I'd like to know how many of you who are opposed to Xmart play the lottery? It's a sin. How many watch broadcast tv? There's sex all over. Morals can't be legislated.
In regard to the X-Mart conflict, I believe it is important to keep a clear perspective.
In the letters to the editor of Aug. 9, a writer states that we are losing revenue in taxes by keeping the store from opening ("Opposing X-Mart makes little sense"). I would challenge him to consider the damage that is done by pornography is much more costly to the citizens of Augusta than the loss of a bit of tax money.
It is documented in reports and studies of high-profile rapes and murders of women that pornography plays a role consistently. It is also a factor in the calculated abuse of children by the perverts that prey on them, as stated by the pedophiles themselves when they are caught. This is too great a price.
Understandably the Internet brings pornography into homes undeterred. Though we have no control over the personal sin of individuals, we can stand as a city and say "no" to pornography. Perhaps in standing for purity in this public way, we may influence individuals by being the sign of contradiction that helps them to consider their perverse behavior.
Rita O'Keefe, Augusta
Comments
I'd like to know how many of you who are opposed to Xmart play the lottery? It's a sin. How many watch broadcast tv? There's sex all over. Morals can't be legislated.
Once again, if the people don't want it, they won't shop there, and they will go out of business. Give it a rest.
All these LTE's and all the comments is the best FREE advertising for X Mart for when they DO open. The curiosity factor alone will drive the hordes to check it out.
Eating fast food all of the time will make you fat, please start a petition to close all fast food restaurants...
Copperhead, no you can't legislate morality but neither should we condone immorality or allow it to continue if we can stop it. X-Mart is simply a battleground that many have chosen because we don't want it here. We don't want the internet pornography or the strip clubs downtown. What do we do? We start somewhere and we don't stop until we have done all we can to have the cleanest city we can. This article was very well written with facts. By the way, I don't play the lottery either. LOL
brimisjoshan......statistics and revenue suggest that there are plenty of people who DO want xmart and internet porn. Just because YOU don't like it, doesn't mean someone else doesn't. see my 6:10 post. What are you afraid of? If you are right, and Augustans truly don't want xmart, then it will fail. If you are wrong it won't. It appears that your biggest fear is that you are wrong.
I agree. The location of the Mart is a perfect location for Mercy Ministries. They both should be located away from residential neighborhoods. Let us pray that the owner of XMart will donate the building to Mercy Ministries to spread the love of Jesus to the least of those among us.
I am offended by the Christian near the Augusta National. It is highly visable to many visitors who may also be offended. Nevermind the law, lets close it.
TAKtaking a moral stand is the way to go, but if you do then why be a hipocrite, where are your protests aganst the strip clubs where the women are right there....so i guess a live woman taking her clothes off right there infront of me doesn't count, or there won't be any prostitution going on after she finishes her set...yeah having live strippers/prostitution is a lot safer and less chance of spreading std's then going to a place like x-mart where there are pictures, videos, plastic dolls and other things....p. s. i don't go to places like that but at least x-mart is in a residential district
It would be nice if the people so concerned about preventing x mart from opening were as passionate about stopping these repeat offenders drunk driving. Why don't we keep writing in a milliion times to the AC about that!!! Maybe something will get done. Protest!! That drunk driver is more of a threat to your whole family than x mart will ever be!!!
Oh, surely if I write a letter to the editor against X-Mart I can cover for my own sins and get into heaven.
Documented reports? What reports are you referring to? I will say that you can not legalize morality so don't try. To try to link pornography shops to rapes and murders of women is very irrational. Most of the individuals that commit those crimes have been abused, or have a psychopathic or sociopathic pathology. Which may or may not include porn. As a community let us do what we need to from a legal standpoint and move on. Time and taxpayer money is being spent over a sinking ship. Focus more on improving Augusta as a whole is the way to go.
LTE writer: Like Forrest said "It is one thing to talk bullcrap; it is another to believe it."
lte writer, what you doing about the strip clubs and masturbation/prostitute massage parlors???
Sheriff Strength said that he was not locking up prostitutes so whey ban a porno business ?
It is also well know that cities with the largest number of churches have the largest number of rapes. Of course, it has nothing to do with the number of churches, it has to do with the size of the population. There are lies, damned lies and statistics...as Twain said. You are responsible for your own behavior, stop trying to force your morals down the throats of the rest of us.
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