack of snow, melting glaciers, growing glaciers, dust storms, fog, hail and head lice. Got it? They are also endeavoring to convince us that good is evil, up is down, black is ... uh ... water is dry, warm is cold, CO² is poison, slavery is freedom, Muslims are peaceful, criminals obey gun laws, the science is settled, heat causes cold, and (wait for it — courtesy of the Obama regime) lack of jobs from global warming caused ISIS. If you believe any pronouncement from this government, then, just for you, Sunshine, the chocolate ration has been decreased from 30 grams to 20 grams. Enjoy!
— John Brogden
Warner Robins
Age disqualification
I agree with Professor David J. Garrows that Congress is dysfunctional. But I do not believe establishing discriminatory age limits on federal judges will resolve the circus atmosphere in Washington. Garrows claims that courts benefit from the wisdom of judges with many years of experience. This is also true of doctors, teachers, plumbers, pastors and mechanics.
I do not think Garrows is qualified to determine the age federal judges or any one else should retire. Does he want Congress to establish mental health qualifications for professionals when they turn 75, or some other arbitrary age? I wonder who will establish the mental acuity qualifications to determine when an individual should be forced to retire?
I think one of Garrows' recommendation has some merit. The government could establish hotlines so staff members could report signs of cognitive decline of their colleagues and superiors. I think this can be expanded to include teenagers. They can contact the DMV whenever dad forgets where he placed his keys, or when mom uses her car's GPS to locate a store in Atlanta. It can be expanded to include students who contend that a test was too hard or a teacher unfair. What do we call a system that encourages individuals to spy on their colleagues, neighbors and friends and report unsubstantiated acquisitions to a government agency?
If age can be used to force an individual to retire, what's the next qualifier? Or the next profession? I am not concerned that congressmen will dodder into senility. I am more concerned about their cognitive decline. How can they justify deficit spending, mounting debt and the decline of the military?
— Jim Costello
Perry
Bond deal questions
A recent call to our county attorney, Tom Hall, about the county development authority's $1.2 million bond issue to Frito-Lay several months ago and the issue of no new jobs involved may actually sound OK. The county has no new debt after the bond issue but may lose some county taxes for awhile.
The $1.2 million is being used to acquire, update and install new assembly line equipment that is likely to be highly automated and that doesn't require any new employees. The bond company has the new debt and makes a profit in its deal. A common occurrence.
It all sounds too good to be true and all kind of smoke and mirrors to me. I think Frito-Lay made out like a bandit in this deal and didn't even have to hire any new personnel. They might even lay off several current employees. Something's rotten in Denmark. If our county government is supposed to have an annual balanced budget yet has this kind of bond deal?
— Frank W. Gadbois
Warner Robins
Good for the lawmakers
Thank God that the Macon-Bibb County lawmakers in Atlanta didn't support the commissioners battle to take away the mayor's authority to fire department heads. I remember several years ago when the mayor fired the Public Works Department head after the landfill was fined over $30,000 for not adhering to requirements. The City Council (at the time) got him reinstated and soon there was another fine of over $15,000. The mayor was trying to put a person in the position who could get the job done.
Georgia, like most states is a work "at will" state. This means that an employer can fire an employee without good cause, as long as he doesn't violate employee rights or break labor laws. Basically, none of us are guaranteed a job even if we are doing a good job. So why should government jobs be guaranteed or should the mayor whom we have elected, be subjected to the politics of the commissioners?
The mayor is in office to guide and direct the city-county government and part of that job is making sure he has the best people doing the jobs he has authority over. Most of our mayors have not abused their power and if they do, we can vote them out of office. I do not feel Mayor Reichert has ever abused his authority.
I hope some of the commissioners, with their own political agendas, will be voted out in the future.
— Richard Dowdell
Macon
This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 3:13 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016 ."