Where I Stand — Brian Greenspun: Wrestling the gorilla

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000 | 9:26 a.m.

Brian Greenspun is editor of the Las Vegas Sun.

The fool rushes in ... wise men may follow.

If there is one admonishment that has stuck with me since young adulthood, it is that it is never wise to mix religion and politics. It is a no-win situation that is better left avoided at all costs. Sounds like a perfect invitation to step in and prove the adage true, once again.

Actually, I am prompted to respond to Dawn Case of Woodward, Okla., who sent an e-mail in reaction to a column I wrote a few days ago. I referred to the Christian Right as the 800-pound gorilla in the Republican Party and Dawn took exception. She started her note, "No, I am not going to get nasty or mean because I am a very nice, sweet and extremely lovable 800-lb. Oklahoma She Gorilla ..."

I was glad to hear that part because much of my mail is from some very nasty and mean people -- anything but Christian-like -- who would rather write to hear themselves talk than carry on any kind of intelligent conversation. Dawn's letter is different and, inasmuch as she asked some good questions about some very deeply felt issues, the least I can do is try to answer her. (Even though this is the part where I am supposed to take a quick duck and get the heck out of the way.)

She continued: "Do you really want those of us that (sic) have ideals to throw out all our beliefs in issues we see as good or true? Shouldn't everyone have a voice in what goes on in this country? Most of us don't have a voice, as you and others do, in the everyday media."

No. Yes. Those are the short answers to her questions. Dawn explained her questions so I'll wait to explain my answers. "We are being forced to help pay for abortions even though we don't believe it is anything but murder. We are being told we have to accept all the things we don't believe in that are going on in our school systems, such as our daughters being taken for abortions without our knowledge. At school, our children are being given condoms and medical treatment as though they belonged to the state. ... Are we any less human or citizens because we have Christian beliefs? So, please tell me why we are considered by you as the 800-pound gorillas in the Republican Party?"

First, Dawn, the gorilla reference is a compliment for the way in which the fundamentalists in the GOP have organized themselves, their dollars and their votes. It is because of that organization and the power it projects to elected officials and wannabes that it can practically have its way in the political world. Hence, the 800-pound description. If anything, the comment implies a certain lament that the rest of America can't or won't so organize itself so its wishes can be heard on an equal level.

The heart of the issue Dawn raises is her seeming unwillingness to accept the fact that we all live in a society that is as diverse as any on this planet. There are more than 250 million Americans who have at least that many ideas about the way things are supposed to run in this country. We are a democracy built upon the concept of majority rule. Except when it comes to matters that are covered by the U.S. Constitution. There are certain areas that a majority or a minority are prohibited from messing with under penalty of a severe lashing by the Supreme Court.

One of those is the separation of church and state, and another is the Supreme Court's interpretation of the privacy rights granted by the Bill of Rights. It is through these two areas in the law that everything Dawn wants -- according to her religious beliefs -- she just can't have because it violates the rights of her fellow citizens.

But Dawn isn't the only person who feels put upon from time to time. Take the people who don't believe in capital punishment. Even though, as a matter of religious and moral principle, they adamantly oppose the taking of another life, they still must pay their taxes like every other citizen. Some portion of those dollars pays for the apparatus that carries out the death penalties in the various states. And what about those people who believe deep in their souls that war is evil and is against everything they have been taught by their church to believe? While they may not have to serve on the front lines in times of war, their tax dollars still are used to carry out the constitutional requirement of providing for the common defense of these United States.

So you see, Dawn, the way I look at things, we are all in this big democratic experiment together and none of us gets everything we want or believe in. But we do the best we can to find the common ground that serves the entire nation best as we continue to move forward.

As for your specific question about condoms in schools, I doubt that the school authorities would provide condoms to your kids if they didn't put themselves in a position to ask for them. Whether that happens depends a great deal upon the way you raise your kids. If more parents taught their children right from wrong when they should, the need for abortions, condoms and whatever else you are concerned about would be diminished.

As for the kids who do want the condoms, I would suggest that those young people have already made the decision to have sex. And assuming that's the case, I'd rather give them a condom at school, at work or anywhere else that's convenient than have more children in America having children of their own or dying from venereal diseases. Don't you agree?

So, Dawn, your religious beliefs have never been an issue with me. Better to have them than not. The concern arises when you try to impose those beliefs upon me through our government because our democracy is based on people of differing views compromising those ideas in an effort to move this country ever forward. My experience with fundamentalists of any kind is that there is absolutely no room for compromise and that does not work well in a democratic society.

If you have changed your mind and are willing to seek compromise on those issues that are important to you, I suspect you will find millions of Americans anxiously awaiting the meeting. If, however, you want to continue throwing your weight around -- all 800 pounds of it -- in an effort to have it all your way, I suspect the reception will continue to be chilly. Except, of course, in the Republican Party, which sees you as a vote to pander to and not much more. And, in doing so, this does a disservice to this great democracy of ours.