Letters to the editor for Aug. 12

My, oh my, we’re in a crisis

Dreadful, depressing news: The economy has improved in leaps and bounds since Donald Trump was elected. To make matters even worse, a third of the gains against ISIS since 2014 have come in the last six months (you can thank former amateur in chief Barack Obama for the creation of ISIS); the stock market is breaking records; unemployment is the lowest in 16 years; over 1 million new quality jobs have been created versus the minimum wage part-time crap Obama gave you; the Consumer Confidence Index is the highest since 2000; illegal border crossings have plummeted 70 percent; job killing regulations have been slashed resulting in American companies investing tens of billions of dollars; inflation is down and housing sales are booming. My, oh my, we’re in crisis.

President Trump is just getting warmed up. The liberals will tell you anything within the first year of Trump’s term is due to O-what’s his name. Of course that didn’t stop them from blaming George W. Bush for anything and everything bad for eight years. President Trump is raising the bar setting new standards like no other president in recent history.

Nothing left to do but impeach Trump before things get even better ... uh ... that would be any worse, if you’re a Democrat.

Barack Obama was not perfect, but he came close

On Aug. 2, Lori Felts again joined my horde of critics. Her first sentence was “Donald Trump has done nothing wrong,” when in fact all readers know I believe he has done very little “right.” Felts then makes the ludicrous statement, “He has accomplished more in six months ... than all other presidents ever.” Like, what?

Felts continues with the most audacious and ridiculous statement possible. “Name one lie he has done.” Trump lied about receiving a call from the chief Boy Scout, congratulating him on his political laden speech to the jamboree. The chief scout denies ever making that call, and Trump’s staff admits such a call was never received. The day before that lie Trump also lied that “his generals” had approved the transgender policy when in fact it had not been discussed with them.

The Washington Post’s fact-checking application found in Trump’s first six months as president he treated us to 836 lies or questionable statements. That is 4.6 per day. Yet Felts has the unmitigated gall to claim Trump does not lie. She must only watch Fox TV, but even there you have Chris Wallace and Shepard Smith reporting the truth. It’s difficult to imagine how Felts could be so out of touch with reality.

She goes on to criticize The Affordable Care Act, and there is no doubt that the ACA needs to be amended and improved, but Republicans have just wanted to repeal it for political gratification. In closing, Barack Obama was not perfect, but he came damn close.

Let the Russians get what they want

OK, let’s assume there was no collusion with Russia. Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner, Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump Jr. all met with Russians and lied about it, but there was no collusion. Let’s also assume there is no obstruction of justice. Donald Trump justly fired James Comey because he was incompetent and disloyal. Trump really wants to find out how to stop Russia’s interference in our election process. “It could be the Russians.” Then we can also believe that Vladimir Putin holds no financially compromising or scandalizing information on Trump. Trump just admires, and perhaps envies, his leadership qualities. He loves the fact that Putin controls the press, and he can’t believe Putin would actually murder dissidents.

Trump’s base really wants to believe the above fairy tale. Bust mostly, they just don’t see it as a big problem. If he can get rid of Obamacare, lower taxes on the wealthy, and get rid of all the undesirable immigrants, then let the Russians get what they want. Trump’s base doesn’t like NATO anyway. America first!

Our commander in tweets is sowing chaos

As a veteran I am concerned with the chaos our commander in tweets creates with his childlike tweets. How can our military put faith in him when he continually tweets out ridiculous accusations and false information, and questions advice from his generals? How can we believe what he says?

Many tweets are designed to deflect criticism of him and move people’s thoughts in his direction. These diversionary tactics might work as the CEO of his company where he had absolute control, but it will not work with Congress and the media.

If Donald Trump is to succeed and implement his policies, he needs Congress and the media on his side. He will not succeed by proposing half-baked policies and insulting people and institutions that disagree with him. Executive orders do not stand the test of time. They are easily rescinded.

Trump believes all publicity, including negative publicity, is beneficial, but this doesn’t work when you are president.

Our commander in tweets is sowing chaos, doubt and confusion in the minds of the American public, our military, and the world, and it is endangering the security of our country and our status in the world. Mr. President, please get normal.

If anyone deserves reparations, its the Native Americans

I have occasionally agreed with Frankie Seaberry on social issues, but the idea of reparations for technically black individuals, although many are not black, is absurd. If we were to cross that line, white citizens would be quite fairly eligible to ask for reciprocity also. Billions and billions of dollars and lives of white Americans in numbers greater than the lives lost in WWI, WWII and Vietnam combined, were lost to promote racial equality in the Civil War.

On top of this, our Native Americans (Indians) have a greater priority for any reparations than any other race. The history is long, but the one standout item was the theft of personal property, loss of citizenship and the torture and death of the “Trail of Tears”.(Women and children were raped en route.)

In 1838 the Cherokee were living in Carolinas. Peaceful citizens and property owners. Then President Andrew Jackson was able to pass the Indian Removal Act which repossessed their belongings and forced them to march to what is now Oklahoma. Of the 16,000 that began, 4,000 were marched to their deaths. It went to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the Indians’ favor when Jackson allegedly reminded them that he controlled the Army and they could not enforce the ruling. They have never been repaid adequately and the outrage remains. Let the reparations begin with them. Then we can discuss the Seminoles.

History is history

I see someone objected to a Confederate flag. Balderdash.

There are things in history I like, some I dislike.

History is history; accept it, and get over it.

He fears the end of the world under Trump

I used to have a good friend who shared his bountiful crop of tomatoes with me.

This same person is also a prolific writer to the BND. Now, however, he is canning his excess tomatoes fearing the end of the world with President Donald Trump as the commander in chief. Next, he will be freeze-drying his meals, per Congressman Ron Paul’s commercials for his expectant apocalypse.

This story was originally published August 12, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor for Aug. 12."