Opinion :: Letters
Don’t dis gay conservatives
Thursday Jun 18, 2009
I don’t usually bother to write "letters to the editor" or respond to opinion pieces because, frankly, I’m too busy with life. However I feel the article entitled "GOProud: the wing-nut of the gay conservative movement" [see "Reality Check" June 11 issue] cannot be passed by without comment, and I’d like to do so on a point-by-point basis.
Mr. Epperly refers to GOProud as a "wing-nut" movement and singularly refers to Christopher Barron as "the head wing-nut". Not only is this condescending, but I fail to understand why those who chant the "diversity" and "tolerance" mantras are almost universally the most intolerant of anyone with a differing opinion. Mr. Epperly, you may find it incredulous we are not a homogenous group and those of us who lean to the "right" are just as deserving of the respect you desire for yourself.
Next we moved on to Mr. Barron’s op-ed on concealed gun laws. If I may quote from Mr. Epperly: "That’s right: the solution to violence is to put more guns on the streets in ways that make certain that nobody will know which gun nuts are carrying those guns until they are shooting up whatever ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, school, church, family planning clinic - or gay bar - that happens to be pissing off those right-wing gun nuts on any given day."
I would direct your attention to Kennesaw, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta and across town from me. On May 1, 1982 the city passed an ordinance [Sec 34-1a] requiring every head of household to maintain a firearm together with ammunition. It was passed partly in response to a 1981 handgun ban in Morton Grove, Illinois. Kennesaw’s law was amended in 1983 to exempt those who conscientiously object to owning a firearm, convicted felons, those who cannot afford a firearm, and those with a mental or physical disability that would prevent them from owning a firearm.
Gary Kleck, a criminologist and gun-control critic attributes a drop of 89 percent in the residential burglary rate to the law. Kennesaw is often cited by advocates of gun ownership as evidence that gun ownership deters crime. Current statistics according to cityrating.com indicate that Kennesaw’s crime rate is lower compared to surrounding cities like Marietta, Smyrna, Alpharetta, or Atlanta.
He also asks for "one--just one, that’s all I want - marquee Republican who has not sold the gay Republicans out." Happy to oblige: Dick Cheney. Mr. Cheney stands in stark contrast to Bill Clinton who brought us the magic of "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" after promising "by executive order if necessary" to stop the court-martials of gay and lesbian soldiers.
And while I’m on a roll here, most of my friends are basically performing a virtual personal act on President Obama because he signed a declaration that June was to be GLBT Pride Month. I thought it already was... so I did some research.
What I found is that Bill Clinton did this in 2000, in his eighth year in office. No mention as to why it took him eight years. to do it. Bush 43 got elected and in his infinitely questionable wisdom he decided to not renew it because he wanted "all Americans to be celebrated." Of course he didn’t take away Black history month, but I digress.
Now Barack comes along and recycles this nine-year-old lame idea and leftist queens nationwide are ready to proclaim him the savior of all things Gay. I don’t want a month; I want a full year where I get the same rights as every other taxpayer.
Finally, Mr. Epperly concludes with: "Think of it: a gay organization that exists essentially to act as an amen chorus for a party that has made racial, gender, ethnic and sexuality stereotyping the cornerstone of its electoral strategies..."
Obviously this is nothing like bringing out Sotomayor and touting over and over how she’d be the first Latina" on the court. Who’s bringing up race?
Mr. Epperly’s comments and criticisms are predictable, boorish, and in my opinion, unjustified. When one cannot manage to make a fully intellectual argument they often resort to name calling and this piece bore that out to be true.
I do not expect you to agree with me or those like me, but I do expect you to respect me.
Jonathan Baldwin
Atlanta, Georgia
Mr. Epperly responds: When gay conservatives can only dredge up The Cryptkeeper in the form of a dissembling, narcissistic former vice-presidential war criminal as their hero, something is so wrong I can’t even begin to scratch the surface without a Ph.D. in psychology.
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