Burnt Orange Report

Are they handing out awards

By Nathan Nance

Guest post from Nate Nance

"Stupid people on the march" should be the headline at the end of the week. It's only Monday and I've already seen so many random act of stupidity as to boggle the mind. And for some reason they always want to write to the newspaper and show off their idiocy.

From the OpEd page of my very own Waco Trib, we get responses to a recent anti-abortion protest. A little background might be in order. About a year ago here in Waco, a really graphic anti-abortion rally was held outside Planned Parenthood of Central Texas. We're talking signs with actual pictures of dead fetuses and very harsh language about all life being sacred except the lives of those who practice abortion. Nothing wrong with that, you might say. Free speech and all. The problem is the elementary school across the street and the young students inside who had to look at those graphic signs as school let out for the day. Long story short, Waco passed an ordinance that did not allow these types of protests within a block of schools during class hours.

Whether you agree with the idea of "free speech zones" or not, that's the law here when it comes to anti-abortion rallies. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when several people had a relatively peaceful week at an area high school handing out anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality pamphlets. Except of course, some of the students protested the groups right to even be there.

Anyway, several people wrote in to give their two cents worth. I've decided I'll just quote this one particular letter in full, but feel free to read all of them.

I would be pleased for someone to ask me about my salvation. I'm glad someone is trying to give young people information on destructive behaviors like abortion and homosexuality.

Liberals like free speech only when it is their own. Liberals are notorious for their censorship. Our founding fathers would be viciously attacked by today's liberals.

America needs to let God back in.

Dazell L. Rankin

Robinson

So abortion and homosexuality are bad behaviors, like smoking? Stop being gay or you'll get lung cancer! Dear Lord, why did you make some of us so freakin' stupid?

You know, I'm fairly sure this is the same general group that wants kids to learn that you can get AIDS from gay people if they sneeze on you or some other nonsense. Yet, they are trying to educate our kids? I'm just exasperated with trying to reason with people like this. I've tried convincing them that they may be a wee bit intolerant, but that only makes them scream louder, so I've come to the conclusion that you should just call them morons and bigots and see where that get's you.

Guest post by Nate Nance. Nate is a sports/news clerk at the Waco Tribune-Herald and writer/editor of Common Sense a Texas-based Democratic Web log. He can be reached at nate_nance@yahoo.com