Letters to the editor: Impeachment

Impeachment

Thank you Senator Romney for your vote that puts country over party. Thank you Senator Romney for your vote that takes a stand against a lawless self-serving president. Thank you Senator Romney for not being a coward.

David Hayes, Boise

Romney

Imagine taking an oath seriously. Imagine the courage it would take to follow convictions. Imagine putting principle over party, popularity, and personality. Mitt Romney is a man for the ages, something we don’t often see. Like many principled people, I can respect those kinds of choices.

Becci Carmack, Meridian

Republic

To quote FDR; “a date which will live in infamy.” Maybe not the existential threat of Pearl Harbor, but this incredible moral failure to hold Trump accountable certainly represents a real threat to our democratic republic. Masha Gessen who has lived in autocracies writes the #1 rule of surviving autocracy is “Believe the Autocrat.” Clearly Trump lies but what he hasn’t lied about is his intentions as president. Trump said and the Republicans agree “Article II allows me to do whatever I want.” Some hoped he would grow into the job. He hasn’t. Some hoped “the adults in the room” would protect us. They didn’t. Some said our institutions would protect us. They won’t.

While many of us want to reach out and lessen the great divide with which we are faced but as a practical matter we must, if we are to save our democratic republic, forget the kumbaya impulse and understand we cannot reach people and craven, authoritarian politicians who disrespect compromise, democracy, equality, racial and economic justice and cynically weaponize religion. As Benjamin Franklin replied to the question, “Do we have a monarchy or republic?” “A republic, if you can keep it.” Will we?

Tim Teater, Boise

Trump

As a wounded and decorated Vietnam veteran I would like to share some thoughts with the young people out there who are of draft age.

The warhawks in Congress and the corporations who make money from war have no qualms about spilling your blood and that of the people whose country they invade.

There is a massive effort behind the scenes to create a new war in the Mideast by these people.

Congress must take the unilateral ability of Trump to start a new war.

He is already stockpiling a huge amount of war material and bringing in large numbers of troops in the Mideast.

I am so ashamed of our two Idaho senators. I wish they had been there in the Ukraine with the troops facing Russian tanks with small arms.

These men are cowards of the worst kind. They are carbon copies of the monster in the White House.

Odos Lowery, Boise

Injustice

Today my heart breaks for our nation and Constitution. I am appalled by the manifest disdain Trump exhibits for the separation of powers and the Constitution. How the Republican Party can so casually turn its back on the Constitution, truth and historical norms of our democracy is bewildering. It is no exaggeration to cast current events in this light. If Obama had done anything like Trump, a crisis would have ensued. The double standard is stark and searing.

To my surprise, even Christianity Today acknowledged Trump’s actions and threat to our democracy. What will it take for the Republican Party to put our democracy and love of all our citizens ahead of party donors? We are being led by a selfish, self-interested, divisive dishonest, President intent on doing anything to stay in power. It is beyond shameful -- injustice and bigotry have been unleashed upon the citizens of our nation and our “leaders” just stand and clap.

I do not know how we come back from this.

I ask our elected leaders: What will you do to speak truth to this great injustice?

Samuel Paden, Garden City

Romney

Thank you Senator Romney (and shame to our two senators). I have never been so moved by one politician’s courage. I sincerely believe Senator Romney saved this experiment in democracy, our great republic, for now.

Steve Mendive, Boise

Acquittal

After the kangaroo court acquittal in the Senate by Trump-ublicans, I am seriously worried about our country. A sitting president withholds desperately-needed military aid for an ally against Russia for dirt on a political adversary. As usual, Trump even admitted this abuse of power, but called it “perfect.”

Unlike the previous impeachments, Trump and his Senate enablers blocked all evidence from this administration. Instead of asking “what the president knew and when did he know it,” Senate Trumpers said “not only don’t we care what he did, we don’t want to know what he did.”

Since Reagan, big money, propaganda news and now Trump-ublicans have led us to this point where truth and science no longer matter. Dis-proven “trickle-down” economics has made the U.S. the most economically unequal country in the developed world. Faced with the societal wreckage due to this failed mantra, the party formerly known as Republican knowingly defends this excuse to further concentrate U.S. wealth at the top.

As the bankruptcy of our government, common society, and morals proceeds, the disconnect between reality and the state of our union grows exponentially. The evidence is every outrageous lie uttered by this disgraceful president. God save America, Trump-ublicans won’t.

Mark Anderson, Boise

Romney

What a difference in character. Wow.

Sen. Mitt Romney standing alone courageously expressing the conviction of his faith. Sens. Crapo and Risch seem to be singularly concerned about their own re-election and being sycophants to President Trump.

How embarrassing and pathetic.

Arthur Hamblin, Boise

Trump

As I listened to President Trump’s State of the Union speech, I wondered how many people would take the time to fact check his statements, given that he has made over 15,000 false or misleading statements to date. It has become much more important to look at his actions, rather than accept what he says. He knows what voters want to hear. Some factual information: NAFTA had pros and cons, but overall was positive for all three countries. Planting a million trees does little when you back out of the Paris Climate Accord and roll back EPA protections. The trade wars have resulted in very little economic benefit but destabilized world markets and earned us the distrust of former allies. Our actions in the Middle East have destabilized the region further. Our health care system is being returned to its original exclusionary practices. Our immigration system has become inhumane. Our national debt stands at $22 trillion, the highest ever. The income gap between rich and poor continues to grow. All this is reason enough to want a new presidential candidate. May I suggest Mitt Romney?

Lori Poublon-Ramirez, Meridian

President

Now that our sheep-like Senators, Risch and Crapo, have helped an obviously unfit and boorish man to remain in office, the Democrats will have to come up with a better and more competitive presidential candidate. They need a candidate who, just for openers, lies repeatedly, who hides his tax returns, who insults world leaders, who bashes immigrants, who sneers at the Constitution, who cheats on his spouse, who boasts about grabbing women’s private parts, who is oblivious to climate change, who pays hush money to porn stars, who has no shame, who does not read, who loves the Russians, who has no knowledge of history, who disrespects the U.S. intelligence community, who trashes the environment, who caters to the corporations and the wealthy, who is an avid racist, who has a chaotic style of leadership, who purposefully divides Americans, who abandons our allies, who displays remarkable cruelty, who raises the national debt to fantastic levels and who loves himself infinitely more than our country.

It is amazing and sad that this type of candidate has a good chance of success.

Don Lojek, Boise

Senators

Sens. Risch and Crapo joined the other errand boys to vote against impeachment despite the evidence Trump leveraged his office for personal not national reasons, a misuse that falls under “high crimes and misdemeanors” and merits impeachment. Give Trump credit, he’s an exceptional flim-flam man, a liar of historic proportions. The people he doesn’t con, he threatens, so fear becomes another factor in the senators’ votes. You have to wonder at the example our Republicans set for their children and grandchildren. As the poet May Sarton said, “One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.” Crapo and Risch can merely pander, the only man standing is Mitt Romney.

Bruce Smith, Ketchum