Letters to the editor: Rittenhouse verdict, Harris’ record, rebuking Trumpism and acts of kindness
Rittenhouse verdict
A wise man once told me “Never confuse what is legal with what is right.” One only needs to consider the history of slavery and spousal abuse to realize the law lags far behind societal norms of right and wrong. What Kyle Rittenhouse did in Kenosha apparently was legal, but it was not right. In the heat of the moment, he acted in self-defense. But he purposely traveled to a different community brandishing a weapon to engage with others to put himself in that position. That was not right. He now has to live with his mistake. And the law needs to catch up.
Don A. Essig, Boise
Harris’ record
Vice President Kamala Harris, reacting to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, stated, “As many of you know, I’ve spent the majority of my career working to make the criminal justice system more equitable, and clearly there’s a lot more to do.”
Kamala Harris repeatedly and openly defied U.S. Supreme Court orders to reduce overcrowding in California prisons while serving as the state’s attorney general. Working in tandem with Gov. Jerry Brown, Harris and her legal team filed motions that were condemned by judges and legal experts as obstructionist, bad-faith and nonsensical, at one point even suggesting that the U.S. Supreme Court lacked the jurisdiction to order a reduction in California’s prison population. She kept prisoners incarcerated who were given parole and who completed their sentences. She and the state used them for cheap labor.
She clearly has no concept of equity and justice and the fact that she is a heartbeat away from being president is frightening.
Chris Bolton, Meridian
Acts of kindness
I was at a grocery store today along with numerous others purchasing Thanksgiving dinner items. When I went to the checkout, two others were ahead of me. One was a young mother with two sons, and her card was declined. She went over to the service desk to get assistance. In the meantime, her sons were bagging their groceries with anxious happy faces anticipating their holiday dinner. In the meantime, the person ahead of me told the cashier to let her pay. The mother came back with a worried look on her face thinking she would have to tell the boys that several items would need to be returned. The cashier told her immediately that her groceries had been purchased and to have a Happy Thanksgiving. The relief on her face and the tears in her eyes, made me remember regardless of your race, political views that random acts of kindness, whether paying for groceries, helping shovel snow, rake up leaves, etc., have such a great impact on our fellow individuals, neighbors, that we should all consider that in our everyday interactions.
I love living in Boise because I see it every day.
Deb Jackson, Boise
Rebuke Trumpism
Rep. Mike Simpson, Sen. Jim Risch and Sen. Mike Crapo must categorically rebuke Trumpism and the trend toward autocracy in the Republican Party. Our democracy won’t survive more of the politics of hate. We have seen too often in our history this return to nativism and a narrow vision of what America can be. We saw it during the end of Reconstruction when white militias overthrew multiracial governments, in Jim Crow, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924, the denial of treaty rights of Native Americans, and the ongoing civil rights battles today for voting rights and justice on the street and in court.
Trump brought out the worst impulses of our political and civic life. Where are the Republican truth-tellers who will rebuke the lies and stand up for truth and facts? They are far too few, and the party abandons them for speaking up. Does anyone really think Trump cares one iota for anyone but himself and that he won’t sacrifice his followers and our nation for his personal gain? He has consistently shown that he will. Our leaders need to stand up for our democracy and rebuke the fundamental danger he poses to our country.
Samuel Paden, Garden City