Readers React: Marriage equality: the polygamy red herring

To the editor: The headline (“Polygamy comes next,” Opinion, June 30) implies that polygamy will soon be legalized as liberals take over the country. While complete nonsense, such statements are very effective politically.Fear-mongering like this has been the mainstay of conservative discourse ever since Rush Limbaugh showed the GOP how well it works. The Affordable Care Act would shut off Grandma’s healthcare, Obama’s stimulus would send inflation through the roof, bailing out GM would be a failure, etc.

When conservatives’ dire predictions do not come to pass, new prophecies of doom are concocted to keep the public in constant fear and distracted from noticing the poor batting average of conservative predictions.

Let’s ask a basic question. Can Jonah Goldberg tell us why he believes our country should be a conservative one? America has always been a progressive place, steadily leading the world in change. It’s who we are, ever since the nation’s beginning. Why should we change?
Vince Scully, Long Beach

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To the editor: When we think of polygamy, it is usually about male domination, such as cult leaders and their harems of varied-aged women. Why not have group marriages with the leader being female? An attractive, wealthy woman could marry several men instead of divorcing every few years. Just an additional thought to Goldberg’s excellent article and predictions of upcoming social liberalism.

Roland Davis, Laguna Woods

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To the edtior: Goldberg says polygamy is the next objective of the culture warriors.

Well, I’m a social justice warrior and I have never heard the subject mentioned, much less discussed, until I read Goldberg’s column.

I think he invents outrageous ideas for the same reason Hollywood invents tent poles: to keep people coming to his (only conservative) column in The Times. I find it’s best not to believe a word he says.

Bob Klein, Culver City

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To the edtior: Goldberg refers to (and criticizes the president for) a phenomenon in which humans assess a situation and then allow their thinking to evolve into a new adapted thought. It’s called “cerebral evolution.”

It is how we managed to evolve from the caves we lived in, the Crusades we prosecuted, the witch trials we administered, the slavery we instituted and the homophobia we are only now emerging from.

I suggest that Goldberg and his colleagues in the Republican Party give it a try sometime.

Russ Woody, Studio City