No separation
My response to Laura Buck’s letter to the editor (Your Views, June 16) is to point out to Ms. Buck that the Constitution does not state the “separation of church and state.”
The “separation of church and state” was Thomas Jefferson’s liberal interpretation of the First Amendment, which states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof … .”
Nowhere does it say “separation,” but it does say we cannot dictate which religious beliefs you or I have. It does not guarantee separation, but my right and your right to discuss or practice any religion.
Therefore, if you have a Buddhist, a Baptist and a Baha’i in the same lunchroom, we all have the right to share our religious beliefs as long as everyone in the room is comfortable discussing the subject.
Furthermore, Stan Aoki (Your Views, June 13) has as much right to believe and express the belief that life begins at conception and that abortion is murder based upon the Bible, the word of God, as does Ms. Buck have to right to be a humanist and believe females have no rights in the womb!
Michael Quay
Pahoa
‘Buy a gun’
To the woman in Mountain View who was upset with police response times (Tribune-Herald, June 12), I have a question. What would be an acceptable time to you? One hour? Thirty minutes? Fifteen? Five?
The average violent encounter lasts less than two minutes — meaning one party is either dead or incapacitated.
Many times, individuals have little to no forewarning of an impending assault. You were lucky in that you had time to lock the doors, or escape to safety. Most do not have that luxury.
The reality of the situation is we live in a sparsely populated island with large distances between facilities; response times are dismal. The only way to ensure your family’s safety is to buy a gun, learn how and when to use it and, most importantly, mentally prepare yourself for the possibility.
Until the day someone invents Dorothy’s shoes from “The Wizard of Oz” and we can click our heels and — poof! — an officer appears, we are all wholly and unequivocally responsible for our own safety.
Dustyn Iwamoto
Honokaa