OutSmart at A&M

Thank you for the July issue of OutSmart with the photograph of Paul Broussard on the cover and the excellent articles about education, homophobia, and hate crimes. I would like to let you know that 360 copies of the July issue were distributed to all faculty members in the College of Education at Texas A&M, to our campus ALLIES organization, and to members of the GLBT professional network. Additionally, our dean of education offered a touching remembrance for Paul at our August faculty meeting, and she discussed the importance of leadership by educators to overcome hatred and injustice based on sexual orientation. We are also very proud of our recent Texas A&M Ph.D. graduate, Dr. John Aston, who reported on his study of Jon Buice [one of Paul Broussard’s murderers] and homophobia in schools in the July issue. Keep up the great work!
Dr. G. Patrick Slattery, Jr.
Associate Professor, Texas A&M College of Education

Loathing LeftOut

To Daryl Moore:

I am sorry to read in your comparison of George W Bush and John Quincy Adams [September LeftOut] that you think so little of President Bush’s intellectual capacity. When a political party has so little to offer voters, it’s much easier, I admit, to attack your opposition.

You claim that Bush was a self-professed slacker in college. He has an MBA from Yale and is bi-lingual. He also has not made a career out of politics, a trait that you probably found attractive in 1992 when Perot ran against Bush Sr. I guess the experience Bush Sr. possessed was not a factor, then, when Governor Clinton ran against him. The economy of the state of Arkansas was equivalent to that of the city of Chicago. Exactly one-fifth of the Arkansas economy was chicken farming. But that did not stop you from voting for Bill, did it? Further, unlike Bill, at least W grew up in a more stable home environment.

You couldn’t help yourself in jabbing Bush by referring to last fall as his "alleged election." But I was wondering why you did not mention what president appointed David Souter to the Supreme Court. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Bush Sr. appointed him and Souter voted in favor of Gore in the Florida election challenge. You seemed to have overlooked that. But, I suppose that would refute your argument that the Supreme Court vote was compliments of Bush Sr.

Speaking of alleged elections. Name for me the last Democrat to win a majority of the popular vote. It was Jimmy Carter with 50.1 percent. Clinton won only 43 percent and almost 49 percent of the vote in two election wins. Clinton never had a mandate to govern any more than liberals like to claim that W has now. Additionally, W received more votes in the last election than Clinton did in either of his victories. Gore did not receive a majority in 2000, he received a plurality.

You did not hear us conservatives claim that Clinton was an illegitimate president while he was in office, Daryl. It’s time for you guys to let the last election go and, like defenders of Bill like to say, "Let the president get on with doing the work of the American people."

Your most passionate political foe,

Mike Crowe
Houston

Daryl Moore responds:

The difference between Clinton and Bush is this: While Clinton might not have had a mandate, he did get the most votes of any candidate running. "W" can't say the same.

The difference between you and me–and my politics and yours–is best summed up by the statement you made in support of "W": "Unlike Bill [Clinton], at least W grew up in a more stable home environment."

Thank you for that reminder. Now I realize how wrong I was to I support someone for president who was from an "unstable," single-parent, low-income family. After all, only the privileged deserve a chance to lead in this country. Right?

September 11

Hate, prejudice, and intolerance are dangerous and destructive in and of themselves, but when religious fanaticism is added to the mix, it becomes an even more evil and deadly force. The events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, are a product of this sinister mix.

For most, religion provides comfort, it inspires us to be better human beings and is a force for good in many of our lives. However, there are individuals and groups who have bastardized religion such that they have convinced themselves that hate, terrorism, murder, and destruction is God’s will.

The network of fanatic Muslims who perpetrated these atrocities on our country are not representative of Muslims as a whole. The Christian fanatics who have terrorized healthcare professionals and patients at clinics that perform abortions, or have attended funerals of victims of AIDS chanting hateful remarks at mourning families, or white supremacists who have justified violence against minorities in the name of God, are not representative of Christians as a whole.

I hope we Americans and, indeed, the world learn that hate, intolerance, and prejudice have no place in our society or in our religions. Our peace and freedom depend on it.

Steve Christy
Houston