Evidently Carl Hinson is one of those who “believe that the USA is a democracy.” If he reads the Constitution of the United States he will learn that America is a constitutional republic and not a democracy. The judicial branch is charged with determining the constitutionality of laws and actions adopted by the executive and legislative branches.

The Supreme Court does not make laws, it upholds them or strikes them down. Given that the White House is in the hands of a maniacal narcissist and Congress is led by dishonest, power-hungry politicians like Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, I am thankful for the nine Supreme Court Justices who protect our constitutional freedoms.

Far too many people claim the to speak for the ‘majority’ and what they want. It does not matter what the ‘majority’ want if it is unconstitutional. Imposing your religious beliefs on other citizens and denying them their liberties and personal freedoms is unconstitutional even if people like Carl Hinson want to do that.

Mr. Hinson’s letter is full of the ‘alternative facts’ that Conservatives are famous for repeating. He is free to believe that abortion is murder, that gay marriage is illegal, that students should be forced to pray in school, or whatever else he wants to believe. The U.S. Constitution and the SCOTUS disagree with him.

Right wingers are quick to tell me that if I don’t like having a racist, misogenistic, adulterous, lying, profanity-spewing deviant as POTUS that I am free to leave my country of birth. I guess that means if Mr. Hinson doesn’t like living in a constitutional republic like the USA, then he is free to leave America and move to a democracy. Of course, no democracy would ever pass the laws Mr. Hinson wants, so maybe a country like Iran that enforces religious law would be more to his liking.

Patricia Sheppard

Tar Heel