Liberty, justice and love for all
I was saddened by the Supreme Court ruling on the challenge to the Colorado law by a woman who wants to start a website of some sort and felt she was hindered by a current Colorado law. It will open a can of worms in the future, but my problem is not so much with that as with the fact that she cited her Christianity as the reason for objecting to dealing with gay people. I know I am probably opening another can of worms by stating that I guess her Christian thinking is different from mine. I have been brought up to believe that Jesus loves everyone, no matter what, and that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. To reinforce that, I would like to quote the message the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States, Michael Curry, released after the court decision.
“All of us — every human child of God — is made in the image of God with infinite value and worth, and that is not decreed by any government. It is decreed by Almighty God … I believe deep in my soul that God is always seeking to create a world and a society where all are loved, where justice is done, and where the God-given equality of us all is honored in our relationships, in our social arrangements, and in law. Our mandate as followers of Jesus is clear: to create the Beloved Community by facing painful truths from our past, learning from them, and then turning and joining hands together to right wrongs and foster justice and healing. In so doing, we can be and build that community and world where there is truly liberty and justice for all. This is the work of love.”
We at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Williamsburg strive to live by these words every day.
Ann L. Hunt, James City County
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SCOTUS needs to be graded
An American document that gets little attention is the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. It begins: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility …” The people of the United States who now examine the present U.S. Supreme Court, which is charged with the proper reading of the Constitution, might want to give SCOTUS a grade A to F for its adherence to the purposes declared in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, particularly to “insure domestic tranquility.”
Richard Dunn, Williamsburg
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JCC needs Lisa Ownby as a supervisor
I’m a “local yokel” who has lived in James City County for 49 years and moved into Colonial Heritage 18 months ago. We’ve needed two EMS trips to the hospital since then. I would like to thank Lisa Ownby for bringing the issue to light.
It’s my understanding that when CH was going through the site plan process, there was a JCC concern about the need for a Lightfoot firehouse and that CH proffered land for a firehouse. Now that CH is almost built out, where is that firehouse? It’s not just a Toano fire station back-up issue; it’s a primary Lightfoot issue of probably the highest order possible in JCC, given that CH has the highest number of homes in a JCC subdivision and it’s full of occupants 55 and older who certainly would have the highest demand per capita for EMS calls.
Ms. Barbara Null’s announcement in The Virginia Gazette describes a lot of personal things and what she has done, but didn’t say anything specific about what needs to be done if she is elected. It appears that she just wants to add another title to her collection. There is far more to being a supervisor than just attending meetings.
On the other hand, Lisa Ownby is truly unique. In my 49 years here in JCC, I’ve never seen a new Board of Supervisors candidate so focused on what should be the No. 1 issue of life, health and safety. She’s a true leader, and JCC needs her to truly make things better.
Zan L. Cartwright, James City County
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Journey to civil rights has bumps in the road
If we printed only the quote from Eric Hoffer preceding Joseph Filko’s commentary in the Gazette on June 24, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket,” there would be no necessity for the four-column piece, saving ink and paper.
That quote and the term “civil rights” predict the direction of the article: The idea is civil rights was good, but has since corrupted. As proof, he quotes Barack Obama positively, from speeches he agrees with, that is, despite past racial abuse, young Black people can still make it. However, he criticizes Obama for a political retort to Sen. Tim Scott for saying that making it for Black people is not hard.
The first was a commencement address, and the second a political response to a member of a rival party whose statement Obama disagrees with.
If the professor disagrees with the implication that there are still difficulties with Black people getting ahead, perhaps he should wake up Black tomorrow in a traffic stop, even with a friendly smiling policeman saying, “Your brake lights are out.”
To imply that “every further racial incident” and “Jim Crow 2.0” is only “good business” is concerning at best. The professor needs a dose of discernment. Let’s not be naive. Every movement has its problems and disagreements, but the goal can be still valid.
Eric Hoffer: “A mass movement attracts and holds a following not because it can satisfy the desire for self-advancement, but because it can satisfy the passion for self-renunciation.” Call the psychologist!
Ronald Ruszkowski, Williamsburg
