'06 Election Lesson
Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey continues to make outrageous claims about social conservatives, this time arguing that Republicans lost the election because they were "overly responsive" to evangelical Christians ["Some Advice for His Own," November 20]. What kind of political leader would seek to run off millions of his friends? Even in this election, values voters played a major role in the outcome. Consider, for example, the easy passage of seven state marriage-protection amendments. The eighth in Arizona did fail, but only by a few percentage points, despite the fact that its supporters were outspent by more than 2 to 1. No, the lesson of Election '06 isn't that Republicans need to insult and ignore their conservative Christian friends; it's that they can't win when they abandon conservative principles and run as Democrats. Virginia Sen. George Allen made that mistake. He ran away from the state's marriage amendment, mentioning it only once in the closing days of his campaign. The amendment won by 328,850 votes, while Allen went down to defeat. Armey should think about this: A GOP pollster noted that 22 of the 27 races that tipped the balance of power in the House were captured by 2 percent of the vote or less; control of the Senate hinged on the razor-thin margin in the Allen race. Nevertheless, Armey thinks that the GOP should dump its Christian supporters and try to replace them with moderates. If they do, Democrats may be in power for another 40 years.
JAMES C. DOBSON, PH.D.
Founder and Chairman
Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, Colo.
School Bus Safety
Regarding "A More Dangerous Ride Than You Might Think" [November 20]: Ask any school bus driver about the large percentage of time spent watching the big rearview mirror, crucial to maintaining order on the bus. Would parents put their child in a vehicle if the driver was watching the road 60 to 70 percent of the time? Yet parents do it every day when they put their child on the school bus. As a former school bus driver, I have no opinion about the possibility of seat belts on school buses, but their use cannot be controlled by the driver. Some school buses carry up to 90 youngsters. I agree that the logical answer is to put an adult monitor on the bus and, as one bus company advertises, "leave the driving to us."
FRANK B. COLLIER
Brownsburg, Ind.
Atheism Arguments
Many thanks for Jay Tolson's thoughtful "The New Unbelievers" [November 13]. What is new about the new atheism is that science is just beginning to explore religion as a natural phenomenon of the brain, not the supernatural phenomenon of gods, spirits, and demons that most people still believe it to be. Atheism is a positive and uplifting worldview. Liberation from darkness, superstition, and irrationality of religion often brings great happiness, along with a serious commitment to do what is right for our fellow humans and for our natural world--the only world there is.
JOHN C. WATHEY
San Diego
advertisement