Unemployed or unmotivated?
A friend recently moved to Colorado Springs, about six month ago and has found not one, but two employment opportunities. I understand that the “ideal” job may not be available to everyone, but...if there are no jobs, why are there still ‘Help Wanted’ advertisements? Why are there still employment agencies?
The opportunities are out there for motivated people. So I ask you...are you UNemployed or just UNmotivated?
Tom Andenno
Colorado Springs
The nature of a free society
I have had it with the political “correctness” that plagues our society. How did things become so blatantly ridiculous? Last night, while watching a news show, I saw people who had been interviewed regarding calling a Christmas tree a holiday tree instead — namely for fear of offending someone. Seriously? Why is it that only Christians have to endure such ludicrousness? Nativities? Christmas trees? If you don’t like what Christmas stands for, don’t celebrate it. If you are Jewish and you celebrate Hanukkah, by all means, do so. If you celebrate Kwanzaa, feel free. No one will speak a word against it. Why can’t Christians have the same respect?
Why is it that you speak the name “Jesus” and some people get so offended they have to act out in some way? You never hear of anyone getting mad over Buddha. People defend Mohammed, but Jesus is torn to shreds? Why is that? People are trying to get play off a video somebody made that supposedly presents Mohammed in a bad light and for that, this man is still in jail on a parole violation. Yet, some “artist” can urinate into a glass and put a crucifix in it and that’s considered art?
When did everything become so backwards? We live in a free society, so someone is going to get offended by something. It’s the nature of a free society. Get over the fact that it is a Christmas tree! Look away from the nativity if you don’t like it. Turn the channel. Do what you need to do to get beyond it, but stop infringing upon our rights to celebrate one of the two most holy days of the year in our religion. Suing because you don’t believe? Freedom of religion is not freedom from religion.
Jill Haffley
Colorado Springs
Redefined out of existence
In his column Nov. 29 — “Being Pandered To...”, Barry Fagin proudly reiterates his libertarian determination to limit government influence in the lives of American citizens. He promotes as one of example of his libertarian convictions his support for same-sex marriage, which to some readers represents the greatest government intrusion in society in modern times — a philosophical contradiction of the first order of magnitude.
He champions admirably the need for every Americans to “claim responsibility for his or her life” and for “keeping government out of their lives,” planks that he correctly inserts into a “conservative” political platform.
Yet a “conservative” might well challenge Fagin, and insist that on the topic of his choosing, same-sex marriage, he confounds his audience by championing the very cause that more than any other current political movement guarantees the dissolution of the “responsible” society that he craves. Let us by all means, Barry, “keep government out of our lives.” Let each of us by all means retain “the responsibility for our own lives” free of government intrusion. Let us by all means demand that our personal relationships, including our definition and understanding of marriage are none of government’s business.
Specifically, if government in any of its guises arbitrarily redefines the institution of marriage in any fashion, it will redefine it out of existence. If marriage is contorted to mean “any two people,” it will then surely come to mean “any three people,” or more. We will see, inevitably, bigamy, trigamy and polygamy. We will see incest, pedophilia, bestiality and any other conceivable human relationship that will be “equal” to any other. The institution will have no defense against any assault.
For this “conservative,” this rendering of marriage to irrelevancy bespeaks what may be the ultimate moral sterility of the libertarian philosophy.
Whitney Galbraith
Colorado Springs