Letter: Reader questions recent submission

Regarding the Feb. 15 letter 'Issues need to be addressed calmly”:

Sonia Ettinger used her Constitutional right of freedom of speech in her letter to chastise Ted Cruz for using his Constitutional rights of free speech and religious expression. Ettinger implies Cruz should be denied both rights by claiming 'the separation of church and state is written into the Constitution.”

When I requested a correction, The Gazette said 'While it is true that the literal phrase ‘separation of church and state' is not written in the Constitution, that phrase is commonly used to refer to a long-standing and widely held interpretation of the First Amendment.” This response perpetuates a false narrative.

Despite authoring the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson didn't write the Constitution, nor did he sign it. Fifteen years after its adoption, President Jefferson wrote to the Baptists of Danbury, Connecticut, assuring them the Constitution 'built a wall of separation between Church and State” protecting their freedom of religion and speech.

Craig Adamson

Marion