GAY MARRIAGE
Response to "Marriage issue evolving," Opinion, June 30
I suppose that Jay Bookman can be forgiven for misstating the precise import of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s confusing opinion in the DOMA case. Strictly speaking, what it says is that the federal government can’t say that one kind of legal marriage is better than another; it remains to the states to decide what a legal marriage is.
But I’m less willing to give Mr. Bookman a pass on his assertion that support for traditional marriage amounts to bigotry. There are all sorts of reasons to wish to preserve the traditional definition. I won’t claim to know what was in the hearts or on the minds of my fellow Georgians in 2004, but I do know this: It’s possible to wish gays and lesbians no ill in their private lives and loves, while still believing that the state’s interest in stable and responsible child-bearing and child-rearing is best served by supporting traditional marriage.
JOSEPH M. KNIPPENBERG, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY
PERSONAL JOURNEYS
Good reporting gives
‘Iron Man’ credit due
Eddie Sessions’ story (“The replacement soldier,” Living, June 30) was a fascinating piece.
Equally compelling were the lengths that Kevin Riley went to in order to accurately research and write about how Sessions’ “Personal Journey” played out. There were so many pieces missing and holes to fill that had to be substantiated and collaborated.
Riley’s perseverance and determination to get the story right and give Sessions the recognition he’s due were commendable. It’s a credit to good investigative reporting that one of the “Iron Men of Metz” was able to share his remarkable story with AJC readers.
JERRY SCHWARTZ, ALPHARETTA
CARBON EMISSIONS
Global warming model
spurs costly decisions
President Obama recently announced his efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S.
Carbon dioxide is an airborne fertilizer whose increase over 60 years enabled feeding the growth in the world’s population. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is a minor player in comparison to water vapor, which is 25 times more prevalent. The computer models President Obama uses to claim carbon dioxide affects climate vastly overestimate global warming. For the past 16 years in which carbon dioxide increases have been the greatest, the planet has experienced negligible warming.
The net result of the president’s policies will be dramatic increases in electricity prices as shown in Europe, via their adoption of solar and wind energy with no noticeable change in climate, and burdens on less-privileged society. China and India will increase coal use for cheap electricity, rendering moot any decreases in U.S. carbon dioxide output.
JAMES H. RUST, ENERGY ADVISER, THE HEARTLAND INSTITUTE
CONGRESS
Rule hurts democracy
by denying House vote
Whether applied as a rule or a guideline, the “Hastert Rule” allows U.S. Rep. John Boehner to prevent a vote by the House of Representatives on any bill that does not already have the support of a majority of House Republicans. This makes an important part of our government an exclusive tool of the Republican Party, and not representative of all the people of the United States.
What good does it do for a citizen to vote for a congressional representative if that representative is denied opportunities to vote on many of the important issues facing our country?
TONY GARDNER, CUMMING
