Letter: Greenspun right about conservatives

Friday, Feb. 4, 2000 | 10:10 a.m.

Hoo-hah! It ain't often I agree with Brian Greenspun -- especially during these traumatic Clinton years -- but when he's right, he's really right ("Where I Stand," Jan. 27).

Mr. Greenspun's opinion that George W. Bush's biggest obstacle to getting to the White House is dogmatic religious conservatives is right on the money. One need not be a "godless heathen" to recognize the danger posed by the fervor of some fundamentalists in the GOP -- such as Gary Bauer. If they had their way, American public policy would be determined by religious ayatollahs -- not unlike Muslim Iran -- rather than elected representatives of all shapes, sizes and differing opinions.

Yes, I believe in God. Yes, our Founding Fathers believed in God. And yes, our inalienable rights come from God, not the state. But no, many of today's issues being advanced by the religious right in the Republican Party don't belong in the political arena. They rightfully belong in the pulpit and in the home -- not the ballot box.

Yes, our elected officials should be governing morally ... but no, they shouldn't be governing morality. Can I get an "amen"?

CHUCK MUTH Chairman, Republican Liberty Caucus