Bulletin letters to the editor

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Stand up against bigotry and hate

I am writing regarding the viewpoint from Dan and Marla Zwakman (“View on amendment against ‘sound doctrine,’” June 1). With disbelief I read that, according to the writers, some of our neighbors, friends and relatives here in Cottage Groove are depraved, abhorrent detestable miserable perverts, simply because of whom they love. This kind of disgusting rhetoric has no place in a civilized society, much less in a society like ours, founded in under the principles of equality and justice for all.

The fact that the Zwakmans felt free to use this hurtful language is also troubling. They clearly felt entitled to insult and denigrate others, confident that their words would not only be published by the Bulletin but also applauded by the community. I trust that the Bulletin would abide by higher ethical standards and no longer allow their pages to be used to disseminate hate speech.

More important, I hope that the community stands up against bigotry and discrimination.

The gay and lesbian folks that live, work, play and raise their families in Cottage Grove deserve the protections and freedoms guaranteed to all Americans under the law. The Zwakmans’ right to believe in their God does not and cannot mean that they also have the right to impose those same beliefs on the rest of society. Their rights end where the rights of others begin.

Bigotry and hate, even if justified by someone’s particular religious views, have no place in our city or in the United States of America.

Francisco Gonzalez

Cottage Grove

Kriesel just not doing his job

As Minnesota nears a shutdown, it is important to figure out who is responsible.  Gov. Mark Dayton is not responsible because he told everybody in last year’s election where he stood and much of his proposals were similar to Independence Party candidate Tom Horner, like raising taxes. And Sen. Katie Sieben and Rep. Denny McNamara have been in the Legislature for nine years and have gotten substantial work done.

But Rep. John Kriesel never told anybody except Republican activists last year where he stood on education, taxes or any policy issue. All he did was run on his war heroics and, for someone who thinks government should live within its means, outspent the Democrat opponent by more than $30,000. It is also annoying that Republicans smeared the Democratic candidate for supporting the building of a city hall and Kriesel is supporting a new Vikings Stadium.

Instead, he is using failed policy techniques from Norm Coleman and Tim Pawlenty like building a casino in Minneapolis, which the city does not want and Kriesel is not going to propose to build it in, say, the old Home Depot building, for he has a re-election to think about.

And I could care less that he voted against a gay marriage ban because the Republicans still had the votes to pass. 

But when he has no transportation bills in a district connected by one of the busiest bridges in Minnesota, he is not doing his job. And if he is not supporting a compromise by Dayton and will cost the local taxpayers millions in a shutdown, he is not doing his job. And if he does not show up at an event with local lawmakers by saving an iconic bridge that used to connect Newport to Inver Grove Heights, he is not doing his job.

Finally, let’s talk about his lone education bill because it has no Democratic support with the exception of one Democrat who saw the bill and probably signed on to it as a way to show bipartisan support and to extend an olive branch to Kriesel: Katie Sieben.

William Cory Labovitch

South St. Paul

Labovitch is outreach

director for Senate District 57 DFL

Give everyone right to marry

When our forefathers wrote the Constitution, they wanted freedom for everyone – not just Christians. Not every American believes in the Bible, so making laws based on one religion’s beliefs is not fair or right.

Dan and Marla Zwakman mentioned in their viewpoint (“View on amendment against ‘sound doctrine,’” June 1) that according to the Bible, adultery is a sin. If they want to base our laws on the word of the Bible, why aren’t unfaithful male and female couples denied their rights to marriage because of adultery? If not, aren’t they doing exactly what they’re accusing Pastor Oby Ballinger of doing – choosing certain teachings that promote their personal cause and overlooking those that don’t?

Why deny a group of people their happiness? What if there was a religion called “The Right Ones” with a book they believe is the word of God that said that no men or women can be married and all of our countries’ laws were based on The Right Ones?  How would you feel if you weren’t allowed to be married?

In the early 1900s, women weren’t allowed to vote. Women had to fight for their right to vote. In the 1960s, African Americans fought for their equal rights. Now it’s time for America to stop discriminating against same-sex couples. They deserve the same rights as male and female couples.

“We the people” includes people of many religions and many different beliefs. Let’s include everyone’s rights in the Constitution and allow everyone to marry and be happy.  

Annie Elmer

Cottage Grove

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