Learn hypocrisy
Re “New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments” (June 19): First, I was amazed to read recently that Louisiana had adopted a law to require a poster-size display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom in the state. Although it is a clear violation of the First Amendment’s religious freedom clause, I guess it’s nice to remind schoolchildren that such commandments still exist, although not routinely followed by the population at-large. Maybe schoolchildren will honor the commandments but also discover the hypocrisy that currently exists. Even our former president has a dismal record on the subject by honoring only some, with the remaining commandments being treated as mere suggestions.
Second, Norfolk’s mayor says he has a vision for what should be done with Military Circle and MacArthur Center. Hopefully he will ask for public comment. Has the current mayor considered turning MacArthur Center into a casino (because the other plans seem stalled)? The various stores could be turned into slot machine, poker and massage parlors; restaurants; bankruptcy law firms; gambling therapy services; and bars, while the former Nordstrom store could be refitted as a Las Vegas-styled entertainment center. It’s a win-win all the way around.
Tazewell Hubard, Norfolk
Virtue
On July 1, the Supreme Court reminded us why the Founding Fathers warned that a fragile democracy could survive only if “we the people” elected virtuous leaders. We have survived, better yet thrived, for almost 250 years with the belief that no man is above the law.
The Supreme Court told us the president can commit nearly any official act with total impunity. Even acts on the outer edge of a president’s official duties and responsibilities have the presumption of immunity from prosecution.
Therefore, it is more clear now than ever that we cannot risk electing leaders who are not virtuous. Lying constantly is not virtuous. Having been found liable for sexual abuse is not virtuous. Having been found liable for business fraud is not virtuous. Mocking a disabled person is not virtuous.
A virtuous president will place the country’s interests above his or her own interests. When people tell you that our democracy is at risk, what they mean is we dare not elect a person who cannot display a core set of guiding principles that are consistent with the values most Americans hold. Before anyone can become a good president, he or she first has to be a good person.
Peter Poirier, Virginia Beach
A disgrace
The current Supreme Court continues to disgrace itself with its shameful ruling on presidential immunity. This ruling appears to exclude some of the key evidence and testimony gathered by Special Counsel Jack Smith in the Jan. 6 election interference case.
The court has acted improperly and destroyed all of its credibility. It appears to be improperly putting its thumb on the scale in a partisan manner to benefit convicted felon former President Donald Trump and obstruct the administration of justice. I could not detest the right wing of this court more than I do today. This court has put convicted felon Trump above the law, and has made it inevitable that a future president will take autocratic power. This court has sealed its ranking as one of the worst Supreme Courts in American history.
I am calling on U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to expedite this case that the court remands to her so that this case can take place before Jan. 20. Convicted felon Trump must not escape justice for his attempted coup.
Christina Anne Knight, Newport News
Immunity ruling
According to our Heritage Foundation-influenced, corrupt Supreme Court, a president can break the law all he wants as long as it is “an official act.” The president of the United States takes an oath to the Constitution and to enforce our laws, not to break them. This Supreme Court is determined to destroy the checks and balances our Founding Fathers built into the Constitution, and it is doing a great job of doing just that.
If we need another reason to save our democracy by electing President Joe Biden, this is one more very serious one. We must not allow the appointment of any more radical judges who are putting all the power of our government into the hands of the president and his handpicked Supreme Court, or our republic will devolve into an authoritarian state.
As a history professor for more than 30 years, I can assure my fellow citizens that those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. So that means fascism, which nearly destroyed the world in the 20th century, is seriously threatening our beloved democratic republic in the 21st century.
Eileen Huey, Chesapeake
Reality
Every person who wears a MAGA hat or displays a former President Donald Trump sign is making a clear statement that he or she does not know or care about facts and has no respect for the truth. Examples include an $8 trillion deficit from the Trump administration, being a convicted felon and having been found liable for sexual abuse. These are inconvenient facts, not fiction.
Jim Hamilton, Chesapeake
