‘Hobby Lobby’ not constitutional issue
A reader recently wrote, “Fair-minded Americans who value women and the separation of church and state should not only boycott Hobby Lobby, but also the Supreme Court” (“Hobby Lobby ruling a dark day for America,” Readers write, July 6). This was not a constitutional issue at all, but the interpretation of the 1993 Restoration of Religious Freedom Act that was passed on a bipartisan basis and signed into law by President Clinton. In this case, it was the state, in the form of the federal government, that was imposing its burden on “Fair-minded Americans” and their practice of religion, not the other way around. I would think the letter writer, a reverend, would understand that the practice of faith extends beyond the walls of the church and should extend to all areas of our lives, including our businesses.
ERIC SIMONTIS, ALPHARETTA
Politicians will see local climate change
A recent business trip took me to Rome, Ga., and then to Gadsden, Ala. As the day wore on, my car’s temperature gauge peaked at 88 degrees. But late in the afternoon as I approached the metro area, the temperature rose. As I passed a disabled vehicle steaming in the emergency lane, the gauge read 95. Georgia has always been hot in the summer. But according to a Georgia Tech study (“Ga. Tech study looks at heat risk,” Metro, July 7), climate change and the urban heat-island effect will exacerbate heat-related illness and deaths in metro Atlanta.
It’s a good thing that Georgia’s state capital is located in downtown Atlanta, ground zero for ground-level ozone production. The politicians who deny climate change will more likely take action to protect their own well-being. They should consider adopting the ideas set forth in the Tech study, like encouraging more tree plantings, increasing green space, using more reflective materials on roads and rooftops, etc.
DON MCADAM, SANDY SPRINGS
