Letters: Roberts wants faith in the Supreme Court. Seems more like a Supreme Cult

The article in Sunday’s edition quoting Chief Justice Roberts defending the legitimacy of the court rings hollow with me. It isn’t the fact that people disagree with the court’s decisions that make it seem illegitimate in many people’s eyes. It is the fact that ideology is the main criterion for selection, and that ideology appears to many of us to be the main driver for decisions. Voting only to match their party’s beliefs hurts the rule of law and our country in general. I wish I was wrong to think this, but the determination not to even give Garland a hearing eight months prior to an election, and to see laws overturned that were described by nominees as “settled”, does nothing to encourage me to think the Supreme Court is a court and not a cult.

Donna M Carlson, Boise

Anyone but Trump

Please, Republicans.

Please nominate a better presidential candidate than Donald Trump. It would better represent America’s principles and may limit the amount of violence that Trump and his supporters will promote. Also, please nominate better candidates for federal, state, and local offices. Enough with QAnon supporters, election deniers and other things lacking reason and logic. And, for the rest of us, we should express our displeasure. Silence too often helps give rise to violence. History has not been kind to those that acquiesce to bullies.

Tom Haddock, Star

Shaken to oblivion

Queen Elizabeth’s death and the transfer of power to King Charles reflects what is great about Britain’s over 1200-year-old constitutional Monarchy: predictability, continuity and stability. The monarchy is a well-established check on the parliamentary system that sometimes needs to be steered in the right direction by the monarch. The monarch has a calming influence on the nation. Our U.S. constitutional government that relies on the three branches of government for checks and balances and stable transitions of power based on elections is broken. Our former president, along with Republicans in Congress, by denying the results of the last election have forever destroyed our predictability, continuity and stability. It is not a question of if but when will we fully transition to a Putin-like dictatorship with a puppet congress and judiciary. We are already halfway there. I voted for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden not because I liked them but for one reason: stability. Some of my friends voted for Trump because they wanted to “shake things up”. Well, they got their wish, we are being shaken into oblivion.

Kurt Smith, Boise

Support Gilbert

I urge the citizens of Idaho to vote for Terry Gilbert for the office of superintendent for public instruction in this November’s election. Having known him personally for over thirty years, I can assure voters he has the qualifications to meet the needs of this vital office.

Gilbert is a trained educator with two degrees from Northwest Nazarene College (including an M.A. in curriculum and development) and has taught numerous courses for several years in classrooms in Washington and Idaho.

For years Gilbert has held leadership and training positions for the Idaho Education Association, serving as president of the association in 1977. This makes him a strong advocate for both teachers and students. Gilbert has served at every level of instruction — teaching high school, mentoring elementary school students and teaching education courses as an adjunct professor.

Gilbert has also been president of the Boise Sunrise Rotary Club and a district governor of for Rotary Clubs in southern Idaho, highly coveted positions in business and professional circles — just more instances of his record of public service.

Rarely has a person and position been so well matched as Gilbert and the superintendent for public instruction.

Charles E. Lauterbach, Boise