| I didn’t appreciate last month’s attempted smears of my political campaign. First, I would like to know which of my religious views really “scare people.” Is it abortion? The nation is split fifty-fifty on that issue and the trend is in the traditional values direction. Is it same-sex marriage? I’m in the super majority on that one. Is it the environment? Two of my five global priorities are Fresh Water and Clean Fuel. Do I favor a theocracy in this nation? No — it was the faith of this nation that gratefully gave us a democratic republic.
To set the record straight, I was born and raised a Lutheran and am currently a member of First Christian Church in Port Orchard. That’s about as mainstream as you can get. I share the traditional views of the majority in this nation — and it’s about time we stopped branding those views as extreme and accepted their historic and rational moorings.
As to the letter to the editor that questioned the relationship that I have with my administrative assistant, Gloria Riedesel, the accusation was laughable. Gloria’s family lives across the street from us; She grew up with our six children; She currently serves both in our Youth With A Mission organization and in my campaign. We have as healthy a father/daughter, employer/employee relationship as can be. So why publish the spurious innuendo?
Don’t turn the Kitsap Business Journal into the Kitsap Enquirer. You’re too good a publication to walk down that path.
Ron Boehme, Candidate
26th District House, Position 2
(Editor’s Note: There was no “attempted smears” as Mr. Boehme seems to imagine. We publish most Letters to the Editor we receive — just as we have this month from Gloria Riedesel, the “lady in question” noted in Helen Miller’s letter. We did not print one from Ms. Reidesel’s parents, since it was basically redundant. A second letter in support of Mr. Boehme appears on our Web site.
As far as Mr. Boehme’s assertion that we attempted to “smear” him by saying some of his religious views “scare” people, nothing could be farther from the truth. That sentiment was expressed by more than one reader, we simply reported it. That’s our job.
The statement that the nation is split 50-50 on abortion is simply incorrect.
Mr. Boehme has told me several times at public meetings that he wanted to stop by and talk about this, but has never bothered to do so. I’ve had no phone messages from him, and the above letter was his first email to me, so I can only assume he wasn’t all that concerned before now.). | 
