Letters to the editor: Republicans, rule of law, Electoral College

Editor’s note: The deadline to submit letters to the editor related to the elections is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.

Republicans

I am an Army combat veteran of Vietnam. As one who loves our country, I urge, encourage, even beg you to not vote Republican in this election. President Trump promised to make America great again. He has had four years to make good on his promise and it is evident that he has failed miserably. He portrayed himself as a great negotiator, but has not negotiated any international agreement other than a technical updating of NAFTA. Apart from a tax cut mostly benefiting the rich early in his term, he has not negotiated any legislative successes. What he has done is divide our country, lie repeatedly to the American people and disparage anyone who speaks truths he finds inconvenient. He has been abetted in this by Republicans, such as Senator Jim Risch, who seem to think their job is to support whatever Trump does or says rather than represent the people who put them in office. Our country needs unity and it is unlikely to have it so long as the Republicans put the pursuit of power over service. Division never adds to the whole.

Brad Malone, Boise

Rule of law

My email to the Mayor of Nampa, Sept. 30.

Dear Mayor Kling,

Win or lose in next month’s election, President Trump’s thugs will be rioting in the streets of Nampa. They will be breaking laws from the use of illegal fireworks to assault and battery against their political opponents. Indeed, the President called on one group of white supremacists last night in the Presidential debate telling them to “stand back and stand by.” That isn’t even a dog-whistle, it’s an overt directive to a population of derelicts awaiting their opportunity at sanctioned mayhem and violence.

What are you going to do about it? How are you going to protect our streets, our neighborhoods, and our properties? Is the rule of law completely gone? Will the sheriff and Nampa police decide to turn away and do nothing as police in other communities have; effectively taking the role of lawmaker and judge?

You must know that this isn’t hyperbole. You’ve seen these thugs driving around the Treasure Valley with their Trump flags containing expletives and misogynistic slogans. Combine this with the level of gun ownership in Idaho and I fear for my safety on Nov. 4. How are you going to keep me safe?

Steven Lysne, Nampa

Electoral College

The presence of the Electoral College has always stood in the way of free, fair democratic presidential elections. Some have suggested that its presence is needed as a safety check to a voting population out of control in some unspecified way. I guess the argument is that the Electoral College delegates could step in and vote differently from the untrustworthy masses.

During the period after the 2016 election, I began to think that the Electoral College described above might actually be useful. I was convinced that Donald Trump as President was unthinkable, and that this fact might be evident enough that Electoral College delegates from swing states, or from other Republican-voting states, might be as appalled as I was that they would break ranks and vote for Hillary Clinton. After this didn’t happen, I gave up on the Electoral College permanently.

Now we hear that the Trump Campaign is working with swing state Republican officials to potentially convince Electoral College delegates there that enough “voter fraud” occurred that the will of the people requires them to vote for Trump despite the vote favoring Biden. I think that just the possibility of this happening requires abolition of the Electoral College.

Walt Thode, Boise

This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 11:15 AM.