The Great Divide

Oligatory Kristof link: Hold the Vitriol

And response:

Dear Editor,

Nicholas Kristof warns Democrats to heed the "God Gulf" separating them from the religiously faithful ("Hold the Vitriol" Op-Ed, Nov 12). But how should we react to public figures, like Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, who declare publicly that they do not believe in evolution or the big bang? This is not a point of view that an educated person can respect. The same holds for President Bush's "compromise" decision on Federal funding of fetal stem cell research. A curious compromise that was: While failing to save a single fetus, it has brought a once-promising avenue of medical research to a near standstill.

If this confusion of faith and politics - embodied, as well, in the recent "partial birth" abortion ban - is what Mr. Kristof has in mind, then I think the Democrats are better off keeping their principles, and the God Gulf, intact.

Sincerely,
Derek Fox