By Henri D. Kahn

I picked up my BW's (beautiful wife's) Good News Bible that states "For Catholics." This assertion by the Catholic Church smacks of an elitism that was literally pounded into me by the Marist Brothers during my 11 years as a student at St. Joseph's Academy in Laredo.
Today, I appreciate the philosophy of discipline and ethics taught to me by those admirable, dedicated men. Today, I am saddened by the two-faced attitude of the Catholic Church relating to homosexuality.
I checked out the book of Deuteronomy, because it relates to the Ten Commandments, The Levite Curses, and the Song of Moses. I challenge any Catholic to show me mention of sexual relations with persons of the same sex included in the Ten Commandment or any of these passages. The message I got was, "The Lord loves his people and protects those who belong to him." I believe that gays as well as straights belong to God and are loved and protected by God. Don't you?
The Catholic Church demands that members of their religious orders live in the world without desiring its pleasures. The premise, obviously, is that a priest, nun, monk, etc., will not promote the best interests of the Catholic Church if they have a spouse with whom they enjoy one of the greatest of "God-given" pleasures in the world. This competition for "first place" is an absolute loser in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Consequently, this religious sect entices men and women to embrace a celibate life that is not necessarily God's will, but the will of a religious organization.
So what does a priest do to satisfy this "God-given" desire?
He has difficulty coming to terms with his dilemma, so in some cases he seeks an easy satisfaction for this overwhelming desire by taking advantage of the influence he exerts on innocent little boys. Many an impressionable woman has justified sex with a priest as a closeness to God.
Recently, hundreds of sexually abused Catholic boys have blown the whistle on a religious sect that left-handedly encourages homosexuality yet decries it publicly.
I doubt that we will ever have a flood of women who will publicly claim sexual abuse by a priest because most of this straight sex has been consensual.
Why is there such an objection to same-sex marriage by the majority of politicians, including President George W. Bush? The opposition to same-sex marriage is based on money and power. What's new, right?
Mr. Bush knows that declaring his resolve to protect the gay community from harm with a disapproval of same-sex marriage is the closest he can get to saving some of the gay voting block. On the other hand, Bush has to protect his rich friends, who own and control big business, from having to spend more money on employee benefits.
Culturally, the best analog I can think of is the movie that starred Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. All of this current homosexual folderol will also pass away.
I qualify for Medicare, lived for five years in a foreign country, served in the Marine Corps, worked my way up and down the east coast of the United States for a year, have rubbed shoulders with the haute monde and frequented some pretty sleazy dives. Never, in all of my meanderings, has any person made homosexual advances toward me.
Quit worrying about what the media considers hot news and don't be concerned about a person's sexual preference.
Let people love whoever they want to love and be happy it's love, not hate!