Santorum
Distorts Constitution
Washington
Times (Unification Church), April 24, 2003
3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
Fax: 202-269-3419
Email: letter@twtmail.com
Letters
It’s not surprising that the Family Research Council
and the Concerned Women for America came to the defense of Sen. Rick Santorum,
Pennsylvania Republican, over his obnoxious remarks concerning homosexuality
and the Constitution, as related in yesterday’s Inside Politics column. What
is surprising is the apparent ignorance of these two groups and Mr. Santorum
over what’s actually in the Constitution.
Many religious bigots love to say that the Constitution
doesn’t mention a right to privacy, the basic principle on which the case
for overturning sodomy laws rests, so, therefore, it doesn’t exist. But they
always fail to mention that the Constitution doesn’t say anything about sex
at all. It doesn’t define marriage as between a man and a woman, and nowhere
does it talk about “family values.”
In fact, the Constitution doesn’t mention any of these
things because it was never intended to be an itemized list of rights. It is,
instead, a general statement of principles meant to restrict government power.
According to the Constitution, the presumption of privacy is always with the
individual. The Founding Fathers even added the Ninth Amendment to ensure that
simply because a right isn’t explicitly mentioned, it doesn’t mean that it
does not exist. It is frightening that a member of the U.S. Senate is not
aware of this.
Finally, Concerned Women for America President Sandy
Rios’ remark that Log Cabin Republicans oppose a “big tent” Republican
Party simply because they criticize Mr. Santorum is so disingenuous it may
mark a new low in Washington discourse.
- David Lampo, Vice president, Log Cabin Republican Club
of Virginia, Alexandria
Response to Log Cabin Republicans
Washington
Times, April 26, 2003
3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
Fax: 202-269-3419
Email: letter@twtmail.com
Letters
In his letter on Thursday, “Santorum distorts
Constitution,” David Lampo, vice president of the Log Cabin Republican Club
of Virginia, stigmatizes religious conservatives as “religious bigots.”
Given that the organizing principle of the Log Cabin Republicans is to promote
homosexuality within the Republican Party, we might characterize Mr. Lampo as
a “sexually obsessed extremist.” Well, OK, let’s not. How about we end
the name-calling? Now let’s consider Mr. Lampo’s truly distorted view of
the Constitution.
Mr. Lampo contends that Sen. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania
Republican, erred by noting that the Constitution does not define any right to
privacy, which it doesn’t. Then Mr. Lampo concedes that “the Constitution
doesn’t say anything about sex at all.” Yes, the framers left such matters
largely to the states, which is why it would be a colossal act of judicial
tyranny if the Supreme Court strikes down the Texas sodomy law.
Then Mr. Lampo says the Constitution was “meant to
restrict government power.” He neglects to note that the Constitution was
designed to restrict federal power, leaving most matters to the states. If
states decide that discouraging sodomy is good public policy based on public
health and moral concerns, then it is no business of the federal government to
usurp that power.
When Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act in
1996, it did so by carefully applying the authority granted it within the Full
Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution. There has been no such national
authority given to the “right” to sodomy.
Finally, Mr. Lampo directly criticizes me for observing
that the Log Cabin Republicans oppose a true “big tent” for the GOP
“because they criticize Mr. Santorum.” Log Cabiners did more than
criticize, though: The group has called for sacking this bright young star of
the Republican Party from the GOP leadership. The message seems to be to bend
your knee to the homosexual agenda or lose your voice. That’s their version
of “tolerance”? The Republican Party would do well to consider Log
Cabiners a group utterly at odds with its pro-family platform and treat it
accordingly.
- Sandy Rios, President, Concerned Women for America,
Washington
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