Mark West has once again mobilized “concerned” citizens to fight against the rights of other citizens in our area.
Because I was enjoying Thanksgiving out of town, I would not have been aware of the frenzied efforts on the street corners of Chattanooga had I not receive a call from a granddaughter expressing her outrage at the public display of bigoted hatred. I thank God every day for my educated, open-minded, loving, non-judgmental grandchildren.
I reassured my granddaughter that the fight is worth it and in the end, hopefully, We Shall Overcome.
Mr. West says he is pleased with his use of the social media in his efforts in secure almost 6,000 signatures of like-minded individuals. Having been blocked from the Tea Party Facebook page, I can only assume that dissenting opinions are not welcome.
One suggestion, Mr. West, if I may, the next time you have such a lovely turnout for one of your events, why not ask for a $10 donation from each member when they sign your petition. Sixty thousand dollars is a lot of money and Chattanooga has a lot of people in need. Perhaps there may even be some redemptive value in balancing charity with the lack there of.
Cecilia Lewis
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So Cecilia says that when someone brings to light concerns they have about an issue and seeks support to have a moral majority vote on it, is bigoted hatred and fighting. I think the proper word for it is "Democracy." It occurs many times throughout the year during election cycles.
Again, you made my point from a earlier letter. Someone takes a moral stand and the "left" call them haters. As for your $10 donation for charity, I would bet my new XBOX, most of those 6K signees give way more than that every Sunday morning to support their church which supports local missions to missionary's across the globe.
So stop hating Christians. Christians hate no one but instead love all mankind. FYI, you can still love someone even though you voice your opposition to their Godless lifestyle.
They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 1 Peter 4:4
Michael Burns
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I would like to ask Ms. Lewis if it ever occurred to her that the "mobilized citizens" of Chattanooga who support the petition against providing health insurance benefits to city employee's domestic partners and their families is not fueled by bigotry and hatred? Has it ever occurred to her that these citizens are concerned about the additional cost to the taxpayers of Chattanooga? Ms. Lewis, nothing is ever free, someone has to pay for it.
How people live is a personal choice as it is whether taxpayers should have to pay for another's lifestyle. I would venture to say that there is not a single business in this city who provides such benefits to their employees. I work for a small business who pays a total of $50,000 plus a year in combined city and county taxes, a business which I might add whose profit for the year wasn't as much as these taxes. This business also generously donates to The Salvation Army, Chattanooga Food Bank and The Rescue Mission (hardly an owner who has no compassion.) There is a limit to how much one individual can afford to provide to someone else, especially for a benefit they can't even afford to provide for themselves or their employees. And there is certainly a limit to what senior citizen homeowners can afford to pay for those who are gainfully employed and have generous salaries and benefits.
Ms. Lewis this is not an issue of liberals vs. conservatives or bigotry and hatred, it's an issue of realism, something we could all use a large dose of.
Cynthia Patterson
Chattanooga