Letters: How 'united' is America after Roe v. Wade ruling?
How 'united' is America after Roe v. Wade ruling?
I grew up in the 1970’s/1980's. In elementary school, we recited the pledge of allegiance, had a silent prayer and moved on with our reading groups that were clearly decided by intelligence without regard to hurt feelings. We never imagined automatic weapons being readily available for anyone to use to shoot children in schools. We welcomed immigrants to come over with the goal of assimilation. We were the United States of America. Proudly a mix of everyone striving for the American dream.
Now, we are more like the European Union. Every state is like a different country that has different laws, rules and expectations. With this new Supreme Court ruling, what is criminal is one state is now permissible in another. California is liberal. Texas is conservative. Either as a country we need to come together with laws that are reasonable for everyone, or we decide to become 50 separate countries.
As a proud American, this is a very sad period of time for me. I’m sure I’m not alone. One of the biggest issues is that I don’t believe our government is representative of the people of the United States. Most of us are moderate, reasonable people. The people in the government, our voices, our choices, are either far left or right. Normal, reasonable people don’t have a voice. I’m hoping someone reading this, who feels the same, will have the power to make the changes that one person can’t. Otherwise, we will have to make our passports, state by state, because, we aren't the “United” States anymore.
Rina Simon, Boca Raton
Justice Thomas shows his true colors
Among the majority’s lapses of honesty in its catastrophic decision to overturn Roe, we must include Justice Thomas’s failure to mention that among the numerous precedents his argument would strike down is Loving v. Virginia, in which the Court found interracial marriage to be a fundamental freedom under the 14th Amendment. Was this a chivalrous gesture toward his wife, or a simple demonstration of intellectual cowardice?
Mark Schneider, Boynton Beach
Meat alternatives lead to true independence
When we think about our independence and freedom in the United States, I wonder how many people think of the freedom of farmed animals. There are currently 1.6 billion animals in our nation’s 25,000 factory farms who often never see the light of day.
Cows, chickens, pigs and more are subjected to unnecessary breeding, overfeeding, abuse, and slaughter each and every day. The majority of these animals are raised in environments unfit for any beings, and there seems to be no end in sight. But, releasing animals from cages, crates, and the psychological torment of Big Ag and slaughterhouses can happen and is truly a step towards independence.
When we stop treating animals as commodities, overall suffering in the world reduces, the Earth can heal, pandemic and antibiotic-resistance risks are reduced and human health will improve. Luckily, there are options. Browse any grocery store or food co-op and you’ll uncover a variety of delicious, and nutritious, plant-based burgers and more that are showing up at cookouts across the country and are proving that this 4th of July there can be freedom for all.
Patrick Bendrix. West Palm Beach
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Roe v. Wade ruling is tearing apart the ideal of a United States
