Letter to the Editor

In response

Friday, June 4, 2004

Dear editor:

I am writing this in response to a letter to the editor written by Michael Pochop and posted in the Wednesday, June 2 edition of the McCook Daily Gazette. Throughout his letter to the editor Mr. Pochop makes a very personal affront to Mike Hendricks, a respected columnist as well as great teacher at McCook Community College. Mr. Pochop makes open references to the degradation of our society by allowing gay marriage. He goes further to compare gay marriage as the free love movement of the 1960's. His information about the percent of openly gay people is a statically proven fact, however, he did forget to mention that this number has not changed more than a percent in the last century. This follows along the lines that no real research was done into homosexuality in centuries past.

In paragraph three first line Pochop sites references to the free love movement of the sixties. The idea of comparing gay marriage to free love is not only preposterous, but also an incorrect comparison. The idea behind free love, or even open marriage -- as was a tried and failed movement within the sixties and seventies -- was to have multiple partner's and free the idea of sexuality and closed marriages. This, in contrast to gay marriage, is a laughable matter. The gay community is not asking to be wed in order to have multiple sexual partners and provide opportunities for "free love." The true idea of gay marriage is to join two people who feel that they are in love with one another. To bring personal attacks on the gay community and classify them in the same group as the "free love" movement of the sixties is a tremendous oversight of beliefs, values, and truth of the gay community.

What I understood as the point of the above mention article was that Pochop believes that by legalizing gay marriage we will be dooming the lives of all of our future children. I find this statement to be completely incorrect.

If we look within our own community we can find a good percent of young single mother's who are struggling to survive. If we look even deeper into the real problems that plague the entire United States we see families that are victims of domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and even sexual abuse. I would like to point out that I am not making claims that within a gay family the above things would not be present, however, I would point out that many children would be better off living with a gay couple than a degenerate family of abusive drug addicts who have children for tax, medical, and financial relief. What child wouldn't have a happier and healthier life in another home, even if it was in the home of a gay couple.

In paragraph two, Pochop refers that there is no proof that the idea of marriage was based on the idea of procreation in a Christian society. This is another falsity within his piece, I would suggest that he follow up his research in the Old Testament, more notable the first five chapters of the Bible referred to as the Pentateuch. Even more specifically the book of Leviticus. In Mr. Hendricks' article he does not try to direct the attention away from the religious aspect, but rather sheds light on the subject from another point of view, and yes, within our current society the idea of gay marriage and homosexuality is a heated debate. This cannot be seen within our rural environment, however, in more urban environments it is a huge issue. If you will recall people have even been beaten to death for the simple act of being gay.

In closing I would like to point out a few very key things. The following is selected excerpts from The Declaration of Independence, the very document that the idea of our society is based on.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

The above can be translated to simple terms.

Life -- "the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body"

Liberty -- "the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one, pleases b: freedom from physical restraint, c: freedom from arbitrary or despotic control, d: the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges, e: the power of choice"

Happiness -- "2 a : a state of well-being and contentment : JOY, b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience

If we look at the above definitions pulled from the "punch line" of our own declaration of independence we can see the truth of how our society was created. This is a full explanation of why it is wrong to say that a man cannot marry a man or a woman a woman. I believe if you get out of your own thoughts and read the thoughts of our fore fathers you will understand the truth in their words, by the simple and true meaning of these words.

In regards to Mike Hendricks, well written, I am pleased to see that someone within our community is willing to bring real issues in the United States to the city of McCook. I applaud you for taking a risk and talking about something that most people within our rural community tend to ignore.

That my friend is "great writing."

(This in no way is intended to show the stance on current social issues of Mike Hendricks' "Mike at Night." He was in no way connected with the writing of this article and should not be attributed or impugned by any of the above work.)

I am not a gay man, or woman, however, I will stand up and say that I am an advocate of gay marriage. This is a free country, and we should keep it that way.