It's been a while since Letters has received mail about gay marriage -- literally, the No. 1 topic of discussion on our pages in 2008.  But the Iowa Supreme Court's decision Friday to strike that state's gay marriage ban got folks writing again.

The Times reported that some Proposition 8 opponents were taking heart from the decision.  But Branden Lewiston, of Indianola, Iowa, cautioned against overexuberance:

The Times' article regarding the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa is excellent reporting, but it is crucial we remain careful going forward and don't assume that the battle for gay marriage in Iowa has been won.

Although the Iowa Constitution and the courts have made gay marriage possible, I would wager that gay marriage still does not have popular support in Iowa. There is still a risk that gay Iowans could lose their right to gay marriage.

After being legal for six months in California, gay marriage was overturned by the people through Proposition 8.

Gay-marriage activists must remain committed to keeping gay marriage in Iowa and achieving it in other states. This has been a major victory for gay rights, but the battle is far from over.

Edward Ruttenberg, of Rancho Palos Verdes, saw another reason for Californians to contain their jubilation:

So California, which has always prided itself for standing at the forefront of enlightened thinking and the protection of civil rights, now finds itself unable to keep up with Iowa.

Letters about new nozzles for filling stations, anorexia, a flogging by the Taliban in Pakistan and the dimming of the "Guiding Light," too.

Photo: Celebrating the Iowa Supreme Court decision last Friday.  Credit: David Greedy/Getty Images.