Sadly, gun culture wins as Rittenhouse goes free
If you see someone walking around with an assault rifle, do you assume he is there to shoot or protect someone? Perhaps we should leave the job of protection to the police. Guns are about killing people — 40,000 die in the United States each year, and the United States has more guns and guns per capita than any country in the world. Rarely do guns prevent crime, and those owning guns do not deter criminals. In an age where a large percentage of the population feels increasingly powerless in a complex society, many view the gun as power, control and a turn-on. Through NRA fear-mongering and lobbying, we have more guns and more deaths. Enter Kyle Rittenhouse, a self-appointed vigilante. Those he killed viewed him as a threat. When Kyle goes to court, he weeps for himself, and the jury feels sorry for him. He goes free, and our gun culture wins. Sad that we are on a downward spiral from good sense.
JOHN W. SHACKLETON JR., ATLANTA
GOP triple-play: ‘Big Lie’, suppression, gerrymandering
First, Georgia’s GOP politicians perpetrated the “Big Lie” of voter fraud in the last election. With no credible evidence and nothing but losses in the courts, they’ve continued their efforts to mislead Georgia voters.
Then, using the “Big Lie” as an excuse, they passed a voter suppression law packed with efforts to restrict Democratic and minority voting. They did this solely because most Georgians picked Biden, Warnock and Ossoff in last year’s election.
Now, to complete their three-pronged attack on democracy, they engaged in partisan and race-based gerrymandering to redistrict our state. With lightning speed, they steamrolled new maps that will give them yet another chance to distort the voting process in their favor. They had solemnly promised over and over that their process would be fair and transparent. Their words were hollow.
All Georgians should use the ballot box to reject those who have such disdain for our democracy.
DON HACKNEY, ATLANTA
