Dear Editor:

Is the state of New York still Free for All? Apparently not for “extreme conservatives” that live in New York.

According to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: “They have no place in the state of New York.”

“Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Is that who they are?

Because if that’s who they are and they’re the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

What Cuomo is saying is if you are pro-life or pro-Second Amendment you are an “extreme conservative” and are not welcomed in New York. When was any state given power to say who and who isn’t allowed to live where any American pleases? Does the First Amendment not apply to New York? Freedom of religion. One of the greatest reasons why America is the greatest nation on Earth. Except for Catholics in New York who are apparently “extreme conservatives” based on their faith of not killing children in the womb. They have no place in New York, according to Cuomo.

The last part of Cuomo’s “extreme conservative” labeling is that of being “anti-gay”. What exactly does that mean? Does it mean gay marriage? Does it mean gay people in general? Does being anti-gay mean an individual hates someone just for being gay? I know people disagree on whether gay marriage should be legalized or not, but no one that I have encountered who does not support gay marriage has said that they hate gays just because that is who they are. Just because someone does not support gay marriage does not mean that they will hate and despise and do everything in their power to eradicate gays everywhere. Could there be a few individuals who don’t like gays because they are just gay? Sure, just like there may be some small fraction of people who don’t like other cultural or social groups just because of who they are, but those numbers of people are small and they don’t have to be a “conservative” either.

The bottom line comes down to this, if the New York government has the power to declare Americans not able to live in New York does the First Amendment even matter? Or will this exclusion happen elsewhere across the United States of America?

– Carlos Kimball