Condit’s conduct copies Clinton’s

It’s surprising that the liberal media is severely chastising Congressman Condit for lying, obstructing justice and having sex with a young intern.

One would expect that he’d have become another media darling since having acquired those attributes the media championed in our president over the past eight years.

Armond Simmons
Pell City

Our schools need the help of all of our citizens and parents. We need the commitment of your time and talent to help make our schools a better place.

As a parent, I urge all of you to pledge time to your child’s school — to help the teachers and faculty to make this the best school year for your child.

You don’t have to have a child in a school to volunteer. With proration, our schools will need parents to fill many positions as volunteers. The children are our future and one of our most valuable assets.

Let’s show them how much we care about them. Be a visible part. Join your local PTA and be a caring part of your child’s education.

Let’s take back our schools and put education in the front. Show our children that we mean it when we say, “The children are the future — let’s teach them well.” and do what it takes to give them the future they deserve.

Karen Burghardt
President
Montgomery County Council of PTAs Montgomery

As a parent of gay sons, friend to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered citizens, and president of PFLAG Montgomery, I am writing in response to readers who misunderstand the mission and vision of PFLAG.

PFLAG was founded to offer support for parents and family when they learned of a child’s or family member’s homosexuality. Friends were later added to the group name, because there are many friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered citizens.

The mission and vision of PFLAG are to promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual persons, their families, and friends through: support to cope with an adverse society, education to enlighten the public, and advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights.

PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

PFLAG does not, as a recent reader wrote, “promote homosexuality and an unhealthy lifestyle among our young people.” PFLAG does promote the health and well-being of all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons and their families and friends.

Homosexuality is not a chosen lifestyle — it is a person’s sexuality, as heterosexuality is mine. Homosexuals are parents, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, aunts, uncles, ministers, doctors, lawyers, actors, educators, sales clerks, Baptists, Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Unitarians, and others. Homosexuals are your neighbors and your friends.

Deborah Little
President
PFLAG of Montgomery

A recent letter attempting to justify Alabama’s low rate of taxation and education funding asserted that “Alabamians who really care deeply about the education of their children place them in private schools.”

I wonder whether this writer assumes that parents who can’t afford to pay for private schools don’t care about their children’s education. Surely he knows better. The vast majority of families cannot afford the cost of private schools.

He appears to assume that the quality of education provided in private schools is automatically higher than in public schools. Certainly not true.

I have three children in public magnet schools in Montgomery, and they are all receiving an excellent education. I am convinced that even the most prestigious (and expensive) private schools in this city could not offer a better overall education package, especially when you consider racial and socio-economic diversity a key ingredient in your child’s education.

Believe it or not, given the choice, I would sooner pay to keep my kids where they are than put them in a private school where they are exposed only to other white kids from middle- and upper-income families who live on the east side.

If Montgomery voters would support a property tax increase for education, we could work toward bringing the quality of education in all our public schools to the level of that in the magnet schools my children attend.

Calli A. Patterson
Montgomery

As a Christian and a concerned citizen I wish to respond to a letter criticizing PFLAG–Montgomery.

Contrary to the impression given, many Christians believe that God created and loves all of us – gay, straight, or in between. We believe that morality is not based on sexual orientation but how one treats others.

We believe that God sent his son Jesus to show us how to live. By studying the Word of God and the life of Jesus, we feel called to share God’s love and grace instead of judging others.

The letter writer implies that PFLAG has an underlying sinister goal of “promoting” homosexuality, an “unnatural lifestyle.” Homosexuality does not need to be promoted, it occurs randomly in nature, not only in man but other species. Education, tolerance, love and understanding are what need to be promoted.

Every school day in Alabama young people are taunted, harassed, beaten, blackmailed, and worse because they are gay, or because someone says so. Some teachers and administrators ignore, condone, and even participate in these practices.

Many teachers, administrators, and others who would like to stand up for these young people are fearful that they will lose their jobs if they do so. They are fearful of protests outside their schools led by local pastors and “Christians” accusing them of “promoting homosexuality.”

Every Christian and other person of faith should be joining PFLAG to protect and stand up for the rights of these young people.

Ken Baker
Montgomery

Advertiser readers sounded off on a variety of topics. A sampling of comments follows:

I believe the problem of jail overcrowding could be solved by releasing the nonviolent offenders into a different program.

The mandatory minimum sentencing should be stopped now. I watched two court cases in DeKalb County where the man who shot another five times was given 10 years and the man who grew some pot was given 15 years.

Now where is the justice in that? Other states have already stopped the mandatory sentencing. Come on Alabama, let’s not be last in this also.

Ann Tilley
Attalla

The police have searched Rep. Gary Condit’s place of residence and removed items from his residence for evaluation.

They want DNA samples from Condit and they want Condit to take a lie detector test in the wake of the disappearance of a former federal intern, 24-year-old Chandra Levy.

Amid all of this, the police still continue to stress that Condit is not a suspect in this missing person case.

If you believe that Condit is not a suspect, I have an inexpensive insurance policy with your name on it. For a one-time fee of $50 I can insure your in-ground swimming pool against fire and theft.

H.C. Hall
Montgomery

Our country and others should follow the leadership of China and allow one child per couple. This policy would lessen the possibility of another tragedy after childbirth. At the same time it would work wonders in halting the population explosion in our country and the Third World.

Any punishment from this mother’s act should fall squarely on the shoulders of a callous, unthinking husband who allowed his young wife to be burdened with five step-ladder children — a task that caused the young mother to become stressed out, weary and not responsible for her irrational act.

Jesse Bailey
Birmingham

I understand a new law is being introduced in Congress — no fraternization between interns and congressmen.

Congress members may soon have to start remembering their spouses. In Washington they say “I’ll try” rather than “I do” at their weddings.

Earl B. Wagoner Jr.
Prattville

Sowell accuses Davis of running “propaganda campaigns in the media” and says, “you don’t get very far in replying to inflammatory charges by asking people to believe that you are innocent.” He says, “You counter-attack by denouncing those who made the charges as either ignorant or liars” Outrage is more credible than whimpering; is it more newsworthy.

Unfortunately, Sowell knowingly omits the rich history of political spin as pioneered by Mussolini and Hitler, perfected by Richard Nixon, and improved by William J. Casey at the National Security Council. The term propaganda was updated to become “public diplomacy.”

Joe Boyett
Montgomery

Letters should be no more than 250 words. Letters to the editor, opinion and editorial columns, and articles submitted to the Montgomery Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.