Family Values

The writer of "Family values are in the eye of the beholder" (March 3) apparently does not know God or the Bible very well. Yes, God forgave Lot ( as well as many other sinners) just as he will forgive any gay or lesbian willing to repent and ask for forgiveness. But that has nothing to do with the fact that homosexuality is and always will be an abomination to Him. God created man and then woman as his companion. Period! Gail Householder, Marriottsville

Robert Greene cites God's word and reminds us that an entire city (Sodom) was destroyed because of God's anger with homosexuality ("Gay marriage contradicts God's word," Feb. 28). Mr. Greene is upset because of the destruction of "traditional family values" that seem so "disposable" to today's expansion of civil rights. If he reviews again the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will be reminded that Lot was permitted to escape their destruction after he offered up his two virgin daughters to the evil men of the city of Sodom to do with them whatever they would like.

— The unassuming farmhouse, with long-vacant chicken coops out back, has occupied a rural stretch of two-lane road for decades. Even now, after a facelift that gave it a fresh white clapboard exterior, bright red shutters and a rebuilt wraparound porch, the house built by Arthur W. Perdue offers no outward clue to its role in the birth of a multibillion-dollar poultry and agribusiness conglomerate. It was there that he started a small egg business in 1920. The rest is Delmarva history.

You must understand if some of us are feeling a little blue after hearing of the deaths last week of actors Barbara Billingsley and Tom Bosley. The passing of "June Cleaver" and "Mr. C" produced that vague sorrow, that echo of grief that comes when you think of your own long-dead parents. Even in middle age, you can feel like an orphan. "Leave it to Beaver," a 1950s show about a suburban family, and "Happy Days," a 1970s show about a 1950s suburban family, allowed those of us of a certain age to watch ourselves grow up — twice — even if the families on the small screen in no way resembled our own. Television has always had that kind of through-the-looking-glass quality.

Billy Crystal practically sprints onto the National Theatre stage to begin his autobiographical one-man play, "700 Sundays," passing through the front door of a set designed to look like the house where he grew up on Long Island. He plunges into rapid-fire reminiscences of his early years with the eagerness of a puppy, barely pausing for breath, and certainly never stopping to wonder whether anyone might not be interested. As it turns out, he has a most engaging tale to tell, and a long one. At nearly three hours, Crystal's 2005 Tony Award-winning vehicle is perhaps too much of a good thing, but it's hard to resist the combination of humor and nostalgia packed into the show.

Palin will not please Clinton's supporters I am a supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton. She would have been a great president. But since that will not happen this year, the other presidential candidates are wooing people like me. But if Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate simply because she is a woman, and thinks that this choice will make people like me swing his way, I find that insulting ("Surprise choice," Aug. 30)....

At age 13, Sonya Carson, my mother, married a man she felt would be a great husband and the ideal father to their children. He wasn't. After giving birth to two sons, she learned he was a bigamist. Devastated, my mother quickly abandoned him and set out on her own to raise two sons - and well that she did. It was mandatory that Curtis and I read books and submit written book reports on a weekly basis. We never knew that our mother had only a third-grade education, and it never stopped her from demanding the best from us. No matter how difficult the struggle, my mother never allowed us to make excuses instead of learning, being role models of discipline and showing respect in the classroom and at home.

YAHWEH BEN YAHWEH, 71 Former cult leader Yahweh Ben Yahweh, former cult leader who was linked to nearly two dozen gruesome killings in the 1980s and was said to have ordered victims' ears cut off as proof they were killed, died Monday in Miami. The self-proclaimed "Black Messiah" founded the Nation of Yahweh and preached religious separatism for blacks. The group was praised for its rehabilitation of Miami neighborhoods, promotion of family values and stance against drugs. But he was later accused of sending close followers to kill "white devils."

If you want to talk about family values, how about making sure people have a job so they can afford to pay their bills and spend time with their families?"