Letters to the editor Hate From the Pulpit?
I was discussing with a friend recently the fact that Memphis now has the dubious distinction of being named the most dangerous city in the U.S. (Fly on the Wall, October 21st issue). He commented on the irony of Memphis being known as both the most dangerous city and the city with a church on every street corner. I don’t find it ironic at all.
With preachers spewing hatred, bigotry, and divisiveness from hundreds of pulpits, is it any wonder we are a city of warring factions? A recent survey showed that atheists know far more about religion than supposedly religious people do. This comes as no surprise, either. Most so-called religious people operate purely from emotion and are blindly led by any forceful and charismatic preacher. They seldom bother to inform themselves about their own religion, let alone the beliefs of others. They regard science as a tool of the devil and logic as the enemy of their faith. In such an environment, how can tolerance and peaceful coexistence possibly happen?
Jim Brasfield
Memphis
It Takes a Van
Regarding editor Bruce VanWyngarden’s column (October 14th issue): Like his wife, “whose heart is bigger than her zip code,” I also mentor kids, particularly my neighborhood’s transient kids who rent one month and are gone the next, through no fault of their own. I have hooked up these kids with a number of Memphis organizations offering commendable, no-cost educational services to impoverished youth: the YMCA, the Boys & Girls Clubs, Caritas Village, etc.
The long list of Memphis-area mentoring organizations is bigger than my zip code. But the biggest challenge is transportation. I drive the kids wherever and whenever I can, but I can only do so much. Can some agency or individual provide our city’s children with safe, reliable transportation to the dozens of mentoring agencies? Raising a child not only takes a village, it takes a van!
Frances Taylor
Memphis
Cut NPR Funds
After the firing of liberal commentator Juan Williams by NPR for simply saying the truth about those in Muslim garb at airports, it is time to cut taxpayer funding to this left-wing public radio outlet.
Recently, billionaire George Soros gave NPR $1.8 million and is the principle backer of anticonservative, anti-American organizations MoveOn.org and Media Watch, whose only goal is to destroy conservative causes and the Fox News channel. It is now clear NPR only exists to promote extreme left-wing viewpoints, and taxpayers should not bear the burden anymore.
John Jacobs
Memphis
Fincher
I believe voters should send Stephen Fincher to Congress. For far too long, the voters have sent college-educated lawyers, doctors, engineers, and economists to Washington, and look at the mess these over-educated folks have created.
Stephen Fincher is a graduate of the renowned Crockett County High School and is unencumbered by all the crazy stuff they teach in college. He will bring a high school graduate’s clear thinking to Congress. Contrary to published reports, Fincher has held elective office. According to his website, he was elected president of his men’s Bible study group in Frog Jump.
In a representative democracy, all voices have an equal right to be heard. For too long, the voices of the uneducated have been drowned out by politicians with college diplomas. Fincher will speak for the millions of Americans who are either too poor, too stupid, or too lazy to get an education.
Robert T. Koenig
Bartlett
Stripped
I was ticked off after I read Bianca Phillips’ article, “Stripped Down” (October 21st issue). I didn’t think the Supreme Court would let the County Commission’s resolution stand.
I hadn’t been to a strip club in years, until two weeks ago, when a friend had his bachelor party at the newly reopened Gold Club. Our party probably spent $700 over the course of a couple of hours, and I’m certain that some of that has found its way into the county coffers. If the new laws come into effect, these clubs will close and remove not only an important source of tax revenue for the city and county but also a source of employment for several hundred people. If you don’t like strip clubs, just stay at home and keep your morals to yourself.
Paul Morris
Memphis
Corrections: In last week’s “Stripped Down” story, the names of U.S. District Court judge Bernice Donald and Gary Veasey were misspelled.
encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.
