Sound Off!: July 2004

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Old and Rugged, Not Red, White and Blue

A reader responds to John W. Whitehead's recent column, Churches and the Corrupting Influence of Politics:

Dear Mr. Whitehead and The Rutherford Institute,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reasoned argument for not tying our precious faith to a political agenda. I've long been telling my friends the cross is old and rugged - not red, white, and blue.

Keep up the super work and may God bless each of you.

Thank you again,

Gary Wolff

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Reader Strong-Arms Canada On Drug Policy

In his recent column, Federal Agents Strong-Arm Elderly Citizens Seeking Affordable Drugs, John W. Whitehead wrote, "The Canadian government has wisely established a review board to ensure that drug prices are not so expensive that people cannot have access to them."

I cannot believe the head of an organization supposedly devoted to "the defense of civil liberties and human rights" supports a centralized government powerful enough to impose price controls - anathema to freedom. Just look at one example of the "wonderful" policies the Canadian government has "wisely established" - hate speech laws that have abolished freedom of religion.

Express any opposition to homosexual conduct and go to jail.

Cite the "wrong" Bible verse and go to jail:
(http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=31080).

Refuse to print pro-pedophile literature and go to jail - after all, the Bible is "hate literature"
(http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/apr/04041604.html).

Try to give new Canadian citizens a Bible, at their request, and go to jail (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jul/04071302.html).

I am also stunned by your ignorance of the economics involved. Canada has a small population. American pharmaceutical companies can make money off Canadian prices (or only lose a little) because they have recouped their investment in developing the drugs from American consumers. All they have to make back from additional customers is the much lower manufacturing cost. If the U.S. instituted the same price controls, the American companies would simply cease to make the drugs - and not develop new ones.

That said, I do support re-importation. The natural effect of that will be that the American companies will have to refuse to cut their prices as low as they have and Americans will no longer subsidize drugs for socialist countries like Canada.

Never forget Reagan's words: "The government powerful enough to give you everything you want is powerful enough to take away everything you have."

Karl Dussik

Monday, July 19, 2004

AIDS, Africa and the Death of Children

Dear Mr. Whitehead,

Your article on the AIDS epidemic in Africa is heartfelt, thus,thank you for writing it. Unfortunately, it also appears a bit political. For an interesting conflicting argument I wouldencourage you to read the following article link by Mr. James K.Glassman of Tech Central Station: http://www.techcentralstation.com/071304B.html

Personally, as an American, but more importantly as a Christian, I daily need to examine my heart to see if I've done enough to fight this terrible disease - By the way, I haven't, and nor has my home church, and so your admonishment is needed.

However, it's also important for your reader's to know where the rest of the world stands in this fight too, and how cheap displays of piety at international conferences, by pompous elitists, such as the ones in Bangkok are absolutely useless. Americans and Christians ARE at the forefront of this problem, and until I see any other nation step forward in such a way, I would say they should stay mum on the subject.

Keep up the good fight, and God Bless!

Paul Sweere
Minneapolis, MN

Read John W. Whitehead’s column, AIDS, Africa and the Death of Children

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Opposing Seat Belt Laws

Dear Rutherford Institute:

Seat belt laws represent unabated tyranny on the march as each year law enforcement is expanded. Such laws infringe on a person’s rights as guaranteed in the Fourth, Fifth, and the Ninth Amendments, and the Civil Rights section of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Seat belt laws are an unwarranted intrusion by government into the personal lives of citizens; they deny through prior restraint the right to determine a person’s own safety and health care standards for his/her own body. Not using a seat belt is a victimless, state-created crime that does not hurt or threaten anyone.

While seat belt use might save some people, there is ample evidence that others have been more seriously injured and even killed because of forced seat belt use. This is confirmed in the hundreds of successful lawsuits against the auto makers since the advent of seat belt laws in 1985, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and punitive damage awards. Further, some people have been saved because a seat belt was not used in an accident. In the latter case, the insidious nature of seat belt laws mandates that the survivor be liable to a fine and possible arrest and jail for not dying in the accident using a so-called safety device chosen arbitrarily by politicians.

The fact is, the government has no constitutional authority to knowingly maim and kill some people just because the government hopes to save others merely by chance. The fact is, the government has no right to take chances with a person’s body: play Russian roulette with a person’s life.

The millions of tax dollars spent annually in support of seat belt laws since 1985 has never prevented even one traffic accident, the real cause of traffic fatalities — not non-seat belt use. Further, studies have shown that some people feel safer wearing a seat belt and tend to take more driving risks. This is known as "risk compensation," which is covered in more detail in the 1995 book, "Risk," by Dr. John Adams, University College London, England. The book also covers other reasons against seat belt laws. The book is available on the Amazon website. There also are other professionals who have published in trade journals well documented research which clearly discredits the so-called benefit of seat belt laws, but the national news media refuses to inform the public of such facts.

We do not need to spend millions of dollars for more seat belt law enforcement, for more forced seat belt use, for more traffic accidents. Dollars spent for road safety should focus on achieving more responsibly educated drivers, and more safer-built roads and vehicles in order to prevent accidents. Preventing accidents will not only save lives but will save the cost of property damage and, most importantly, save our freedom.

There certainly is nothing wrong with voluntary seat belt use, as it is with all other personal safety and health care recommendations in life; however, there is a great deal wrong with all seat belt laws. All seat belt laws should be repealed in order to restore true liberty in the U.S.

Further information about seat belt laws can be found on —

www.seatbeltchoice.com

www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/holdorf1.html

www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/holdorf2.html

www.buckleoff.com

Sincerely,

William J. Holdorf
Chicago, IL

Thursday, July 08, 2004

The Police State and the Coronation of Moon

Dear Mr. Whitehead,

Yes, America is fast becoming a Police State. We are surpassing the socialist police states of Europe. Why? Most Americans have no idea what is going on. They don't listen to the news (as if the media reports on things such as required ID's) and most just have to work too long to put food on the table if they have a job.

On March 23, 2004, 81 members of Congress attended the coronation of Sun Myung Moon. He was declared "Ambassador of Peace" and "the Messiah". The ceremony took place in the Dirksen Office Building. So far, the Conservative Media has reported this as a hatchet job to discredit The Washington Times by Liberal Media. The Liberal Media reports it as Moon's ownership of The Washington Times and UPI. Not one has reported it as the outrage it was.

First Moon is not the Messiah and second it is against Section 9 paragraph 8 of the Constitution. I have e-mailed many reporters, columnist, news outlets and Ministers around the nation. So far only two columnist have replied: Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media and Alan Stang. Stang said he would investigate and Kincaid said while the story was true, it was more about the New York Times and Washington Post discrediting The Washington Times. Again, not the story of how 81 Congressmen violated the Constitution as well as insulting every Christian in this country.

Moon has vowed to destroy this country that he deems as sinful. He is a convicted felon. He vows to take over the UN and create a world government. Some of the Congressmen in attendance at the Coronation went to the UN to demand that they monitor our elections! This has been passed over completely by the media. Somehow a sick old woman in SC could see what the rest of the nation failed to see. Even the ACLU who is erasing Christianity from this nation failed to see the problem with a coronation in a Senate Office Building.

The problem is that too many so-called ministers are in Moon's pocket such as Jerry Falwell. Moon owns Liberty College. Through his money he controls the so-called Conservatives. How can we as Americans complain about anything such as the loss of freedom when no one does anything about Rev. Moon and his Coronation?

Sincerely,

Janet Upshaw
Taylors, SC