MEANS MORE COLLINS
Re: Reid Collins’s L.S.M.F.T:

I especially like your articles by Reid Collins. Not only does he make his points but his sense of humor is priceless. Keep them coming!
— Maryann Davidson
Morristown, New Jersey

ACHES AND SOROS
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.’s Richard Mellon Soros:

R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. concludes: “Is this the desperation of an old political order facing oblivion?”

It’s still a long way to oblivion, it does seem, though, to be a case of Mr. Soros being drawn by the irresistible temptation to take advantage of a prime opportunity to wield unprecedented influence on the party. An opportunity presented by that dearth of ideas that has created a self-induced vacuum. His dramatic “life or death” rhetoric is merely carefully crafted dressing meant to assuage the party faithful of his solidarity with their cause.
— Mark Hessey
Belmar, New Jersey

FIGHTING WORDS
Re: Lawrence Henry’s Taking Back a Church:

A good friend, retired rector of an Episcopal Church in New England to which I once belonged now attends a local Baptist church. He was the heart and soul of that Church, so I am sure it will wither and die. The “Jesus is Lord” sign has been removed from the front lawn, which says much to me.

I say do what I did: join the closest Bible believing church in your neighborhood, ignore the politics and enjoy the fellowship. We are now in a non-denominational age in which those that have an open and honest relationship with the triune Great I Am live and worship, saved sinners all, on a “Sola Scriptura” basis.
— unsigned

Lots of congregations, regardless of denomination, allow their interpretations of God’s Word to serve their personal needs, wants and desires. So when Mr. Henry calls for Episcopalians to “fight,” whose interpretation of God’s Word is his church going to use as its basis for the conflict? Didn’t he acknowledge that his own denomination picks and chooses which of God’s laws and Jesus’ teachings it can opt out of?

I agree. Faith in a jealous God who is omni-potent, -present and -cient is worth fighting for, but do we really understand the mystery of God’s love and how to fight in the context of a loving Savior?

Withhold funds, seek to defrock church-sactioned/tolerated sinners, but the battle is the Lord’s (Tony Evans).
— Stu Margrey
Denton, Maryland

Mr. Henry can find some solace, possibly, in considering a path to Rome. We RC’s have our insufferable liberals, but their influence wanes daily. He could too remain amongst his fellow Episcopalians because in his Church too, the liberal experiment is being shown for the fraudulent failure it is.
— Andrew G. Mac Donald

Mr. Henry, your article shows the anguish which has pervaded your church since the “consecration” of a homosexual; however, there is more than property involved in this fight. It is the soul, which you failed to mention during the entire article. Buildings etc. are worldly trappings which have no meaning in the afterlife. Also your traditions, liturgy, and so on are man’s work and not the Lord’s. If Anglicans are truly concerned over the loss of the Spirit in their “church,” they should forsake it and find a church where the Lord is in charge and the Bible is preached as the Word of God. Only then will these churches of man crumble into the rubbish heap they have become. Worldly possessions are meaningless when you lose your soul. Myself, I left the Catholic Church many years ago when it started drifting to the left, so I have an idea what you are going through in that respect. I will say, in closing, I enjoy your articles very much.
— Pete Chagnon
Burlington, Vermont

Lawrence Henry replies:
Thanks to all for the kind replies. Believe me, we are considering all options. My wife and I are devoted listeners to Chuck Swindoll, so we’re also devoted to Scripture. We contribute to Focus on the Family. We support the Massachusetts Family Institute. And to all, I remind you of this verse:

Though with a certain wonder, men see Her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch our keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping will be the morn of song.

Yours in Christ,
— Lawrence Henry

BRITISH MATTERS
Re: James Bowman’s Britain Bugged by Bush:
It is so BRITISH to picture the President as a hayseed, and then use that as an excuse to hate him.
— Paul Flynn
Las Vegas, Nevada

Shawcross’s statement is untrue and anomalous to even the casual observer of Clinton. A committed Christian? Even the pastor at the fashionable cathedral attended by the Clintons (and the Doles) denies Christ’s divinity. More significantly, no believer in the Christian faith could possibly have lived the amoral life described in the biographies — even the halfway favorable ones.
— James Wheatley

James Bowman should see this, apropos British reaction to President Bush. The more things change, the more they stay the same. From The Education of Henry Adams:

London was altogether beside itself on one point, in especial; it created a nightmare of its own, and gave it the shape of Abraham Lincoln. Behind this it placed another demon, if possible more devilish, and called it Mr. Seward. In regard to these two men, English society seemed demented. Defence was useless; explanation was vain; one could only let the passion exhaust itself. One’s best friends were as unreasonable as enemies, for the belief in poor Mr. Lincoln’s brutality and Seward’s ferocity became a dogma of popular faith.

There was an episode in which W. M. Thackeray utterly lost it, so disturbed was he about President Lincoln:

On quite insufficient evidence, he burst into violent reproach. Had Adams carried in his pocket the proofs that the reproach was unjust, he would have gained nothing by showing them. At that moment Thackeray, and all London society with him, needed the nervous relief of expressing emotion; for if Mr. Lincoln was not what they said he was — what were they?

— unsigned

GO EAST, YOUNG MAN
Re: Bill Croke’s In the Bozone:

Croke very adequately describes the Bozeman, Montana, of today. What was once a great place to see college rodeo and the Cat-Griz football game (Montana State University vs. The University of Montana) has been raped, pillaged and plundered by Californians and other bed-wetting liberal types. As a rancher friend of mine who is a diehard Cat fan says, ” If you want to see the West in Montana, go East.” He’s absolutely right. Those of us who have lived in this wonderful state for at least ten years regret Ted Turner finding us and, thereafter, the Californication of what was a great place to live.
— Ed Laws
Billings, Montana

HIGH NOON
Re: George Neumayr’s Marriage License:

Please extend to Mr. Neumayr my congratulations for his forthright and courageous article on this latest laughable example of judicial idiocy in Massachusetts. He is to be commended for writing what he did.

Would that the people of Massachusetts simply ignore — yes, ignore — these judicial oracles and continue on their lives as if their “ruling” did not even exist. I make this suggestion in earnest. It is long past the time that we should begin to call the court’s bluff and tell them to go take a flying leap. The same attitude should be shown to the U.S. Supreme Court when they presumed to overturn the Texas anti-sodomy laws.

Time to thumb our collective noses at these lunatics. But, that would undermine the law, you might say. So what? Isn’t that what these judges have been doing all along?
— Dan Guenzel

I am glad I am 52 and have not much longer to survive the assault from the PC crowd. The Mass. decision is clearly a case of Judicial overreach in the status of civil society.

Shakespeare had it wrong. “First we shoot all the Judges.” The Lawyers are second.
— John McGinnis

Absolutely fantastic column. Keep up the good work
— G. Murray

U.N. DOING
RE: Jeb Babbin’s A Fuse Burning Short:

As usual, Jed Babbin is dead-on in regard to Iran. The IAEA could not find its butt with both hands. Saddam knew it, Iran knows it, and the U.N. doesn’t care.

But here is a larger question. Can we do anything about it? At the rate public opinion seems to be going, by this time next fall, we could have a new president just like the one we had before Bush. Anyone really believe any of the Needful Nine would do anything about Iran short of it setting off a thermonuclear device in D.C.? All of them have already declared themselves to be subservient to the U.N.

Bush is faced with a terrible dilemma. If he fails to act, and Iran goes nuclear big-time, he is blamed for not acting. If he acts militarily against Iran before proof of nuclear weapons in Iran is found (you know, like Kofi finds a gob of plutonium marked “Made in Iran” in his elegant apartment), the general public, many of whom have already let 911 fade into distant memory, will come down on him like a ton of bricks. By the way, Jed, haven’t we already learned that trade embargoes don’t work against these people? The nuclear facilities have to be taken out, you know it and I know it. Sounds like a mission for the Israeli Air Force to me.

Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe.
— Mike Webster
Dallas, Texas

IN THE SWIM OF THINGS
Re: Paul Beston’s Hanging Around:

Paul Beston writes concerning Mark Fuhrman and Tonya Harding that “Why Fuhrman succeeded and she failed is anyone’s guess.” I am curious if Beston even considered the possibility that it is because Fuhrman has found something he is talented at, and Harding has not. Regards, Glen Hoffing

Paul Beston’s article on Sharpton was superb. Thanks.
— unsigned

Mr. Beston forgot to mention one of the great “hangers-on” ever — Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He swimmingly resurfaces time after time after time.
— Kevin Walsh
Chicago, Illinois

LOSING LOUSY
Re: John Tabin’s Duking Bobby Jindal:

On every conservative website, Mr. Jindal’s loss is attributed to white — dare I say it? — racists. Yet no one will utter the words “black racists,” even though over 90% of blacks voted against him. From the post-election analyses, one would think the same proportion of whites voted against him.

Is objective analysis dead?
— David Govett
www.japanorama.com

Your report on an unknown, perhaps decisive, last-week strategy, makes sense. Without much detailed awareness of this race in the Cajun state, it was only after the GOP won the two governor’s races a couple of weeks ago that I took more notice, becoming very interested in the young Indian “whiz kid. ” It sure seemed like he would win, as RealClearPolitics.com predicted, but my gut intuition told me he would not. Not to pick on Louisiana, but here are some time-honored facts about that benighted state:

1. It has a depraved history of endemic corruption, from Huey Long to the latest “crook,” Edwards.

2. It’s a staunch Democratic strong-hold, with the latest re-election of Landreaux another poke in the GOP’s eye.

3. Democrats are infamous for voter fraud, and I firmly believe precinct captains still manage to steal at least 5% of the votes, by many means.

4. As Jindal pointed out, under Democratic control there’s been an outflow of people from Louisiana, and you have to realize these will be mostly Republicans: the winners say adios, and that means, on the margin, that those still pinned down in this “sorry” state tend to be less educated and easily manipulated by the Democrats….
— unsigned