www.townhall.com/columnists/edwinfeulner/printef20041116.shtml
It's company policy at the New York Times that opinion columnists may not officially endorse presidential candidates. Still, ther was no doubt during the past year which man most of the page's writers were backing.
A trio of hysterical pieces published Nov.4 confirmed that, ecah claiming that a nationwide outbreak of religious zealotry had led to Sen. John Kerry's defeat.
"The president got re-elected by dividing the country along the fault lines of fear, intolerance, ignorance and religious rule," wailed Maureen Dowd.
Not to be outdone, Tom Friedman chipped in, "We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is. Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferances and the marriage union they want to make?"
Well, a better qestion would be: Is America a country where poeple want to be governed by unelected judges? where a 4-3 decision of the Massachusettes Suprem Court is considered building on the rest of us? By passing defense of marriage amendments in all 11 states where they were on the ballot, voters indicated they want to govern themselves, not be ruled by a juducial elite.
But the most over-the-top Times piece came from an outsider, hisotrian Gary Wills. He claimes that Bush's re-election spelled the end of enlightnement. "The secular states of modern Europe do not understand the fundamentalism of the American electorate," Wills opines. "where else do we find fundamentalist zeal, a rage at secularity, religious intolerance, fear of and hatred for modernity? Not in France or Britain or Germany or Italy or Spain."
By all means let's compare ourselves with Europe. Consider Rocco Buttiglione. He was recently nominated for a job in the European Union as commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. But there was a problem: Buttiglione is a devout Catholic, thus he believes in the importance of traditional marriage and thinks homosexuality is a sin.
Such views are unnaceptable in Wills' supposedly "enlightened" Europe, as Buttiglione found out during a three-hour inquisition before members of the European Parliament. Even when he gave reasonable answers, the Italian found himself under fire.
Meanwhile, freedom of religion is thriving in the U.S. This year's presidential election featured a well-known Protestant against a self- proclaimed Catholic. Four years ago, Joe Lieberman became the first Jewish man to run for national office. And we've already heard talk that Barak Obama, just elected to the Senate, may seek higher office in 2008. Obama's grandfather was Muslim.
The voters on Election Day simply prove that we'd prefer to ratain our traditional tolerance--even if doing so angers some at the New York Times
It's company policy at the New York Times that opinion columnists may not officially endorse presidential candidates. Still, ther was no doubt during the past year which man most of the page's writers were backing.
A trio of hysterical pieces published Nov.4 confirmed that, ecah claiming that a nationwide outbreak of religious zealotry had led to Sen. John Kerry's defeat.
"The president got re-elected by dividing the country along the fault lines of fear, intolerance, ignorance and religious rule," wailed Maureen Dowd.
Not to be outdone, Tom Friedman chipped in, "We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is. Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferances and the marriage union they want to make?"
Well, a better qestion would be: Is America a country where poeple want to be governed by unelected judges? where a 4-3 decision of the Massachusettes Suprem Court is considered building on the rest of us? By passing defense of marriage amendments in all 11 states where they were on the ballot, voters indicated they want to govern themselves, not be ruled by a juducial elite.
But the most over-the-top Times piece came from an outsider, hisotrian Gary Wills. He claimes that Bush's re-election spelled the end of enlightnement. "The secular states of modern Europe do not understand the fundamentalism of the American electorate," Wills opines. "where else do we find fundamentalist zeal, a rage at secularity, religious intolerance, fear of and hatred for modernity? Not in France or Britain or Germany or Italy or Spain."
By all means let's compare ourselves with Europe. Consider Rocco Buttiglione. He was recently nominated for a job in the European Union as commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security. But there was a problem: Buttiglione is a devout Catholic, thus he believes in the importance of traditional marriage and thinks homosexuality is a sin.
Such views are unnaceptable in Wills' supposedly "enlightened" Europe, as Buttiglione found out during a three-hour inquisition before members of the European Parliament. Even when he gave reasonable answers, the Italian found himself under fire.
Meanwhile, freedom of religion is thriving in the U.S. This year's presidential election featured a well-known Protestant against a self- proclaimed Catholic. Four years ago, Joe Lieberman became the first Jewish man to run for national office. And we've already heard talk that Barak Obama, just elected to the Senate, may seek higher office in 2008. Obama's grandfather was Muslim.
The voters on Election Day simply prove that we'd prefer to ratain our traditional tolerance--even if doing so angers some at the New York Times
