Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to [email protected] or sent online at okgazette.com. Include a city of residence and contact number for verification.
Better Best of OKC
I am the owner of the local business Forever After Parties. I wanted to point out something I have observed for the past few years.
Each year, I love it when the Best of OKC voting edition comes out. I open it up and look forward to submitting my favorite places to win the coveted Best of OKC title. But every year, I am a little disappointed.
I open the pages with hope there will be a category that my business would fit into. I have looked and looked, and nothing ever seems to fit. Id love it if next year there might be something we could fit into. Maybe Best Family-Friendly Entertainment or Best Kid-Friendly Entertainment.
Oh, I also noticed there is not a category for best hotel. I was surprised. As a mom, one of the nicest quick getaways is for my husband and I to rent a hotel room, eat a great dinner and pretend we are somewhere else.
Jennifer Teel
Oklahoma City
Incentive to drink
Just happened to pick up the Aug. 5 issue of the Gazette this a.m. and, as I got to the back-to-school shopping article, noticed that there was basically an ad for Freemans Liquor Mart thrown in (Life, OKG Shop, School cool). Talking about how parents and college students would need to stock up and have a drink, etc., seems to me like really bad placement.
Taylor Hannah
Oklahoma City
Supreme authority
Pity Michael Moberlys meager understanding (Letters, Heathen rage, July 22, Oklahoma Gazette) of the founders intention for the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Letters and writings of those early Americans reveal their vision of a nation grounded not on religion, but a nation protective of everyones freedom to worship in their own tradition.
Their idea of separating state from church protects every religions right to its own values and principles. It also bans the display of any faiths symbols or messages on public property. Our state capitol and grounds are funded and maintained by all the people, so they are not the place to display icons or messages of one religion. The State Supreme Court upheld that principle by ruling that the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments cannot remain on the grounds.
These things are not left to majority rule because majorities can violate constitutional principles. A majority of Oklahomans might agree that the Ten Commandments should stay at the Capitol and that same-sex marriage should remain illegal. But if Muslims were the majority, Christians would object to Muslim icons or messages displayed at the Capitol or in public schools. Courts rule even when the majority objects.
Separation of church and state also protects the religious freedom to marry, or not marry, any couple. Laws outlawing interracial marriage were ruled unconstitutional by the courts, but churches and ministers are free to not marry interracial or same-sex couples. Our founders wrote a good Constitution.
Nathaniel Batchelder
director, Peace House Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City