Wednesday's letters: Same-sex marriage, acoustics at Van Wezel, Christian nationalists

Couples fear return to second-class status

Ten years ago, after living in Sarasota for six years, my partner and I decided to get married on one of our trips to our hometown, New York City. We had been together for 20 years and same-sex couples could not marry in Florida.

Our ceremony was a simple one in Brooklyn’s City Hall. A dear friend was our witness and we celebrated over lunch afterward.

Our marriage was a landmark in our relationship, a symbol of our love and commitment. We were delighted to share the news with family and friends and to begin enjoying the hundreds of rights granted to married couples.

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It is extremely disconcerting to think of the possibility of returning to second-class status. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio was wrong to say that the proposed legislation to protect same-sex marriage was “a stupid waste of time.” Ask any same-sex couple you know.

Robert J. Evans, Sarasota

Renovations ruined acoustics at Van Wezel

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall was built for acoustical performances and the acoustics were perfect.

I heard Tony Bennett sing there without a microphone and only a piano for accompaniment.  All of us in the 26th row could hear every note and nuance.

The problem with the current sound in the hall arose with the $20 million-plus overhaul of the facility. Non-acoustical artists had played the facility and their sound people did not understand the acoustics. They blasted everyone out of the place.

So during the overhaul, the acoustics were altered by folks who did not understand the science and who ruined the sound.

Thankfully, a shell was developed for the Sarasota Orchestra years later, which really helped to improve the quality of the acoustics for its performances. But the acoustics are still sketchy, and it seems that with the travelling shows, the trend today is to have the music overpower the actors and singers.

I’d like to see the Van Wezel taken back to its original acoustical framework. That will probably never happen, so I’ll be happy to have many years of memories of that previous perfection.

Deborah Alborell, Sarasota

Christian nationalists resemble Taliban

No Americans want others imposing their religious values upon them. Yet we have a movement within the Republican Party known as Christian nationalism that seeks to do just that.

In spite of our secular Constitution, this group seeks to impose one religion on all citizens through government actions and edicts. That is simply un-American.

The same folks who tout Christian nationalism are fervently opposed to the Taliban, and rightly so. Yet what is really the difference? Both groups seek to impose a religion on others who do not want or agree with it.

Our country’s founders did not seek to establish a state religion. After all, that was one of the worst things that they were fleeing from in England.

In Article 11 of the 1805 Treaty of Tripoli, signed by President Thomas Jefferson, it stated: “The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”

Read the excellent book, “The Founding Myth,” by Andrew Seidel for many more examples.

Only a massive voter turnout against Republicans in November can stop this kind of madness.

Peter Burkard, Sarasota

Schools will benefit from vets’ perspective

There have been mostly negative responses to having veterans as teachers in our schools. Here is my experience.

I became a substitute teacher in the Miami-Dade school system with only two years of college. After a few years, I continued on and received my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education.

I was allowed to substitute with no training or background whatsoever. I feel, however, that I learned almost as much substituting as I did in all my college courses!

Veterans would provide a whole new perspective to children with their life experiences and may open up a whole new career path to them.

Joan Hastings, Sarasota

Break up with China; impose tariffs

It’s time to end our dysfunctional relationship with China. We seem to be on a collision course with the country over Taiwan and yet continue to support China’s economy by purchasing products made there

We need to break the financial relationship by adding significant tariffs to products made in China, even if the products are made by U.S. companies.

This move will, of course, have consequences in higher prices.

Hopefully, these tariffs will lure more manufacturing back to our shores and “supply chain” issues could also disappear.

Bill Stelcher, Bradenton

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Protect same-sex marriage, students will benefit from vet teachers