Letters: Feb. 1, 2024

US is to blame

The killing of 25,000, and counting, Palestinians, mostly women and children (and men, too, who also count) the trigger fingers being those of the Israeli army but the weapons and encouragement coming from the US government-the US tax payers-us. The US is 100% to blame and the US is encouraging this, the latest US, horrendous international crime. Biden is being sued for his genocide of the Palestinian people by the Palestinians via the Center for Constitutional Rights today the 26th of January in California.   

Palestinians are suing the US for genocide  and there is no doubt that the US is the cause of this massacre of the people that are fighting for their survival and have been since 1948.  Biden could stop it in a minute. Biden along with many of the Democrats and Republicans are guilty and should be impeached and sent to prison. Imagine, our president killing more than 25,000 and maiming for life mostly women and children in Palestine encouraging Israel in this horrific crime against the Palestinian people, against humanity.   

America loves war-Americans don't. America represents the rich corporate interests and in no way shape or form represent the People. There is not a speck of reason to be proud of the USA or to be proud to be an American. Only when these criminals in Washington get punished for their crimes will we be able to call America a democracy. The crimes against Palestine are helping us to wake up but at such a terrible cost to them. The US is definitely the enemy of humanity. Let's stop thinking otherwise.  

Steve Johnson –  Ely, Minnesota

American Pride - 2024?   

I have been writing Letters to the Editor to the Duluth Reader for over 5+ years now. For those of you who have been reading my letters and agreeing with my comments I say "thank you"! You know by now that I am a Veteran (served in Frankfurt, Germany 1971-1972) and that I am a very patriotic citizen of the United States of America. I am also a conservative Republican and am very proud to be a MAGA Trump supporter. It is very sad that President Biden, the Democratic administration, the Squad and most Democrats look down their noses at MAGA supporters.   On Christmas day my wife and I went to the new movie The Boys in the Boat which is about the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin where Hitler attended the popular event of men's boat rowing. My wife read the book for her book club and convinced me too see the movie. It was excellent and not to do a "spoiler alert" but the ending was so inspirational that I became very emotional. I tried to tell my wife as we were leaving the movie theater....."I really wish I could be proud of America again". I have not been proud of America the past 3 years under Joe Biden and the issues he has implemented which I would label as un-American socialist ideology.   I now ask the Democrats. Are you proud of Biden's America? Please don't vote for Biden in November, 2024 and if you don't vote for Trump, maybe vote for a 3rd party candidate? AMERICAN PRIDE  

Chuck Bracken – Cannon Falls, Minnesota 

Surviving Trump

Recently, I asked family members and friends: What are your main concerns in 2024? The responses centered around: climate change and the environment; unions; supporting public schools with additional funds to counter the taxpayer money going to unaccountable private schools; gerrymandering and redistricting; the slaughter of children by high-powered rifles; Social Security and Medicare; raising the minimum wage; increase the number of charging stations for vehicles; use money from the military budget for people programs—education, health care, child care; as our local newspapers fail, so does our knowledge of what the government is doing; disinformation and lies; the Citizens United decision and the flood of money into campaigns. One person listed Rights: for women to make their own decisions regarding their bodies; for children to have adequate food, shelter, education, medical care, to be free from violence of any kind, to grow up in a country that respects the laws and the Constitution. Another person mentioned the survival of our present form of a representative republic aka democracy and Project 2025 and Day One. What is Project 2025? The Heritage Foundation along with about 70 other wealthy think tanks has written a handbook of nearly 1000 pages that outlines what will be done on Day One and beyond should Donald Trump or another Republican win the presidential election in November of 2024. The goal is to “have the civic infrastructure in place on Day One to commandeer, reshape and do away with what Republicans decry as the ‘deep state’ bureaucracy, in part by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers.” These positions would be filled “with like-minded officials more eager to fulfill a new executive’s approach to governing.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/conservatives-aim-to-restructure-u-s-government-and-replace-it-with-trumps-vision Conservatives plan “to defund the Department of Justice, dismantle the FBI, break up the Department of Homeland Security and eliminate the Departments of Education and Commerce. Project 2025 proposes to deregulate targeted industries, privatize government functions to help American corporations make more money at the expense of the working middle class and everyone except the oligarchs and the 1%.” https://michiganadvance.com/2024/01/16/project-2025-if-allowed-will-cement-america-as-a-rightwing-authoritarian-state/ The readers can read the full report here: https://www.project2025.org/ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/21/magazine/heritage-foundation-kevin-roberts.html https://www.heritage.org/press/project-2025-announces-latest-additions-presidential-administration-academy https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2023/11/17/project-2025-democratic-doomsday/  How will we prepare for these changes is one question. What will we do in the next eight months to assure our present system of government survives?

Joyce Luedke – Weston, Wisconsin