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Letters to the Editor

Published Thursday, 06-Jan-2005 in issue 889

“We need well-promoted First Aid instruction offered at a variety of times to meet varied personal schedules.”

Dear Editor:

San Diego’s Center on Centre should add First Aid instruction for all ages!

Too few members of San Diego County’s GLBT communities are confident of their current CPR, Heimlich maneuver and tourniquet skills to inspire confidence that our people of most ages are properly trained to act in unexpected medical emergencies.

We need well-promoted First Aid instruction offered at a variety of times to meet varied personal schedules. These should be open to community members of all ages and held on the main floor at 3909 Center Street to meet transportation and parking requirements and meet the mobility needs of the disabled.

While concentration should focus on airway, breathing and circulation problems, this program should devote time to CPR, tourniquets, the Heimlich maneuver, and the basics of burn injuries and emotional first aid. While seniors must be included this should not be another of the year’s CUSP Programs largely concentrating on older Center patrons.

At a time when Center leadership is subject to increasing levels of varied criticism, this low-cost, easily-offered addition might provide some much-needed good will.

Jay Murley

“Do you think that if the Star of David were to be displayed at a courthouse, these ‘religion in public life’ supporters would be happy?”

Dear Editor:

Discussions about religion in public life (courthouses, schools, symbols on mountains) attract many people because of their desire for more cultural decency and civility. But “religion” is used in a very disingenuous manner; it is being used as a codeword for “Christianity”. Supporters know that the issue must be couched in the rhetoric of “religion” in general, and that’s why it’s a very specious argument.

The general word makes the argument seem to be about values, when really it’s about ideology. Do you think that if the Star of David were to be displayed at a courthouse, these “religion in public life” supporters would be happy?

To those of us concerned about values in today’s society, let’s remember that religion is only one way to build values, and that Christianity is only one religion. “Religion”, “Christianity”, and “values” are increasingly being presented as synonymous. We run the risk of getting lost in ideological specifics and neglecting the very values (honesty? compassion? fairness? responsibility?) we need to be having a discussion about.

Secularists, Jews, Christians, Muslims - we all have values. We can make progress on improving our world if we focus on the basics and find our common ground. Particularly if we want to further the cause of civil rights for gays, we must refocus the “values” discussion away from the ideological “beliefs” of religions and towards actual “values” that are common to us all.

Carol Scherbaum

“If you like to choose the news you report, please mention to your readers that you are not telling the whole story and your hold a bias against the truth.”

Dear Editor:

Not to mention in your year in review that President Bush was re elected and Senator Kerry losing the presidency, shows how bias your newspaper is. That was one of the most interesting things that cultivated the whole community. the non mention of Former President, former California Governor Ronald Reagan’s Death, like him or not he was the leader of our Country for 8 years and was blamed by the gay community for keeping the Aids epidemic in the closet while thousands died

Even though you do not like something or someone it is part of the National News, and our community. If you like to choose the news you report, please mention to your readers that you are not telling the whole story and your hold a bias against the truth. You have lost a reader!

Jesus Torres

Letters Policy

The Gay & Lesbian Times welcomes comments from all readers. Letters to the editor longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Send e-mail to editor@uptownpub.com; fax (619) 299-3430; or mail to PO Box 34624, San Diego, CA 92163. To be printed, letters must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

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