Letters: Gun control | Dishonoring life | Court’s terms | Jan. 6 hearings | Remake Senate | Unwanted pregnancies
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Only reducing guns
will reduce gun violence
Re. “Biden says landmark gun bill’s result is that ‘lives will be saved,’” Page A5, June 26:
A nonsensical slogan is going around because it sounds good: Guns don’t shoot people, people do.
A slogan that does make sense is the converse: People without guns never shoot people.
So how should we reduce gun violence? It would be immoral to get rid of people. But we can reduce the lethal combination of people with guns. That is doable. So, many thanks to our U.S. lawmakers for taking a step toward this safety. (The House passed the Senate-submitted gun safety bill on Friday and the president signed it into law Saturday.)
Wallace Clark
Concord
Supreme Court rulings
do not honor life
The Supreme Court’s decision allowing states to prohibit abortion is cruel and repressive. Women and their men who can’t raise a child are being forced to do so. How does that honor the life of the child?
The court’s decision to prohibit states from regulating the carrying of guns in public spaces is insane. The Second Amendment is being worshiped at the expense of our children’s lives. How does that honor life?
The court has become politically partisan because Senate Republicans blocked Barack Obama’s legitimate nominee, Merrick Garland, and installed three of their own ideologues. Republicans continue supporting Donald Trump’s baseless, false claims of a “stolen election” while installing partisans in local voting offices to steal the next election. That is treason against our democracy.
We can repair these threats to our lives by voting Democrat, overwhelmingly, in November. It’s time to kick the Republican bums out.
Bruce Joffe
Piedmont
High court’s terms
must be reined in
In my opinion, any response to the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court, both past and likely future, should consider altering the life-terms aspect of the justices.
As it stands, there is no limit to the power they possess, a power which some seem to be reveling in, at present. They have demonstrated a high-handed attitude toward precedent in spite of self-serving statements to the contrary prior to their appointments. As long as there are no consequences for their bad behavior, they will continue to place their beliefs above the law and blame it on the former justices or the Constitution.
Limit their terms and/or institute an age limit for service.
Nancy L. Morris
Walnut Creek
Jan. 6 hearings show
peril democracy faces
I’ve lived in Fremont since 1962 and have voted in every election since. I cared then, and I care now about fair elections and the integrity of government officials.
If you’ve been following the Jan. 6 hearings, you know that we have many in office now and many more running for office who are not at all trustworthy. If you haven’t been watching, it’s important that you do. In these hearings, you’ll hear agreement between Republicans and Democrats as to what transpired before, during and after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Both parties are supplying evidence that is eye-opening and incriminating. We are learning who was involved and about how this continues to be a threat to our democracy.
Make no mistake, our democracy is in peril. If we don’t pay attention and demand that all guilty parties be disciplined, we are in trouble. The next insurrection could very well succeed.
Joanne Hoemberg
Fremont
Vote out Republicans
to reform Senate rules
I’m angry about our rogue Supreme Court, and the undemocratic, hypocritical Republicans.
The conservative majority on the court is overturning precedents at a sickening pace. They want to take our country back to when women had no rights, when slavery was legal and when only white men had the right to vote.
We need to elect representatives who believe in democracy and who realize the only way to prevent many years of backward rulings from this radical court majority is to expand the court. Three of the current justices were appointed by a racist, misogynist president, and one occupies a seat Barack Obama should have chosen, but for Mitch McConnell’s unprecedented political blocking.
Vote Republicans out at every level and help get a majority of Democrats in the Senate to end the filibuster so the minority cannot continue to overrule what the majority of the people want. Vote.
Candy Cahill
Concord
Unwanted pregnancies
bring unwanted bills
If states are going to force a woman to bring a pregnancy to term, then that state should be responsible for any hospital bills related to that birth and for that child’s support until its 18th birthday.
Frank Grygus
San Ramon