Hejka Of A Guy

This morning's Detroit Free Press editorial pages are full of letters from readers on the upcoming elections. There is the usual slew of letters advocating for particular candidates or positions on issues. The one letter that caught my attention was from Thaddeus J. Hejka of Canton. After writing that he supports Governor Granholm because she is more liberal on social issues and that there is really no difference between her and Dick DeVos on the economy, Hejka writes the following:

Michigan's population of 10 million is far too large, and it would be preferable that people leave the state to seek work elsewhere. We need to protect what is left of Michigan's natural beauty and promote outdoor recreation and tourism.

It looks like this isn't the first such letter that Hejka has written to a local newspaper on the topic. Just last week, the Detroit News published the following letter from Hejka:

Three hundred million people in the U.S. and 6.5 billion people in the world is no cause for celebration ("300 million Americans worth celebrating," Oct. 18). It also means more pollution, more greenhouse gases and more competition for limited resources such as fresh water and oil.

After doing a little bit of research on some Internet tubes, I discovered that Hejka commutes from Canton to Ann Arbor every day. He might very well be using a fuel-efficient vehicle but he could certainly avoid pollution by not commuting in the first place. He also seems to live in a colonial style house. I assume that he is living in something larger than a one bedroom hut because he has children, something that he claims our state and country do not need. If he does not have children, then he is just wasting land that could be left in its natural state as well as all the utility power to keep it habitable. Lastly, Hejka's concern seems to only extend to Michigan. He wants some of our state's residents to leave and instead let some other state deal with the problem. That sure doesn't sound like much concern about the planet or its people, just Hejka's own little world.

Hejka's concerns about how we live our lives doesn't just extend to the environment. He also worries about our right to practice religion. This past February, the Detroit News published the following letter from Hejka:

The violent response from Muslims in countries throughout the world to the Danish political cartoons depicting Muhammad is frightening and appalling to all those who treasure the freedom of expression. While I agree that these cartoons were highly offensive to most Muslims, this does not justify all the violent protests and the call for the deaths of those who published them. I understand the comfort that religion may bring to people, but I increasingly feel that world peace will never be a reality unless all religions are banned. Of course, neither will ever happen.

I certainly appreciate Hejka's condemnation of Islamofascism. On the other hand, someone should inform him that the same constitutional amendment that offers us freedom of expression also guarantees the right to practice one's religion.