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Thank you, Garrett! Very cogently expressed.<br>
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Sam Scripter<br>
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>From the Moscow-Pullman Daily News<br>
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<h1 style="margin: 5px; padding: 0px; clear: both; font-size: 20px;">LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR: Aug. 19</h1>
<p id="storydate"
style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 6px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Posted
on: Thursday, August 19, 2010</p>
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<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><strong>No
one knows what God wants</strong></p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">People
throughout history have used their belief in God to justify many
things, from the mundane to the profane. It's still disconcerting to
see those involved in science, like Larry Kirkland (Letters, Aug.
14-15), claim to know what God wants. At the best it's arrogance, at
the worst it's craziness. No one knows what God wants.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Even if we
did, the First Amendment is very clear: It's illegal to pass laws
"respecting an establishment of religion."</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Those trying
to legislate their religion have a fundamental disconnect about what
America is. To discriminate against fellow Americans because of your
religion is bad enough, but to try to usurp the First Amendment, that's
traitorous and dangerous.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">It seems
people like Kirkland have created God in their image. They worship a
vengeful god, someone willing to send you to hell if you disobey. Why
someone would worship a god who seems insecure and tyrannical I don't
know, but this is America. We don't have tyrants or kings ruling us. We
elect our leaders.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">The First
Amendment also guarantees we can "... petition the Government for a
redress of grievances." Can we do that with Larry's god? It seems he
wants us to forget the concept of a constitutional republic, bow down
and endorse his bigotry.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">It's evil to
keep people from loving each other. It's evil to use religion to
suppress other Americans' civil liberties.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Gay people
are just as capable of being rational, responsible and loving people as
Kirkland probably assumes he is. He should be allowed to commit his
love to whoever he wants, just as much as homosexuals. Neither should
be in an elite class.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">I'm not
willing to sacrifice our Constitution and fundamental principles of
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to Larry's religion. I hope
rational people won't, too.</p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;"><strong>Garrett
Clevenger</strong></p>
<p class="storybody"
style="margin: 10px 5px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.4;">Moscow</p>
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