One Too Many?

Eleven days ago, on Memorial Day, four Minneapolis police officers killed a man. One choked the life out of George Floyd by putting a knee on his neck. Two others helped by holding him down. The fourth stood watch. One more black man killed by men in blue. It’s not a new story. It’s so familiar, in fact, that one could argue it wasn’t even news. On the other hand, during this hyper-quantified era in which refrigerators can remotely report to homeowners how many eggs they are holding at any given time, this would certainly seem to be a number of which someone ought to …

Read more

Solution? End the Occupation!

To the Editor: If Israel annexes more Palestinian land, anticipate a violent uprising. Already, the head of the Israeli Occupation Forces has sent additional troops into the West Bank. Moreover, If Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu takes more Palestinian land, any hope for two states vanishes. Palestinians desire freedom of movement, access to clean water, and an end to Israeli “settler” violence against them and their children. Palestinian farmers seek an end to the destruction of their animals and olive trees by settlers and the military. Palestinians want an end to an apartheid system which forces them to use separate sidewalks and roads, and to have …

Read more

Using Religion for Politics

To the Editor: I grew up in the church. We lived two doors away, and my dad was a deacon. Sunday mornings, I sat between my parents in the pews. I sang in the choir and attended Scouting at the church. Among my keepsakes are pins denoting eight years of perfect attendance at Sunday School. I was President of the Youth Fellowship before I signed up for the Air Force, during Vietnam. In 42 years of military service we moved 17 times. Our final assignment was in Montgomery, Alabama, where we attended several churches—white, black, Jewish—and participated in the civic group One Montgomery, whose members …

Read more

Put Joe Behind the Wheel

To the Editor: Living under the Trump Administration feels like being a passenger in a speeding car with a texting driver. And it gets worse. The President’s frequent threats to suppress vote-by-mail ballots are the equivalent of engaging the child door locks, trying to trap us in his reckless journey. He’s putting lives at risk because of his feckless leadership in a crisis. The President’s allies might suggest that Joe Biden is just an old man, driving below the speed limit. Given a choice, I’d rather be in Biden’s car. He would be more aware of what is going on around his vehicle. Unlike the …

Read more

Our Coward-in-Chief

To the Editor: President Trump is so afraid of the Covid virus that everyone in the White House has to be tested every day. If anyone close to him or the Vice President tests positive Trump starts popping the pills he claimed were going to be the great cure. Given that, why would anyone think it is safe to go back to work when neither you, your coworkers or customers have been tested at all, let alone daily. Why would you trust the word of our Presidential Coward-in-Chief? Senator Susan Collins and her party believe they can force the 36 million who lost their jobs …

Read more