I posted this LTTE of mine (see below) as a response within another thread here on the GD forum, but as one poster requested that it be posted as its own thread, I'm reprinting it here for the benefit of those among you who get frustrated with bigoted, hate-filled LTTEs. This particular letter of mine was submitted to the Cincinnati Enquirer -- but never printed -- as a response to their article, "Pastors Pledge Political Unity On Social Front" which is still available for viewing online at
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050904/NEWS01/509040360.Please note that along a similar vein, today I posted a thread on GD in frustration over a LTTE titled, "Many Democrats Don't Mix With God", which was just submitted to my old hometown newspaper. That thread may be found at:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x700819Anyway, this was my response to the Muslim-hating Reverend Parsley and to religious hypocrites everywhere:
I have a message for Reverend Parsley: You know, it's a good thing that not all people of faith are so busy
preaching hate.
Take my neighbor, for instance. (For the sake of protecting his
privacy, I'll just call him Mr. Smith.) He's a man of deep faith. He,
his wife and two small children live on an income of just over $14,000
per year.
Yes, Mr. Smith is a working man and a Vietnam vet. He's on his feet all
day, working hard to put food on the table, even though the spinal
arthitis that has left his body stiffened makes each day an exercise in
living through pain.
To help make ends meet he wanted to start a hauling business,
collecting others' throwaways and junk, something his two young sons
(who just started 7th grade) could help with in order to earn a little
spending money. To help him start out, I sold him my pickup truck for
one dollar and felt privileged to do it.
Mr. Smith and his family spend their spare time volunteering in their
community. They help out at the local food bank, the Salvation Army,
the PTA. Each summer they host a neighborhood block party, cooking
donated hamburgers and hot dogs for the neighborhood children (many of
whom cannot afford anything resembling a trip to an amusement park) and
to raise money for charities. Over the past few years these recipient
charities have included the Boys and Girls Club, The Salvation Army,
Loaves and Fishes (a local food bank), plus money to fight Childhood
Diabetes, among many other worthy causes.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith's door is always open to children from the
neighborhood and Mrs. Smith is the neighborhood "mom". Her porch is
always filled with children of all colors and faiths and rarely have I
seen her dinner table set without an extra place for one or two young
and hungry guests.
Oh, and only one of their sons is their biological child. Their other
son was adopted from a friend who died of cancer when her baby was
small. The boy still takes medication for a health problem he had at
birth.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast this family wanted to help
but could offer little but prayer. Yesterday, when talking to Mrs.
Smith, she intimated that after they had paid their monthly bills a
couple of days ago, they had ten dollars left over. They gave all ten
to hurricane relief.
Yes, Rev. Parsley, this is a family of faith in action. This is an
American family.
You say, quoting from your best-selling book, Silent No More, "I will
rail against the idea that the God of Christianity and the god of Islam
are the same being.''
Maybe you're right, Rev. Parsley. For you see, Mr. Smith, that neighbor
of mine, he is a Muslim. A black man and Muslim in America who
considers this lesbian and her partner as part of his own family.
Go ahead and tell me their God is not your God. Preach some more hate.
If there truly is a God, I know who's got His ear -- and His heart.
This is a true story.
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