Letters to the editor: Trump’s photo op, transgender athletes, protest punishments
Trump’s photo op
June 1, 2020, will be forever remembered as the day Donald Trump replaced Michael Dukakis as the presidential candidate who concocted the most bizarre political campaign stunt in American history.
A rather meek Dukakis attempted to show voters his toughness by putting on an army helmet and riding boldly atop a Sherman tank. His strategy generated more laughs than votes.
President Trump’s experience as a reality show producer enabled him to choreograph an elaborate appeal to his Evangelical base. He arranged a press conference, reminding voters he was America’s greatest law and order president and had dispatched Attorney General Barr to the scene of a lawfully assembled demonstration near the White House. They were blocking his planned walk to St. John’s Church for a photo-op and instructed Barr to end the threat with overwhelming military force.
They removed the peaceful crowd with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bombs. Trump then stood in front of the church displaying a Bible. Bishops Marianne Budde and Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church expressed indignation that Trump used their church as a backdrop and the Bible as a prop for his campaign stunt. Evangelicals might consider their concerns and reevaluate candidate Trump’s values.
Alston Jones, Boise
Transgender athletes
Kudos to Madison Kenyon for opening herself to debate (Defending Ban - Transgender). Everyone who desires should have the opportunity to participate in sports, including transgender athletes who follow NCAA/IOC protocols. Unlike Ms. Kenyon, I (cisgender female) never pretended my mediocre results in racing bikes or triathlon over many years were going to lead to any athletic career. Kenyon bemoans the fact that she was bumped a placement by a female athlete who was born male. She fails to say that her pedestrian result put her at 44th place. Is she sad to miss 43rd place? The result for the transgender athlete was 45 seconds slower than the winner of that race. Kenyon states that this offending runner’s Gold in another event was because this runner was not female at birth. Research proves it was because all participating runners were relatively slow. That winning time was 25 seconds slower than NCAA top female times – the winning athlete would have been about lapped by a top collegiate runner. Happiness comes from within, Ms. Kenyon. Practice on bettering your PR. This runner is taking nothing from you. She is living for the same joy in sport as you.
Kristin Stilton, Boise
Protest punishments
We have here two fools. One spray-paints a slogan on the statehouse and is charged with a felony. One discharges a firearm at the same venue, endangering the lives of everyone within a several-mile radius, and is charged with a misdemeanor. Which fool deserves the misdemeanor, and which the felony? Which was stupid enough to chamber a live round while carrying a deadly weapon under questionable circumstances? Spare me your outraged 2nd Amendment noises — I am a gun owner, too, and the first things I was taught about handling guns were safety and responsibility. Our second fool could have accomplished his point without even having a rifle present (signs are so much lighter), but he was within his rights to have it. Why did he feel it necessary to chamber a round, thereby endangering himself and everyone for miles?
Who deserves the felony?
We all have the right to own and carry deadly weapons. This right carries with it the inescapable responsibility to do so safely. This young man failed that test.
Jeff Crowell, Meridian