NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

Opinion

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. To join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address. Once you do, your comments will post automatically. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Posters are not allowed to have multiple identities, nor is "outing" the identity of fellow posters allowed. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator. The comment section remains open for three days after a story's publication, then automatically closes.

comments powered by Disqus
April 20, 2009

Rights of women, children ignored

To the editor:

So ... if the lawmakers have their way, their pandering to the alternative lifestyles will soon result in men in the ladies' restrooms across this state. After all, transgenders must have their rights! What about the rights of women and children who will have to share these private areas now with men. Most women and children are unable to distinguish between a transgender male and a straight male pretending to be transgender. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that there are some men who will take advantage of this situation and it will result in harm to women and children. You who support this bill will be accountable.

Since women and children, the former who get more urinary tract infections than men and who also have to deal with periods, may understandably (to all but some of our foolish legislators) feel the need to shun restrooms where they may encounter men, and since such shunning will result in more medical problems for women and children, thereby resulting in higher medical costs (do you hear me yet, legislators? — I am now speaking your language), then perhaps a better idea would be to have three types of restrooms available: Men's, Women's, and Undecided's. Put a "?" symbol on the third door.

This issue, and all other "alternative lifestyle" issues, are constantly being muddied by those who are deliberately trying to confuse us by comparing their "plight" with racial prejudice. Apples and oranges. A person's color is not sinful, but some lifestyle choices are. How many women out there feel threatened by having a black woman in the restroom? For politicians who only care about appearing as if they are "with it" but don't care about what their pontifications mean to those who actually have to live with them, confusion reigns supreme in the territory between their ears.

To those politicians who refuse to support this heinous legislation, a profound thanks.

Dayle Johnson

Amesbury

Text Only | Photo Reprints
  • Our view: Museum, college go above and beyond

    There are many intangible benefits to be had from the existence of nonprofit institutions like Peabody Essex Museum and Endicott College in our midst.
    Indeed, the recent growth of both — the former in downtown Salem and the later along Beverly's Gold Coast — represent remarkable success stories that have added immeasurably to the quality of life in their respective communities, as well as on the North Shore.

    Posted 10 hours ago
  • It is imperative to back marijuana ordinance

    The Newburyport public school nurses are asking city councilors to vote in support of the new marijuana ordinance introduced by City Councilor Brian Derrivan. District nurses are concerned about the health and safety of our community residents and especially our youth. The new Massachusetts law decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana, but it is still illegal. Unfortunately, our students have misinterpreted this law and think that marijuana is now legal. Many students also seem to think that using marijuana is "no big deal" and "safe." In truth, there are health and safety risks to using marijuana:

    Posted 10 hours ago
  • BOAT CAMP Bash raises $20,000

    To the editor:
    We wish to thank all who came together in support of BOAT CAMP's nature education programs at our second annual BOAT CAMP Bash, held at the Black Cow Tap and Grill earlier this month. Together, we raised $20K. This included a joyful, spontaneous in-kind gift of a small Boston Whaler skiff, which will be put to great use with kids this summer.

    Posted 10 hours ago
  • Scholarship in need of funding

    To the editor:
    Do you have a teacher whom you remember fondly? Someone who made you feel special or saw something in you that maybe you didn't even realize existed?
    Last November, at the world-renowned Addison Gallery of American Art, Ellen Burke Hart was recognized for her 36 years of dedicated service to arts education. Ellen worked in the Pentucket Regional School District as a visual arts teacher and eventually its arts curriculum coordinator.

    Posted 10 hours ago
  • Ron Paul has some interesting ideas

    To the editor:
    The presidential candidacy of Ron Paul is interesting. His call for a return to the gold standard and the end of foreign aid and closing overseas bases should be appealing to young people who don't want to fight in the military. From the days of the U.S. revolution against England through all the wars, debt and depreciating currency value have been a reality. While the wars we fought opened up investment opportunities overseas, threats to regimes where those investments were made required a combination of foreign aid and sometimes military action. We fought hard to establish those overseas bases, and it is an essential part of our global empire. The proposed copper-gold mine in Alaska at a huge fish-spawning area shows the conflict between economic development and conservation of our natural resources. I really wonder how Ron Paul's proposals would work out if they ever got tried out. Of all the Republican primary candidates, Ron Paul seems to be the only one with any substantial ideas.

    Posted 10 hours ago
  • February 21, 2012
  • Utility companies shun their responsibilities to customers Posted 1 day ago
  • Hello, America, it's wake-up time Posted 1 day ago
  • Slaying the leviathan Posted 1 day ago
  • Thanks to GOMI team, past and present Posted 1 day ago
  • February 20, 2012
  • Sometimes, 'the elite' are the right choice Posted 2 days ago
  • Selling no Lincoln, buying no Ford Posted 2 days ago
  • Forget the footbridge over the river Posted 2 days ago
  • N-plant the safest ever built Posted 2 days ago
  • Thanks for being willing to donate Posted 2 days ago
  • Baseball fields will be gone Posted 2 days ago
  • February 18, 2012
  • The pain that just won't quit Posted 4 days ago
  • David M. Shribman: Since mid-winter miscount in Iowa, it's been all downhill for GOP Posted 4 days ago
  • Music by Whitney, Adele part of the sound track of our lives Posted 4 days ago
  • February 17, 2012
  • T needs to look deeper at 'efficiencies' Posted 5 days ago
  • Traffic and the changes it brings Posted 5 days ago

NDN Video
Father Accused of Using Leash on 11 Year Old Megan Fox Flaunts Figure in Bikini Raw Video: Obama Belts Out Blues Adele Flips Off the Brit Awards 2.21: Floyd Mayweather from the Kings vs. Heat game Slimmed Down Mariah Carey Debuts New Health PSA Bourbon Street - New Orleans, Louisiana Video: Violent Man Pepper Sprayed at Disneyland Tiffani Thiessen Drops 45 Pounds Bridge demolition: Caught on tape Dana White rips Floyd Mayweather Boy with Down Syndrome Becomes Basketball Star U.S. Forces Burn Old Copies of the Koran Photographer captures beauty in forgotten landmarks Winans Bros.: Bobbi Kristina is 'Hurting and Lost' Mona Lisa double painted simultaneously Raw Video: New Orleans Revels in Mardi Gras Kim and Khloe Kardashian Sued for QuickTrim Endorsement Candidates target Santorum ahead of Michigan primary Ripa's Ab-tastic Bikini Bod
Special Features