Court rulings a step backward for U.S.
Lorie Smith, a website designer in Colorado, right, outside the Supreme Court in Washington, on Dec. 5, 2022. In a defeat for gay rights, the court's conservative majority ruled Friday that Smith, who wants to design wedding websites, can refuse to work with same-sex couples. Credit: AP/Andrew Harnik
Court rulings a step backward for U.S.
Recent Gallup polls show the number of Americans who are proud to be Americans is declining. I understand why. The ruling in favor of a website designer who didn’t want to work with same-sex couples is yet another step backward into the darkness for this country “Artist ruling seen as defeat for gay rights,” News, July 1].
The concept of separation between church and state appears to be dead after the seating of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
It started with overturning Roe v. Wade and continued with last week’s rulings in favor of the postal worker who didn’t want to work on Sundays and the website designer decision.
In essence, we are now a religion-based despotic state, run not by a democratically elected government of, by and for the people, but by a half-dozen unelected autocrats whose political ideology is not supposed to play into their decision-making but clearly does.
— Robert M. Saunders, Wantagh
Matt Davies’ political cartoon [Opinion, July 2] misrepresented the Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ rights. The court’s ruling specifically does not permit store owners to refuse to serve gay people. Business owners, though, can refuse to be forced to say something they oppose. An owner would have to bake a birthday cake for a gay couple but not a wedding cake.
— Howard Lindenauer, Oceanside
Kitman’s style of humor one of a kind
With a tear and a chuckle, I fondly remember Marvin Kitman [“Tough-on-TV Newsday critic,” News, June 30]. Back in the day, I handwrote and mailed letters to him and considered myself part of his regular stable of readers. My comments were published four times, and he wrote me five personal notes that I still have.
Our favorite subject of ridicule was the popular daytime soap opera “General Hospital” in the late ’70s. His column was my go-to page. I so miss his style of humor. Thank you for the wonderfully written obituary.
— Joanne Talbot, Massapequa Park
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