Chad Rocks
Chad Pennington might be a mediocre quarterback in terms of arm strength and mobility, but in knowledge of the game, the ability to read defenses, and leadership skills, he is on the same level as the Mannings and Brady ("Meh-rino," Tailpipe, November 27). He has incredible heart, and I guarantee he never looks at any of his teammates in the huddle and says, "We can probably." He says, "We are gonna win." And as far as this season goes, he is having a Pro Bowl year. He is in the top ten in every major passing category in the NFL except for touchdowns, and I think he is 12 or 13 there. Horrible journalism, my friend, horrible.
Justin Prince
Huntington
Broward Dumbocracy
The cornerstone of a fair election is transparency: the ability of all interested parties to observe and see for themselves whether the election was administered fairly. When an election administrator kicks out activists ("Banana Republic," Tailpipe, November 27) because their presence is inconvenient or because they have criticized the elections process in the past, that is undemocratic, inappropriate, and a threat to fair elections.
It is disappointing to see a critic arrested and barred from attending what is supposed to be a public process for what appear to be trivial reasons.
Name withheld by request
Via the internet
Criminalize Divorce
The gay community ought to sponsor a petition titled "The Preservation of Marriage Act" that would make it illegal to divorce for any reason other than adultery ("Fear of the Queer," Bob Norman, November 13). Jesus is quoted in Matthew 19:9 of the Bible as saying, "Any man who divorces his wife except for the cause of adultery and marries another, commits adultery. And he who marries a woman who is divorced also commits adultery."
Since the Bible also states that "all sins are equal," this makes the sin of heterosexual adultery equal to the sin of homosexuality. Therefore, it should be unconstitutional for any legislative body to make divorce for reasons other than adultery legal. Any Christian who refuses to sign this petition would be an absolute, outright, bigoted hypocrite.
Juan Mas
Miami
Ever hear of "states rights"? Perhaps you are overlooking the bigger picture. It's not about gays marrying each other. Perhaps the voters of Florida shot down the amendment in an effort to discourage/slow down the influx of homosexuals into our state. By making Florida more homosexual-friendly, in any capacity, would invite further influx from around the country. Perhaps the voters don't want to encourage the highest carriers of HIV into our community. Or perhaps they would like to limit the number of pedophiles and child-molestation crimes that have been rampant in our community of late. Read the statistics. It's called protecting our children.
My brother was gay. He died of AIDS at age 37. Someone infected him, and he infected others. Perhaps it's not fear. Maybe it's just disgust. If one state doesn't favor your needs — any needs — the opportunity to move to a different state that does cater to your desires is always there. People do it all the time — for better jobs, better climate, lower crime, lower taxes, even more affordable housing. Florida doesn't meet all of my needs. It's too hot, and it's not scenic enough. However, I choose to overlook these drawbacks and stay. This is no different. The people of Florida and California have said no. Get over it. If this doesn't meet your needs, Massachusetts and Connecticut will welcome you with open arms. Or just don't get married!
Name withheld by request
Oakland Park
I think your paper has the best journalism in South Florida, but I can't believe you guys wasted ink and time on this issue. How are blacks responsible for derailing the right of gays to get married? We make up, what — 15 to 25 percent of Florida's population, if that? — and somehow became the big factor? How did the other 75 percent vote? What you should have written about was how difficult it was to understand the question on the ballot. I had to read the question at least five times to get what they were trying to say. I have friends and family who are against gays getting married, and they voted no as well. Then let's count the ones who wanted to vote for Obama and cared less about any other issue and just checked yes on everything or had been in line for four plus hours and just wanted to get it over with. Before we start pointing fingers, let's actually do some research on the issue.
Leopold A. James
Pembroke Pines
In honor of Ellen Brodsky (and I do mean honor), I post the following by George Bernard Shaw: "Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people."
Bill Bucolo
St. Petersburg
