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February 2002
Letters to the Editor: Waldo Jaquith and Bern Ewert Comment on Asking Charlottesville City Council Candidates to Take Positions on Sodomy Laws
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George,

City Councilors have little to no impact on or say over sodomy laws, any more than they do over abortion, the death penalty, Medicare, flag burning, gay adoption, school prayer, the federal deficit or drug laws.

Taking stances on such issues would serve only to divide voters unnecessarily.

Therefore, acting on the sound advice of Lloyd Snook, I do not intend to make any public statements about any of these issues during the campaign or Saturday's forum, and I hope that my five collegues in the race will do the same.

Best,

Waldo Jaquith (electronic mail, February 13, 2002)

George:

I strongly support the IVth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Additionally, I agree with Waldo Jaquith's comments on your question.

Best wishes,

Bern Ewert (electronic mail, February 14, 2002)

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

P.S. Entrapment is illegal regardless of the type of crime and I'm sure is not condoned by either the Chief of Police or the Commonwealth's Attorney (Bern Ewert, electronic mail, February 14, 2002)

P.P.S. I am opposed to sodomy laws and, specifically, I think Virginia's antiquated sodomy law should be repealed.

Bern Ewert (electronic mail, February 19, 2002)

Editor's Note: Does it matter what city councilors think about sodomy laws, abortion, the death penalty, Medicare, flag burning, gay adoption, school prayer, the federal deficit or drug laws?

Does it matter what they think about entrapment? What might their position be if they themselves were the object of a sting? [See also, Marion Barry Chosen as Speaker for Charlottesville Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday]

Should city council candidates avoid divisive issues?

Please send your thoughts to george@loper.org where the most representative comments will be placed on my web site with full attribution.

Comments? Questions? Write me at george@loper.org.