GOP Crusades for the County’s Soul

In 1885, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher published his sermon “The Two Revelations,” which acknowledged that the evidence for evolution was so overwhelming that Christians should accept it as a fact. Since that time, over 100 years ago, the vast majority of Christian churches have agreed that the theory of evolution is scientifically valid.

Now, in the 1990s who would have thought that Orange County would be the battleground to fight the same old battle, science vs. religious dogma based on nothing but faith, over again? But move over, Scopes monkey trial, here comes Orange County.

Now that the religious right has purchased the Orange County Republican Party lock, stock and barrel, we citizens are about to have our schools become seminaries for rigid right-wing dogma. Evolution will be discarded and creationism will be in. Children will be taught that Noah was able to round up the millions of the world’s species, including the dinosaurs, and get them all happily situated in the ark (and for 40 days, yet!) And our children will also be taught that man frolicked with the dinosaurs, and that the Grand Canyon was eroded in three weeks to two months.

If there is an Orange County monkey trial, we can get the Rev. Lou Sheldon to give the religious right’s side. It will be a problem, though, to get a well-known secular lawyer to defend evolution since they are all much too busy making big money freeing murderers. Oh well, that’s the way it is these days.

JAMES. R. GALLAGHER

Huntington Beach

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* Do I detect a growing schism in the Grand Old Party, a north-south [fight] with the odor of class warfare, or if not that, at least a culture gap fit to gobble the San Andreas whole? It’s Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach), Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle, [and other] spear throwers in the north vs. the genteel patrician hipsters of the south. They almost daily now get to groan, growl or guffaw over their morning papers and coffee at the self-justifying pieties of their true-believing northern rustics. It’s cultural, I tell you, and institutional as well: the righteousness of Bob Jones and Liberty College (with a side order of “Hee Haw”) vs. the tolerant sophistication of Stanford and USC (with a side order of yacht clubs). Baugh as ambitious Republican cracker of the year simply drives the sophisticates wild.

But remember, you all, if hypocrisy is the proof of civilization, then we be as civilized as it gets, and political theater don’t hardly get no better.

C.C. CORDREY

Newport Beach

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* Why can’t you media liberals accept the fact that Rep. Jay Kim (R-Diamond Bar) and Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) and all the other Republicans were voted in by the people. Excuse me, but this is still America, right? You can’t pull someone out of office after the fact just because they don’t butter their bread the same as you, last I checked.

Just in case there is someone there with some sense of fairness, I would like to let your readers know about my March of One to Washington.

My goal is to spread the word about what the Republicans have done for me. I have received encouraging words from Orange County Republican leaders. I will display an autographed photo of Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) on the table I set up on the Mall, once I get there. I’m also working to get more support from other Republican leaders, you know the ones we the people voted for.

MATT STANFIL

Costa Mesa