To the Editor:
In reading “Embracing Our Diversity” by U. S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, in the Nov. 22, 2012 edition of The Connection, I nearly choked when I came to his third paragraph in which he made the following statement: “I tell them that America, a country of immigrants, is a place of opportunity where you can pursue your dreams and raise your families without fearing that somebody's government is going to tell you what to think, how to express yourself, what to believe or how to worship.” My question to the representative is this: What rock have you been living under for the past two years?
While the representative, his fellow cronies and the media continue to sweep it under the rug and turn a blind eye, many of us with God-loving and God-fearing consciences continue to fight the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate. You see, those very same rights that Mr. Connolly claims we have in this blessed country are being taken away under the HHS Mandate. If you think otherwise, please take the time to educate yourself and read about it. The issue at hand is not about a woman's right to birth control. If you believe that, then you have sadly fallen victim to the dumbed-down version of the issue.
Simply put, this is about the United States Government getting into our heads. The government is telling its citizens that if a business or organization does not serve only its own, then those owners or organizations have a choice to make: 1. Serve only others who have the same beliefs you do, and then you can carry on; or 2. Go along with what the government tells you to do, and in doing so, violate your conscience; or 3. Stay open, serve and/or employ whomever is in need, and be fined heavily for each infraction; or 4. Shut your doors if you don't want to comply. Don't be fooled by the words “religious employer exemption” and “accommodation,” which have been thrown to us, like scraps to a hungry dog. Our forefathers would not allow this assault on our freedom and this is precisely why there are currently 43 lawsuits against the current administration over the HHS Mandate. This is unprecedented in our nation's history!
Take pause: just imagine if every religious-run hospital, school and charity that helps the poor and immigrants had to shut their doors because they refused to violate their faith? Who then will be filling the huge gap in services? Perhaps it will be all of those people who claim that our religious faith is being forced on them? Will they, along with our local, state and federal agencies, fill the need and take care of all of the sick, the hungry, the homeless, the elderly, the orphans, the students, the childless, etc., who were previously served by religious groups? Let's not forget about all of the newly unemployed, whose employers refused to violate their consciences and had to shut down their businesses instead. What will come of it all?
So in the end, Representative Connolly, we can embrace our diversity all we want, but if our fundamental freedoms continue to be taken away, our country may become a country of emigrants, rather than immigrants.
Pilar Jones
Fairfax