When an insurrectionist was on the high court
Pasadena, Calif.: Samuel Alito is not the first sitting Supreme Court justice to support an insurrection. Justice John A. Campbell (photo), who was appointed by President Franklin Pierce in 1853, actively worked with the secessionist states until 1861, when he resigned from the court and joined the Confederacy as assistant secretary of war.
Campbell, who was from Alabama, was selected by Pierce in an effort to appease the Southern states, who were afraid that the court would lean toward abolition of slavery. Their effort apparently succeeded, since Campbell joined in the majority decision in the 1857 Dred Scott case, which ruled that Blacks were not citizens and that the federal government could not regulate slavery in the new territories.
Campbell also served as an intermediary between representatives of the secessionist states at the beginning of the war, attempting to secure an audience with Abraham Lincoln for them and providing intelligence to the Confederates, including Jefferson Davis himself, about Lincoln’s decisions regarding the secession.
At the end of the war, Campbell was arrested on suspicion of being part of the plot to assassinate Lincoln. He was held in federal detention for five months, but was never formally charged and was released after two of his former Supreme Court colleagues intervened on his behalf.
Campbell finally returned to his law practice but continued to lobby on behalf of the Southern resistance, including an effort to halt President Ulysses S. Grant’s efforts to suppress the Ku Klux Klan and other insurrectionist groups in Louisiana. Hoyt Hilsman
Tax time
Glendale: Voicer Bob Lovell wants to know when there will be a month for average white guys like himself (and me). Bob, we already have a month dedicated to us, it’s April. Our taxes are due April 15 (I pay Uncle Scam every year) and April 1 is April Fool’s Day — it fits us perfectly! Yes, we provide for our families, uphold the law and the government gives us a one-finger salute by doing nothing in return for our hard-earned taxes given away! Thomas Murawski
Benefit rules
Brooklyn: To Voicer Marcia Epstein: I am a Verizon retiree, and you are confusing two different things. If your partner made you the beneficiary for his life insurance policy, then you will receive that money upon his death. Verizon also has a “frozen death benefit” for employees who were hired before a certain date. That can only be paid to the legally married spouse of the employee who dies if they were living together at the time of the employee’s death. A Verizon employee could never pick a beneficiary for that benefit. I am back with my ex-wife, but she is not entitled to the frozen death benefit because we are not legally married. I hope this clears up the confusion. Patrick Gibbons
Underfunded
Lynbrook, L.I.: It is very concerning that an amendment to New York State education law Section 200.5 will prevent students in NYC who attend a private school of any kind from receiving special education services. This amendment prevents parents from filing due process complaints to force the NYC Department of Education to implement services by providing qualified teachers and therapists to work at the Department of Education rate. Today, less than 10% of all providers accept the DOE standard rate of pay, as it has not been changed or increased in almost 20 years. With the cost of living increases, this means providers can’t pay their bills. Yet, the DOE does nothing to rectify this situation and therefore parents are forced to file due process complaints in order to get providers. If the ability to file a complaint is taken away, the DOE has no incentive to change this. Children with disabilities will be the victims. Mindy Ross-Knaster
Killing the messengers
Los Altos, Calif.: The Gaza Project, led by Forbidden Stories, has revealed the unprecedented targeting of Palestinian journalists. Gaza is now the deadliest place for journalists in the world, with 140 killed since October. At least 40 were killed at home, 14 while wearing press vests and 18 were targeted by drones. The Agence France-Presse’s Gaza bureau was also attacked, and Bilal Jadallah, founder of Press House – Palestine, was killed. Hoda Osman of Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism emphasized that these deaths are not a “natural result” of conflict but a systematic attack. Surviving journalists face dire conditions, with many displaced, losing family members, homes, jobs and essential equipment. This investigation demands a global response to protect journalists in Gaza. Israel continues to maintain tight control over the news to ensure that the massive war crimes committed by its IDF do not reach weapons suppliers like the United States. Jagjit Singh
Lying amok
Bronx: Liar, liar, pants on fire! I am sick of how the media enables Donald Trump in all his lies! He lied his way through the debate on Thursday night and not once did the moderators call him on it. This reminds me of the vicious lie he told that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and he had “proof.” The media did not demand that he show this “proof.” Now here we are again. I am surprised at how wimpy top Democrats are in calling for President Biden to step down because he had one bad night on the debate stage. Pauline Graham Binder
Penalty call
Yonkers: I wonder if Donald Trump was in the NFL, would he be called for unsportsmanlike conduct with a penalty of 15 yards, or in his case, $115 million? Just a thought. Warren Isaacs
Ups and downs
Howard Beach: My wife and I wonder: Which is the real Biden? Was it the one who performed feebly during the debate? Or the one the next day who came across strong and focused as he addressed supporters in North Carolina? Was it the Biden who gave a brilliant State of the Union? Voters look for consistency. Ernest Kienzle
Clarity
New Rochelle, N.Y.: Now that you have all proven how stupid you are, let’s pray that Trump is our next president, or God help our grandchildren. Dom Mastropolo
Unstable statements
Staten Island: Former President Trump, while speaking at a rally in Virginia, stated that he would not give any money to schools that allow masks or vaccinations. He stood at the podium and handed out accolades as if they were candy given to children. Trump also said he would build a missile dome. I doubt the dome will be built. The wall that he said was to be built never came to fruition. Well, that did not stop this throng of dullards from cheering and clapping. Do the Trumpsters remember that this man told people at the time of COVID to inject themselves with bleach? What will it take for Trumpsters to realize this man should not be reelected? I believe he is mentally unstable. Jeffrey Van Pelt
Run her up
Williamsburg. Va.: Vice President Kamala Harris did an outstanding job cleaning up after the disastrous debate in which the president fell on his sword. This proves Harris has what it takes to be president. The DNC should evaluate Harris’s performance against Donald Trump’s VP pick in a debate, and if her performance is exceptional, Harris should be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. Harris is well-known to the American people, and as an African-American, will keep the majority of that ethnicity voting Democrat rather than support Trump. John Lemandri
Political theater
Brooklyn: If presidential debates really mattered, Al Gore and John Kerry would have become presidents. They wiped the floor with George W. Bush in theirs. David Goldstein
Elevate the debate
Sunnyside: Although I agree with Voicer Marlene Danoff’s pro-life sentiments, I don’t think that she should have referred to pro-choice politicians as “miscreants.” It is always better to keep a cordial dialogue between pro-lifers and pro-choicers, and it is always good to remember that any woman who loses her baby to abortion is as much a victim as her baby. John Francis Fox
