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Dear Garrison,
My family and I have had the privilege of listening to your show from
time to time. We often seem to hear
it on the radio while we are traveling and it
makes a nice change from the typical rock, country
or other programs we end up listening to
otherwise. That said and
hopefully taken to heart, I want to let you know
that your Nov. 6th program was very hurtful
and offensive to me. You see, I am a
"born-again Christian" and also a home school
Mom and the wife of a professor of
aerospace engineering at Penn State University.
It saddens me that you feel that I don't
have a constitutional right to vote, that I am not
a citizen of this country and that the only book I have read is
the Bible.
I am sure you can guess who I voted for and I know that you
disagree with me on a good many things.
But now is not the time to be insulting of
each other. We are a country divided and a
house divided against itself cannot stand.
This is just where our enemies want us.
Can we agree on that?
Now is the time to put aside our
differences and get behind our country, our
president and each other.
We are not all of the same opinion,
religion, race or political persuasion, but we are
all Americans and this should
be our focus and our point of reference. I
know you were only poking fun at others in
light of the election results, but please be
fair and consider how your remarks affect those
who are in earshot of your radio program.
We hear diversity and tolerance
for all being preached, but it should be extended to those of
us who are Christians as well.
I still will listen to your show. It is a
humorous part of my Saturday
and I wouldn't miss it. I hope these
few words have fallen on
understanding ears.
Stephenie Brentner
Stephenie,
I'm sorry my joke didn't amuse you. I think
it was a hilarious joke and
that I - the child of fundamentalist parents who never
voted because they felt their citizenship
was in heaven - had the right to make it.
It's the sort of joke that the fundamentalists I
know even make about themselves.
But apparently it fell flat in
Pennsylvania. The wonderful
thing about radio, though, is that it comes with a dial and anything
you don't like is quickly disposed
of. And there are many, many
Christian stations for you to listen
to, and conservative stations, where you
would never ever hear such a joke told. - By the
way, the Christian references on PHC
stimulate, by far, the largest volume of audience
criticism. The
gospel music that we present is offensive to a good many
people. They say, "What right do you
have to inflict your beliefs on those who don't
agree?" I suppose they have a good point,
but in fact, it's so
easy to turn off a show that I can't really
sympathize with them.
And I am in favor of free and vigorous
expression. Your
suggestion that Christians aren't tolerated in
this country I find odd in the extreme.
But I don't mind that you say what you
think.
Garrison Keillor -
from "A Prairie Home Companion"
web
site
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