Noise laws should pertain to fireworks
With several local governments having noise ordinances on the book that apply to loud music, etc., why is there not a more considerate rule statewide regarding fireworks? Unless one lives on a very large and somewhat secluded tract of land, fireworks set off at one’s home are quite intrusive to anyone nearby who may be trying to sleep or simply enjoy a quiet and peaceful evening. The legislature and governor have legalized fireworks in Georgia. Now they need to take it one step further and put a law in place that prohibits the use after a reasonable hour, and 2:00 a.m. is not reasonable.
MIKE DEAL, ALPHARETTA
When only some protesters get their rights
In response to the article “He dumped Stars and Bars before Wal-mart did” (News, June 28), why do Atlas Flags, Wal-Mart, Amazon and other private businesses have the right to express their conscience, and are praised by the media for doing so, by choosing to discontinue production and sale of the Confederate flag, while Christian private bakers, photographers, and even pizza makers — who receive no federal funding — are excoriated, sued and fined for expressing their conscientious religious objections to providing products for same-sex marriages? Is it not the same principle — freedom to choose one’s customers based on one’s personal convictions? Let the free enterprise system determine their fate, not the government, and not the bullies.
JEAN LINDER, MONROE
A return to the original pledge
A reader suggested that the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance because of the recent ruling on gay marriage. I agree that they should be removed, but not for that reason. I learned the Pledge initially without those words. In fact, the Pledge was written by a Baptist minister and did not include the words “under God.” They were added in 1954 as an answer to “godless communism.”
World Cup winner snubbed
MARCIA BRANDES, PEACHTREE CORNERS
ABC’s “Good Morning America” program showed the front pages of many of America’s leading newspapers, all screaming headlines and photos of our women’s USA soccer team’s magnificent win over Japan for the World Cup, but one major paper was missing — our AJC. What an absolute embarrassment for our one and only paper to shove the record-breaking win to a small little box at the top left of the front page. This win should have been splashed all over the front page, but because of some unexplained reason the AJC saw fit to downplay the significance of the win. I sure hope it wasn’t because the team was not diverse enough, not politically correct for the AJC’s reading audience. This is America’s win…get over it AJC!
ROSS HENDERSON, ATLANTA
Tighten up police use of force
The standard by which police shootings are justified is simply way too low, only requiring that an officer feel threatened. Surely, that’s not enough. It omits any need for the officer to actually be correct in his threat assessment. Our laws can’t possibly intend that people without actual ability and intent to kill should wind up dead at police hands. The law gives wide latitude to the poorly trained, to bad judgement, to the overly anxious, and to itchy trigger fingers. It has permitted police to shoot: a person in the back, a naked man, a boy with a pellet rifle, a woman in an unmovable car with four flat tires and others. Deadly force should first and foremost be necessary.
ROBERT WOLFSON, MARIETTA
