To the Editor:

Recently my office received more than 125 written requests from Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties requesting that I oppose SB 514, the Defense of Marriage Bill. Because of this large number, it would not be feasible to reply to each person individually so please accept this public notice of acknowledgement of the receipt of your interest and a thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me.  

Since North Carolina’s General Statute 51.1 legislates the status of marriage, to place this issue on the ballot in the form of a Constitutional Amendment is a gross waste of your time and state funds. This is especially true when the papers have articles everyday reporting the loss of state and local jobs.  

The sole purpose of bringing this amendment forward at this time was to incite political passion and further lead to more societal division in the state and nation. This we do not need. Without discussing the other negative aspects of the bill, but considering all the three hours of argument on the House floor and my own understanding the consequences, I voted against it.

• “Thou shall not avenge nor bear grudge against the children of thy people but thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.” – Leviticus 19:18

• “Honor thy father and thy mother and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.” — Matthew 19:18

Rep. Phil Haire

D-Sylva