In response to Jerry Fuhrman’s Nov. 25 column, “The job’s not done”:
I wish to point out the tragically contradicting nature of the author’s message. At first, the letter applauded (some) voters of Virginia for supporting the “Marriage amendment,” which forbade same-sex couples from getting married. The author then went on to discuss a second topic: “Affirmative action is un-American. It goes against every ideal we hold dear. And it breeds nothing but contempt and racial hostility.”
I find it quite ironic that the first half of the letter vociferously supports the restriction of rights of individuals in terms of gender, while the second half of the letter condemns a policy for infringing on one’s rights in regard to race. By stating that affirmative action opposes “every ideal we hold dear,” I assume that the author is referring to the fact that we, as citizens of the United States of America, are all created equal and are entitled to, most importantly, our right to the pursuit of happiness. If the consideration of one’s race in his pursuit of happiness is deemed “un-American,” than surely it is also “un-American” to consider one’s gender in that same pursuit.
Original article published in The Roanoke Times; Roanoke, VA; Wednesday, December 6, 2006
By Brian T. Murphy
Virginia Marriage Amendment