In my Dec. 13 letter to the Editor listing "another reason to remove Jim McDermott from office." (Sometimes referred to as Baghdad Jim as a result of a visit he made to Iraq where he met with terrorists, but not with our own troops) I mentioned an article in the Dec. 13 Post-Intelligencer, but didn't give the details hoping people would read the article and draw their own conclusions. In the meantime, there have been two letters challenging mine and it appears neither person understood the issue so I will try to paraphrase what the P-I said.

By the way Olive Spannaus, while I have respect for Lutherans, I'm not a "fellow Lutheran." On Dec. 11 Jim McDermott was one of nine Congressmen out of 381 to vote against a resolution to recognize the importance of Christmas and the Christian Faith in American History. Olive, please explain how this resolution "establishes a religion?"

Last fall, Jim McDermott supported House resolutions to recognize the Islamic holiday Ramadan and the festival of Dewali celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. So Ms. Spauuaus, isn't this establishing these religions by your standards? Just what is McDermott's standard?

The U.S. House of Representatives voted in the Dec. 11 bill I believe to make a statement regarding the silliness or maybe plain hostility of lawsuits challenging the right to have public Christmas displays that have been traditional since the inception of our nation. The First Amendment is about freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Our early documents reveal our dependence on God or our Creator and in no way suggest the removal of all references to Him or the Christian Faith. If these facts were not excluded from the curriculum in teaching American History in our schools and universities perhaps we wouldn't be hearing so much ignorance in the media and in the courtrooms regarding the First Amendment.

Jim McDermott thought it was important to recognize the Muslim Faith and Hinduism, but basically spit in the eye of every Christian American and those who are sympathetic towards the contribution Christianity has played in National and World society. Every voter needs to ask themselves, "Is this man really on our side"?

The other Ron Marshall, not the Lutheran pastor.

Ron Marshall

Fauntleroy