Dear editor,
This is in reply to Chrys Holley’s May 5 screed, “Trust just one source in politics: God,” appearing in the May 5 online version of The Gazette, which is ostensibly a reply to my April 25 letter, “Valerie Jarrett is not Muslim.”
From her opening phrase, “Because I know from whence cometh criticism,” to her closing phrase, “Harper appears to want to shut my mouth about God, Jesus, and the Bible,” Holley doesn’t understand my April 25 letter, or, if she does, she’s not going to let on as if she understands it.
My April 25 letter was not criticism; it was an exposé, a statement of facts. Furthermore, it was not an attempt to shut Holley’s mouth “about God, Jesus and the Bible.” Let the record show that my letter did not mention God, Jesus or the Bible. Holley is the one who brought these subjects up …
Because I know from whence cometh obfuscation and duplicity, here is the bottom line of my April 25 letter: Holley … said the words (“I will stand with the Muslims”) are there (in Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope”), but they aren’t. Go to your local bookstore, grab a copy of “The Audacity of Hope,” turn to page 261 and look for the clause, “I will stand with the Muslims.”
I’ll give $500 to the first person who can show me a copy of the book “Audacity of Hope” that contains the clause, “I will stand with the Muslims,” — in original, unaltered text — on page 261.
Since Holley took the opportunity to branch into many unrelated subjects in her May 5 screed, I am going to take this opportunity to branch into a seemingly unrelated subject to expose one of her little ploys to gain power.
In her May 2 letter, “Honoring a Godly writer,” Holley gloats with the phrase, “God empowered me …” (Parenthetically, let me say: If Holley wasn’t gloating, there would be no reason for this phrase; it is superfluous. The only purpose for this phrase is to bully the reader into thinking that God has given her special powers not bestowed on others.)
Anyhow, these words brought to mind Mother Teresa of Calcutta. God empowered Mother Teresa to administer to the sick and dying of Calcutta. But, she never made an issue of God’s empowerment. She didn’t have to. Her actions — humbly doing what God had called her to do — showed her empowerment.
If Holley were truly empowered by God, she probably would not gloat about it. The God I know would be very unhappy with those whom He has entrusted with power, if they were to gloat about it.
Oh, one other thing Holley should know: God gave me the words for this letter, but not empowerment.
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: LETTER: Reader bets $500 that Obama's book never said this