CRITICISM: Dos and don'ts

Making assumptions on someone’s character from their beliefs is always a mistake if you want a meaningful discussion. The straw man argument — (assuming that if someone believes a certain thing, then they must also believe something else) — is not an honest form of debate. It is, in fact, a losing argument, showing that one is lacking facts.

You will notice that in my criticism of the Democratic Party platform, I did not make any derogatory personal remarks about anyone. I applaud Rebecca Schroeder for getting Prop 2 on the ballot. I’m sure she would have done so too if she ran on the Republican ticket. After all, it took a Republican community to pass it. I voted for it too.

I ask how anyone (no one in particular) of good morality can sanction abortion (the wholesale slaughter of unborn and partially born babies) and gay lifestyles (sexual perversion). The Judeo Christian beliefs, which formed civilized morality, came from the scriptures, and they condemn both of these practices. That is fact, not opinion.

Yes, I will always vote for the socially conservative candidate who opposes these abominable practices, rather than the “liberal” candidate who espouses them.

ED TORRENCE

Coeur d’Alene