The top headline of Dec. 3 (“Sexuality forum ‘morphed into a perversion’”) caused me to wonder if The Daily Astorian had been purchased by The Globe, The Star, or National Enquirer. Using a person’s opinion as a headline is poor journalism, in that it causes one to believe that it is the truth.

In the article I see a lot of innuendo and opinions expressed, and little facts to back them up. Why was Sheriff Bergin’s opinion given so much space? Entertainment value?

I am reminded of my mother in the early 1960s, a home economics teacher in a small town. She made the mistake of calling one of her elective classes Family Living, and became the victim of a six-month effort by the John Birch Society to get her fired for teaching sex education.

The closest the class came to sex was childrearing and creating a healthy home environment for kids. The agitators were given an open invitation to attend the classes but never showed their faces. Instead, my mother was repeatedly slandered on talk radio, in letters to the editor, and at school board meetings.

Getting back to the forum at the convention center, let me say that I know nothing about the content, but I believe that at least the intent is positive. Like it or not, adolescents are sexual beings, and a large percentage will not resist temptation. Do we condemn those who don’t resist, or should we be looking for ways to prevent bad outcomes?

Now to Sheriff Bergin: It’s not clear why The Daily Astorian sought his opinion. He should have more clearly distanced his opinions from the public office he holds. In a court of law, his allegations could easily be torn to shreds by any good lawyer. He seems to go so far as to say that it is a problem that his office does not have a say in what goes on at this conference.

I did not vote for you, Sheriff Bergin, to be the moral compass for Clatsop County. I voted for you to deal with real crime. If you can’t find it, I am sure that there are a lot of people out there who can point it out to you.

Next, Seaside city leaders: If you don’t want this conference, since it offends some members of the community, you also need to cancel all political conferences. Whatever party it is, they will probably have content that is offensive to at least a third of the people. And let’s cancel all religious events, lest we offend someone with different beliefs. We can probably even find a reason to cancel the Miss Oregon Scholarship Pageant.

Lastly, let’s keep religious and moral judgment where it belongs — between consenting adults in private.

John Benson

Seaside