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Denying gays marriage rights promotes hatred

Re: "Protect traditional marriage as God intended," Nov. 5 letter:

How can the letter writer summarily deny that the marriage amendment does not promote hate? Anything that denies one group of people a right everyone else has is the ultimate form of hate. By the same token, slavery was not about hate, women not being allowed to vote was not prejudice and the Holocaust had absolutely nothing to do with hate.

We are in a war, men are flying planes into buildings, people are strapping on vests made of explosives and walking into public places. None of this bothers the church. People in the church want to blame gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people for all the problems of the world.

So, even if I am an abomination in their eyes -- as they interpret the Bible -- I will continue to pray for them at Metropolitan Community Church, a church that accepts all people.

The Bible also says love thy neighbor. Where is their love? I guess we are all sinners, even them.

Ordinary taxpayers should be so lucky

Take a legal, working, taxpaying citizen and put him in financial crisis. He has to sell anything unnecessary and even wipes out the savings/retirement accounts he accumulated from his many years of hard work. Yet, he may ultimately lose his home and cars, and be left with a bleak economic future.

Too bad he wasn't a banker, Wall Streeter or automaker. Then he could have kept his multimillion-dollar salary and perks, plus anything else given as a "bonus." The working taxpayer's government will then give these guilt-layers more money to mismanage under the guise of a government loan.

Did anyone bother to ask this working taxpayer if he needed any of this money?

Lay off Vick, who's paying for his mistake

Enough already. To all of you self-righteous individuals who have never made a mistake or bad decision in your life, give those of us who have a break. There are individuals every day who kill humans who don't get the same punishment or scrutiny that Michael Vick is getting.

I absolutely do not believe in torturing or killing animals, but what gives PETA the right to decide when Vick will be forgiven? Did he make bad decisions? Sure. Should he be required to pay for it the rest of his life? No.

If this were an unknown individual, it would not even have made the newspaper. Once again, today's news wraps tomorrow's garbage, which is a good place for this newspaper.

Trade with China is hurting the U.S.

Ronald Reagan made a deal with Japan to assemble automobiles in the U.S. to avoid tariffs. He received $5 million from Japan after leaving office for giving a speech to its parliament. Nancy Reagan received $1 million for being with him.

This and salaries could be problems with the American automobile industry.

China has between 4 million and 5 million people in prison camps who work for food and clothing. The fact that some of the stuff we purchase may be painted or assembled by people imprisoned for their religious beliefs should give us pause, especially at Christmastime. Your Christmas lights are made by those imprisoned.

Remove free trade nation status from China and give it to Cuba and other South American countries. We should be embarrassed that we have allowed China and other countries to take our jobs. We have lost more than 1 million jobs to China alone.

Nikita Khrushchev said that communism will take over the United States without ever firing a shot. Well?

Grateful for a mayor who keeps in touch

I have lived in Roanoke all my life and have never wanted to live anywhere else. Thanks to the residents of Roanoke for electing David Bowers as mayor and our present city council.

Any government is only as good as its leaders, and I think we have a very good mayor and city manager to lead our city council in its decisions. I think you can be a good and strong leader and still stay in touch with the people who elected you.

Thanks, Bowers. I am glad you are our mayor.