In the most recent edition of New Times, John Ashbaugh quotes scriptures from a Christian book, immediately marginalizing and othering a significant portion of the community that does not believe in what he does, as well as relegating his opinion piece to irrelevancy (“Advocate to your city, county, or Congress member about just, true, honorable things,” Jan. 26).
Whether New Times prints this letter will inform me on which side the bread is buttered, so to speak.
William Fritch
Morro Bay
This article appears in Feb 2-12, 2023.
Would you feel better if he had quoted Plato or Marcus Aurelius? Confucius, Geronimo or Omar Khayyyam? Maybe Greek myth, Shakespeare, the Buddha or the Book of Mormon would have made you feel better.
I for one believe that you do not have to be a devotee of a particular religion or ideology to glean wisdom from that point of view. In essence, much of the Bible deals with morality, and I sure think 21st century America could use a whole lot more of that.
Why not say what you think without quoting anyone or anything?
If the ideas are good ones, readers don’t need quotes.
Personally, I base my ethics and morals on “Do No Harm” and “Respect others”. Simple and easy to understand.
Read the article carefully, Mr. Fritch, Asbaugh is on your side. He’s as blue as the come. If quoting the Bible is marginalization, you need to quit reading altogether. Quoting one of the major literary texts of all time is an often used means of an appeal to authority – a perfectly acceptable form of logical argument, whether or not one is a believer.
Astounding! For once I find myself in agreement with Michael Smith. Maybe I ought to buy a lottery ticket.
“Astounding! For once I find myself in agreement with Michael Smith. Maybe I ought to buy a lottery ticket.”
Astounding indeed. On most issues, if Mr. Donegan said it was the sun shining, I would say it was surely the moon that shines so bright. (a Shakespearean allusion that Mr. Donegan might get and Ms. Lightfoot might get as well because I’m positive both are well read).
What are we, if not products of our culture, religion and heritage? The Bible is firmly implanted in the middle of that culture for most Americans. Even atheism and agnosticism come from a Western Civilization that was heavily influenced by Christian rhetoric. See the writings of Heidegger, Nitzsche, Lenin and Sartre.
So, keep writing Mr. Ashbaugh and keep including any quotations you see fit. Your letters always inspire comment or dissent. Isn’t that what the Opinion section is for?