THE NEW GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA.

Reckless attack.

The new governor of Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley, was not wrong in declaring his religious beliefs in public. He was just espousing his faith in his inaugural speech, which anyone can do; particularly, when he felt he must make himself known to the people of his State.

He was just being honest and frank with his audience.He did not invite anyone in the gathering to become a Christian. Therefore, the opposition, and the accompanying hoopla by any league or organization should be regarded as pure hogwash.

In fact, it should be ironical, if in the aftermath of 9/11, an Imam declared that he was going to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero, and he thought he could do so, without any kind of reproach; and on the other hand, a prominent person announced his faith publicly, without having any intention of offending anybody's feelings; then there should be a public outcry.

In the first instance, nothing was said about the Iman's nefarious plan by any of those organizations that were attacking the new Alabama governor.

In the second instance, a person was saying, "Be what you are; but this is what I am,"; and should that be offensive?

If that was how we should interpret the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, then freedom of speech has no meaning whatsoever.

Many Americans, however, would prefer to think that the governor should rightly be allowed to freely express his opinion in public, even if it was personal; with the thought that the first amendment was the guarantor of that right.