Sharman’s column has no place in the Star-Exponent
Published: November 2, 2008
Updated: November 3, 2008
No one enjoys a rousing debate more than I do during an election year. It is great fun to read the commentary in newspapers and magazines, watch the political pundits on TV and examine the spirited debates of candidates.
However, there are some opinions and commentaries that cross a line, not necessarily because of politics, but because of common decency. J. Michael Sharman’s column Oct. 22, “Power must be used properly,” has crossed that line.
Mr. Sharman has created a separatist table with his writings. Anyone who is anti-gay, anti-Planned Parenthood, anti-liberal, anti-gun restriction, anti-Democratic Party, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim are welcome to sit at his table.
I recognize that Mr. Sharman is devoted to his beliefs. After all, the Star-Exponent provides him with a forum every week. I can only assume that the Star-Exponent must support his views, but to compare Planned Parenthood, Sen. Obama, and the Klu Klux Klan? To insist that Planned Parenthood and Sen. Obama are associated with killing or supporting legislation that makes them both worse than the KKK?
One cannot believe that his poignant story of growing up in a racist community did not have more of an impact than to create hypocrisy.
I defend the right to speak in our democratic society. I defend Mr. Sharman’s right to his opinion. I do not defend the Star-Exponent’s actions in allowing the newspaper to become his bully pulpit.
You have chosen to support an independent columnist who espouses a divided America in such a way that it offends the sensibility of its citizens and strikes to the very core of our being. There is no place for hate politics in your newspaper.
Jeanne Grimes
Culpeper
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McCain showed so much grace in his concession speach. If his supporters and the likes of Sharman, Jarvis and the “conservative Christians” had shown more maybe the outcome of the election would have been different. Learn a lesson. If you can’t have it all then take what you can get. When you settle for nothing less than all you run a strong chance of getting nothing.
I’m glad, (and so are many people I know that send Mr. Sharman’s articles around the country), that CSE allows all viewpoints.
As a conservative Christian, our family enjoys and learns from Mr. Sharman. No, he’s not going to sugar-coat, and be gentle about issues that are in essence, not very gentle themselves, so if you want your ears tickled and warm fuzzies in your tummy, just put some music on and listen to an Obama speech. He’ll tell you what you want to hear.
I usually have little use for Mr. Sharman’s opinion, but we all benefit from listening to views different from our own. I’d like to see someone who espouses a gentler form of Christianity write a guest column from time to time.
Can we pleae stop with the name calling and intentionally mispelling screen name(s). Everyone has an opinion and we should not resort to put downs to prove or reinforce our point of veiw. I believe the Editors of this paper allow Sharman to voice his opinions because it creates a wealth of commentary from us. Every once in a while we digress, I am guilty of that too. Personnaly I find Sharmans stories to bwe on the bizarre said especially when is attempting to make a point based on some kind of morality. Case in point: his father could have stopped the car and asked the deputy for directions ending the escalating violence but instead the lesson was to look the other way, not get involved, and go home and write a letter to the federal government. The twist is the federal government would have contacted the local police, the man would have still received his unlawful beating, and nothing would have been done to stop it. How that ties into not voting for Obama I do not have a clue but Sharmans commentaries tend to deviate from something that begins with a point and ends with complete confusion. The original comment by Jeanne has merit and is valid, Sharman has a right to say the stupidest things he can think of and we should support his right to do so. We are not required to agree. Likewise all votes are our voice and they all deserve to be heard, Kudos to you Semper Fi Mom and may god watch over and protect your family from harm.
Funny someone should bring up the military absentee ballots. Rumor control has it that the active duty military in Iraq and Afghanistan are voting about 6-1 against McCain.
mst, are you just stupid or…well, I guess that’s it. You’re just stupid. I wasn’t talking about presidential elections and no one is ever quite sure what you were talking about, although I am sure it wasn’t about presidential elections either.
Here is the answer:http://www.therant.us/staff/l_fairchok/2008/11032008.htm
Wasn’t there a report released over national venue that pointed out how heavily the media skewed everything in Mr. Obama’s favor? Pro-McCain/Republican articles/columnists are in the minority as far as published articles are counted. More importantly, what about ballots from our military and ensuring they are counted? What about Acorn’s illegal actions that can really steal an election? The system has loop holes for those unethical enough to get away with using them. As far as Mr.Sharman’s view….they are his. No one HAS to agree with him.
I don’t think of Florida as a scam. I see it as a disgrace to our election process. The disturbing part of the Florida issue was that an accurate count was never really done, and can never be done because ballots were destroyed at the end of the fiasco. Mst, Bush may have still one the vote but it counts against all citizens when the process is rife with possible errors going either way. What if the count swung into the Democratic camp and all those same issues were there? Regardless of who wins in any election the process should not be complicated to the voters and should not require attorneys for both sides going into a courtroom to figure out whose ballots should be counted and why. We as a people bear an individual responsibility to ensure all of our elections are above board and that all of the actual votes are counted. That’s the true reason why our relatives have been giving their lives on battlefields since the Revolution. Democracy is giving a voice to each and every citizen. Every legal citizen has a voice and they should all count, regardless of what position they support or party they choose.
el drivel, I’m sure you know presidential elections are won on electoral votes. I guess I missed that constitutional amendment. Maybe you’re referring to the ‘00 election the liberals couldn’t steal in Chicago, normally the scene of the crime, so they tried their scam in Fla. They learned a lesson and now, thru ACORN, have taken their scam nationwide.
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