Dear Editor,
First, and most importantly, concerning the death of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder: My immediate response to his picture on the website brought tears of sorrow for a family I never knew nor even met. It saddens me greatly that such a young man with so much to live for was taken from our grasp by a shot fired from a group of individuals who stand for nothing but the sheer thrill of killing American soldiers. The picture also reveals one more thing; the character and sense of humor his parents did so well to instill.
For whatever the reasons, right or wrong, for going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Matthew heeded the call and took up the sword to defend those very freedoms we all enjoy but fail every day to appreciate. It sickens me to recognize how disconnected the American people are from our military defending our sovereignty worldwide. Most United States civilians seem to treat service in combat as though it is some television realty show, all the while mischaracterizing the military service as someone’s desire for war like it is some sort of hobby.
I believe the overt military policy in Afghanistan and Iraq is wrong. I too was fooled into believing the political manipulations of the powers that be; that is was worth sending our best troops to defend our liberty in a land full of lawless people. Sadly, however, I believe we have let our own military down. While this does not in any way diminish the sacrifice put forth by Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, it only bothers me more that I consented to requiring he be sent. How will this change the future of his family? Why must the lives of our sons and daughters continue to be put at such high risk knowing full well the consequences of their deaths? The time is long overdue to withdraw our overt military forces from these two countries before any more of our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters are laid to rest. President Obama, I call upon you to bring home our soldiers, sailors and airmen before further catastrophe strikes more American families. Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, I stand at attention and salute you, sir. Thank you. I love you and will always appreciate what you did for me.
Now, to the issue at hand. Anyone who wants to defend our freedom regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation should be held in high regard and treated with the respect and dignity afforded to all members of the military. I highly doubt Mr. Phelps would object to a homosexual soldier pulling him to safety after the explosion of a roadside bomb. The irony that Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder died defending the very right that Mr. Phelps chose to exercise (albeit a legal right) speaks volumes of the kind of values espoused by Westboro Baptist Church.
A homosexual person is one who is sexually attracted to others of the same sex. Except for a genetic variation of nature, they are virtually identical to their heterosexual counterparts. They feel the very same kind of attraction to the same sex as heterosexuals feel about the opposite sex.
Granted, there are those people who freely choose this behavior as a form of “lifestyle” but that accounts for a very small population of homosexuals. In fact, if one is not genetically predispositioned for this behavior, then by definition, they are not truly homosexual but rather some deviant variation of perverted behavior. Some would argue that the Bible condemns homosexuality, but I believe (through the persistence of science)
this behavior will be proven to result from natural genetic variation.
One can draw on the example of mentally disabled people (no offense intended toward either group) who, by no action of their own, are born comparatively slow or deficient in mental, physical or emotional growth. Homosexual people are therefore entitled to engage in sexual behavior consistent with their genetic makeup, so long as it is between consenting adults. To deny them this right would be the same as denying heterosexuals their right to consensual sex. Some would argue that sexuality is strictly for the purpose of reproduction, yet the animal kingdom has many variations of species who also cannot reproduce. Human beings are sexual beings, as was intended by their creator, and to suggest that a genetic variation of nature somehow makes homosexuals less human is indeed an inhuman concept.
Matthew, my brother, I’ll see you on the other side:
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Sincerely,
Joe Bialek
Cleveland
Be the first to comment