Saturday, October 20, 2007

In the interest of fairness...

I feel compelled to post this letter to the editor of the Renton Reporter, which was published in today's paper. Since it doesn't address any of the issues I've raised about Cheryl Haskins' candidacy, I'm not going to comment on the letter, but everyone else is welcome to do so.

click the image at right to enlarge

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does this letter writer actually say what made Poole's letter "ill-reasoned"? If he does, I couldn't find it in there.

Anonymous said...

OK. I applaud you for posting the article out of a sense of “balance” and I appreciate that you did so without comment; but I am compelled to comment on the article because I have heard this same argument over and over.

I can imagine that the writer has the best intentions and feels they have gotten to really know the candidate during the course of a two-hour meeting. I can also imagine that the writer asked questions that were important to them and was impressed as the candidate answered “straight forward and from the heart.”

These could have included all kinds of tough questions about our schools, law enforcement, and other public services - - but I will bet you that the writer did not ask the Candidate this question…

Q: If I should die unexpectedly, do you think my spouse should inherit our home or should my spouse be required to fight with my ne'er-do-well relatives whom we haven’t seen for decades?

The reason the writer did not ask this question is because like so many other well intentioned citizens, we ask questions that matter in our lives. For most people (especially heterosexual) that question has no relevance. That is unless you are gay - - or have a family member, friend, or close neighbor who is gay. Then (and usually only then) does it matter what the candidate thinks about that question.

As we approach the ballot box, we should ask ourselves, What matters to me? Are we voting our pocketbooks or are we truly a member of a larger community which includes gay, lesbian, transgender friends and families? The answer to this question will affect how you feel about voting for Cheryl Haskins or another candidate.

Renton Citizen said...

Thank you Jim and Mike. I honestly didn't want to spend time commenting on the letter, so thank you for stepping in. Jim, your response was fantastic.