To the editor: I applaud columnist Jackie Calmes for pointing out that President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter was meant to shield him from the threat of malicious prosecution by the incoming Trump administration. (“The backlash on the backlash against the Hunter Biden pardon,” Opinion, Dec. 6)

However, Calmes writes that the president lied when he said he would not pardon his son. I take issue with that.

I believe Biden was telling the truth at the time because he expected Vice President Kamala Harris to win. He had every right to change his mind when President-elect Donald Trump won.

The moralists who rush to judgment seem to see everything in black and white. They seem oblivious to the distinction here.

Richard McCurdy, Burbank

..

To the editor: Hunter Biden was convicted of violating a federal law that makes it a felony for “an unlawful user of a controlled substance” to possess a gun.

Cannabis is a Schedule I controlled substance whose use is federally unlawful.

Thus, this law automatically strips 2nd Amendment rights from anyone who has ever simply ingested a cannabis gummy to help with their sleep. And that person is subject to 10 years of federal imprisonment if they possess a gun.

Poorly conceived or outdated laws like this one should be quickly reconsidered so that they cannot be weaponized by bad actors who would use those laws in harmful ways.

Brian Roberts, Covina

..

To the editor: I’m sorry that Calmes feels Biden lied to all of us when he said originally that he and his son would accept the outcome of his son’s trials, and then months later he issued a pardon.

This fall, circumstances changed drastically. A man who has been elected to be our next president has said he would seek revenge against a number of people, most likely including Hunter Biden.

Do you think that there are circumstances that can cause a person to change his mind? If so, would you label that person a liar?

Do you think that following through on a statement of revenge will make Trump an honest man? If pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters is part of that revenge, then we have a sad situation.

I do agree with Calmes that it is time to limit presidential powers and bring them into balance with other branches of government.

Deborah Regan, Palos Verdes Peninsula