Supreme Court Justices should use common sense

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This letter is in regards to the opinion by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the case of Snyder vs. Phelps, et al, in which all but one justice agreed.

In essence, the court ruled that the First Amendment’s freedom of speech clause allowed anyone to picket funerals of military personnel, police officers, firefighters and other public servants.

I thought it was generally agreed that the writers of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments were mostly people with strong moral values and sound spiritual beliefs.

A person of our time with strong moral values and sound spiritual beliefs is Matthew Kelly, the author of “Rediscovering Catholicism.” In his section on discipline, he states, “Freedom is not the ability to do whatever we want. Freedom is the strength of character to do what is good, true, noble and right. Freedom without discipline is impossible.”

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In his dissenting opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote from his internal wisdom, not just the letter of the law.

One would think that the justices of the Supreme Court would all draw not just from the letter of the law, but also from their God-given common sense.

Bob Hughes

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Bettendorf


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