Faith is now being used as a cudgel

To The Eagle,

I fancy the readers of our paper to be articulate well educated souls. Given that, allow me to posit this. Perhaps I can get an answer to a question that has been lurking at the edge of my consciousness for some time now.

We live in a society of something over 240 million so why is it that we are left with the choices for leader being only between a moron and a bully? There are so many intelligent and experienced people being shoved aside by the most ridiculous of reasons that prevent them from being in positions of power. We need real leaders to help usher our fractured nation back to at least a semblance of the democracy we were promised by our constitution.

Religion, kept out for reasons best articulated by James Madison, has been allowed then encouraged back into our culture barring potentially excellent leaders. Sadly, faith is now being used as a cudgel rather than a cushion for those in need. Nowhere is abortion or gender specific marriage even addressed yet has become the weapon of choice for those without any real reason other than to rend the fabric of society and discriminate against others.

Seems like the ultimate goal is the complete destruction of our democracy to be replaced by something out of a frighteningly real novel such as The Handmaid's Tale or 1984. So then what? I vote for what I feel is the best for our common interests and would hope you do as well. As always I await well thought out responses to what seem to be reasonable questions.

James Roberts

Cathlamet

P.S. Surgeons and other health care workers wear masks not to protect themselves but to protect the patient.