More grief for Goode
Nail this man to the journalistic wall [“Goode Makes Complete Ass of Self,” Government News, December 19]! He is a disgrace to the United States and the founding fathers, many of whom espoused the principles of metaphysical spirituality, Buddhism, and who knows: maybe even the tenets of Islam. I thought the United States had long outgrown the prejudice, hatred and ignorance exemplified by this jerk’s statements. Our Constitution says we have separation of church and state and that there shall be no State religion, yet so many of these elected officials want to brand us as a Christian nation, while professing all the while that we are a melting pot of diversity. The truth is, we are a nation of ever-increasing diversity, and we are so much the better for it. The misconceptions of the spiritual and religious beliefs of others abound in our society, and with very little effort, one can do a comparative study of religions, only to find out that they all are based on the same universal truths and tenets. I look forward to the day when we will realize that we are all the same, that there is only one deity with many names and faces, and the world can live in peace, free of the ignorance and mental deficiencies that seem to plague so many of our elected officials.
Judy Loudin
Cheyenne, WY
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I tried to send Virgil Goode (www.house.gov/goode) an e-mail, but apparently, he does not have an e-mail address on his website. I think his comments about Muslims/Islam are disrespectful and absolutely stupid. He needs to educate himself about Islam/Muslims, because Islam is not a violent religion. However, there are radical/fundamentalists Muslim who portray Islam as a violent religion (note: same as Christians who bomb abortion centers because they feel abortion is wrong). Virgil Goode has no business representing a state or anyone else because he cannot educate himself on the facts of other religions. By the way, I am not a Muslim, I am a Mormon, but I have done extensive studies on Islam, and I know that Islam does not promote violence.
Angelia Fields
Mobile, AL
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Congrats from Indiana for picking this up. We have a few Goodes around these parts as well. I just wish ours would be as dumb as yours so we could spike him as well as you did.
F.T. Sparrow
West Lafayette, IN
Conception confusion
I enjoyed reading your review of The Nativity Story [Film, December 12]. Your point was clear when you wrote, “Eventually, Mary returns to Nazareth, where the hometown folks —particularly her husband—have a hard time swallowing the whole ‘Immaculate Conception’ deal. After a few more visits from the Angel Gabriel, though, everybody’s up to speed.” Your comments however reveal your theological understanding of Roman Catholic doctrine may not be fully up to speed (I am not Catholic, but I do like theological concepts to be rightly understood). Immaculate Conception refers to Mary’s conception, not the circumstances surrounding the virgin birth of Jesus. My American Heritage Dictionary offers the following concise definition: “The Roman Catholic doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb free from all stain of original sin.” If you are interested, you might wish to peruse the following website for a more in-depth discussion: www.catholic.com/library/Immaculate_ Conception_and_Assum.asp.
Dirk Nies
Charlottesville
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Thanks for the fair review of The Nativity Story. I appreciate you devoting space to a movie of this nature. One minor correction: The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception refers not to the conception of Jesus, but to the Roman Catholic doctrine of Mary being conceived without the stain of original sin.
Bryan Verbrugge
Albemarle
Growth grinch
We all get sucked in by identifying terms such as growth as a positive thing [“Growth Moratorium Coming Here?” Development News, December 19], when in fact, as practiced:
1. It takes money and opportunity away from the citizenry, and
2. It increases misery.
That’s saying that there is a cost but the benefits are lousy.
What’s happening is that the so-called growth as practiced in Charlottesville and Albemarle County is really a taxpayer-funded investment with negative returns. First off, in a region such as ours, which does not have enough water, not enough sewage treatment, never enough roads even in good times, the taxpayer foots the bill no matter what the token proffers have been from the contractors. Secondly, we are de facto stealing resources which are renewed faster than we can replace with the current growth.
The first case comes right out of the taxpayers’ pockets with the socialized costs, and these costs have a strict economic effect in so far as these costs take away from the individual in terms of foregoing things we like to do such as financing the children’s education, retirement, vacation plans, bar-bill, donations to charity, etc.
The second is even more insidious in that resources get used up that are either not renewable or can’t be renewed in time once a crisis is recognized, such as drought conditions, or the local ecoculture is damaged beyond repair. The irony of all this is that when things like this happen, it creates a further drain from the taxpayer’s pockets—already drained by the initial social costs.
How is this allowed? Well, it is ignorance for most of us taxpayers. HOW CAN GROWTH BE A BAD THING? In pertinent part, the fallacy is calling a project by the name of growth when it fills only contractors’ pockets and enables governmental power increases without benefit to the folks footing the bill.
Alternatively stated, the only growth is when our quality of life improves and that’s generally through an increase of disposable income, i.e., our nest egg funds.
Anthony C. Deivert
Charlottesville
Gov’t Mule gripe
I’ve tried to let this go, REALLY…however, as a fan of LIVE MUSIC (whether it be a local or national act), passing this along seems the only right thing to do. I am referencing the front cover of the December 12-18 issue of your paper [“Welcome to Tune Town; How Charlottesville Became The Center of The Musical Universe”]. How could you have such a STRONG list and NOT include Gov’t Mule?? Here’s some food for thought for the folks that compiled that list: Fortunately for C’ville, Gov’t Mule (old & new school) has played our area for over 10 years; Gov’t Mule has played on the same stages with many on your list; and Warren Haynes is No. 23 as far as guitar players go, according to Rolling Stone magazine. Come on!!!
Kathleen Steppe
Cartersville, Virginia
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