I really was stunned that you published the letter from Paul Surlis (CR,Aug. 7) asserting that the abortion issue is minor. The entire letter was just a catalog of phrases from the “talking points” put out by the Democratic National Committee, with the intent of muddying the water and diverting Catholic voters from giving due attention to abortion. The 64-word sentence comprising most of Surlis’ last paragraph is part of the standard litany of blaming America for causing all the ills of the world. Not a single clause of that sentence is true – it’s all just innuendo aimed against the current administration, hoping to tarnish other candidates through guilt-by-association.
When someone sends you a political press release thinly disguised as a letter, you may want to ask what the real intent is. Surlis’ letter had the single purpose of telling people not to worry, the Democrat’s platform and all their candidates who strongly favor abortion are not half bad by comparison – a comparison made against a straw man caricature.
In case you’re in doubt, the real intent of my letter is to insist that abortion is the pre-eminent issue in any election.