I was appalled to read the letter in the paper by Dellmer Mouse (“Will new Hate Crime law only open a huge can of worms?” Oct. 29 Times-News).

Now I am a firm believer in the First Amendment, but the venom that Mr. Mouse spewed was nothing but glorified ignorant hate speech. His generalization of the gay community being “child molesters” was a grotesque and inaccurate slur against a section of this country’s population.

I don’t care what a person’s political or religious ideology is, thanks to the First Amendment of this great country, but I do care when someone is giving an opinion, establishing it as fact, and it turns out to be so erroneous that it’s hard to believe it was said in the year 2009.

Being gay does not make one a child molester. Being gay does not mean you will teach others that that is the way to live. And most of all being gay is not any worse a “sin” as partaking in the handling and eating of shellfish (both courtesy of the Book of Leviticus).

So to Mr. Mouse, you can wave the Constitution around about how the government is acting in an un-American way, and I can wave it right back at you to show you that the Second Amendment contains the words “well regulated.”

You can wave the Bible to spew your homophobic views. I again will wave it right back at you with quotes of laws that are considered arcane by today’s standards (i.e. selling one’s daughter into slavery) and to show that our Savior and Christ told us to embrace “sinners.”

It is people like Mr. Mouse that there is hate crime legislation. Not that Mr. Mouse would harm another one’s of God’s creatures, nor just because he believes in disrespectful falsehoods, but to protect those that are being persecuted for just being who they are (whether they it for race, creed, or yes, sexual orientation) to the point that some are losing their life.

As a straight white male, a so called “majority” in all three cases, it is my duty and responsibility to watch out for those of less numbers and make sure they can experience the same great country as I do.

James E. Boord III

Rawlings native