Letter writer: Standing up for what made America great

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I want to thank Michael Breck [“The First Amendment Has Limits,” Jan 11, Xpress] and Jenna Melissas [“Don’t Print Hate Speech,” Jan. 11, Xpress] for their recent letters in the paper standing up for what made America great. And that the editor’s response disgusted me.

It will take decades or possibly centuries to undo what took place on Nov. 8 and what the future holds under a fascist dictator — Trump — and a fascist Congress. The Constitution states that the country should be governed by the presidency, the Congress and the Supreme Court. Trump and the Republicans will do their best to turn the court into their lackeys. I consider those who voted for Trump and Republicans as traitors to this country.

— Lloyd Kay
Asheville

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72 thoughts on “Letter writer: Standing up for what made America great

  1. Scotty Morgan

    Loyd I proudly voted for my President Donald Trump. I spent a proud 31 1/2 years serving my country in the US Air Force. 7 years,10 months and 9 days were spent under difficult circumstances as a POW in North Vietnam. I was honorably repatriated on 12 Feb 1973 on the first airplane out of Hanoi . When I read such stupid comments from the likes of you it makes me wonder what I put my life on the line to protect.Fortunately there were enough intelligent citizens to elect Donald J Trump and reject a person who purposely put the security of this nation on the line by illegally sending and receiving classified emails on her unsecure private server. You need to grab your left ear with your right hand , your right ear with your left hand and pull your head from where you firmly have it stuck!!! Grow up you lost the election !

    • Hauntedheadnc

      Interesting how you were able to overlook the way Trump mocked John McCain for being a POW, and how it doesn’t bother you that Trump continues to send and receive official communications using an unsecured phone.

      • Richard B.

        Hey Haunted, perhaps Hillary could be magnanimous and whisper in Trump’s ear that he should not put the nation’s security at risk by using unsecured means of transmitting the country’s business, as she did for four years, reminding him that it could cost him the Election in 2020, as it did her in 2016. By the way did you read that somewhere on Huffpost or similar” I scan the NY Times and Washington Post daily and I do not recall reading that Trump is using an unsecured means of communication, a la Hillary the Crooked.
        Switching gears momentarily, as a liberal Mr. Haunted, don’t you think Mr. Kay is being just a
        little bit over the top by labeling all members of the opposition party as “traitors”? Geez, that puts them
        in the same category as that deserter Bergdahl. Oh wait, I think Mr. Obama decided that it would be more fair
        to just allow that to pass, especially after inviting his parents to the White House and all. So I guess I’m confused a little
        as to what liberals define as traitors. Perhaps you can help me out.
        I fear that if I approached Mr. Kay, he would simply shoot me for being a traitor.
        Thanks in advance for your kind reply.

        • Hauntedheadnc

          You never saw an article about Trump’s unsecured phone usage? Pay closer attention, because two seconds of googling brought up dozens or articles. Here’s one that caught my eye: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wired.com/2017/01/trump-android-phone-security-threat/amp/

          Would you like another link? Like I said, there were dozens.

          Now, you were asking if I consider Trump voters traitors… That’s a toughie. I don’t really expect the average Trump to be smart enough to understand that they deliberately chose to flush America down the toilet and hand the next century over to China. Therefore you can’t really call them traitors. Yes, the choice to vote Trump will destabilize the nation to the point that no one takes us seriously anymore, and yes, that will lead to a decline in our economy as other nations (aka the adults in the room) take it upon themselves to welcome and nurture the industries and academics that we deliberately chose to throw away. However, the average Trump voter could not process this despite months of warning that what we’re seeing now is exactly what would occur — case in point, the way that Silicon Valley is looking for openings in Canada due to the fact that the new American xenophobia hamstrings their ability to attract talent.

          But can you call someone a traitor when their only crime was being stupid? I honestly don’t know. What do you think?

          • Lulz

            LOL, why if I didn’t know better all you said was that we need to continue to import cheap migrant labor to exploit and keep wages low in order to compete with cheap, exploited Chinese labor. LOL, and yet if wages remain low how is someone supposed to mete out a living? Let me guess, we’ll tax the rich and simply give to the poor lulz.

          • Tracy Rose

            This thread has devolved into a personal attack. Not cool.

          • Lulz

            No, this tread is calling these people out. Only an overpaid government stooge would assume bringing in low wage immigrants to compete with Chinese workers is asinine and stupid. Yet if they actually had a real job in the private sector where reality bites, they’d see things differently.

          • “This thread has devolved into a personal attack. Not cool.”

            It appears that Mr. “Hunter” does not agree with you, Ms. Rose. I guess your hands are tied.

          • Hauntedheadnc

            I actually kind of enjoy it when you speculate on my job, what I do, whether it is valuable, and what I get paid for doing it.

            I enjoy it because I work my job and I know that without my effort and those of the too few doing the same job, lives would be ruined. Literally ruined. I also know that if you were to try to do my job, it would crush you like an insect.

            Go ahead and speculate. I see things on a daily basis that would make you scream, and if you think your whiny little flailing insults make the slightest bit of difference to me you are bitterly mistaken.

          • Tracy Rose

            I think debating whether a senator is or is not a traitor because of his public actions is within the realm of discussion here.

          • Huhsure

            “Because of his public actions”? Seriously, what are you talking about?

            When was that stated? When was any rationale given for that calumny?

            It’s like me telling you that you’re a racist, then walking away with no explanation.

            See, that’s not very nice, is it?

          • Tracy Rose

            OK, I see your point. As one of the moderators here, I should have written, “I think debating whether a senator is or is not a traitor is within the realm of discussion here.”

      • Phil Williams

        Mr. Head – it is also interesting how many assumptions you make about COL Morgan and what he has or has not overlooked – or what does or does not bother him. Also, I do not know whether you have ever worked in a military or governmental environment, but there is a vast difference in “Official” and “Classified” information and documents.

        • Hauntedheadnc

          Let me make a few more assumptions, Mr. Williams. I feel rather certain that if Clinton were to have disrespected veterans the way Trump has, and if Clinton, as president, were using her personal cell phone, you and your fellow conservatives would collectively be making a noise that tortures dogs and shatters windows.

          What I mean to say is that all your doublespeak as a Trump apologist does nothing to hide the basic fact that anything, no matter how reprehensible, is acceptable so long as one of your fellow conservatives is doing. And yet you hypocrites hold yourself up as the party of principles and values.

          You hypocrites are digusting.

          • Phil Williams

            You sure do make plenty of assumptions there, Mr. Head. As I cannot go back and edit any of my posts, pray tell me where I said much of anything about Mr. Trump other than to call him by his title and question some of the remarks about Fascists and Adolf Hitler?? In my reply to your comment above, I did not mention the President, only remarked on your comments about COL Morgan.

            Thank you for beautifully illustrating the critical remarks about certain liberals that have come up on this thread. I have not called you a single name nor have I disparaged your morals, integrity or intelligence, whereas I am a reprehensible, double-speaking Trump apologist and a disgusting hypocrite.

            Perhaps you’d like to look me up in the NC Voter search under Buncombe County for Phillip Charles Williams. I never said I was supported President Trump – but I accept that he is, and am obliged to respect his office.

            BTW, I respect your right to be disrespectful if that is what it takes to “complete” you.

    • luther blissett

      Thank you for your service. If you have grandchildren, I hope you will explain to them why you chose this particular future for a world they’re going to spend much longer living in than you will.

    • bsummers

      Grow up you lost the election !

      It’s worth repeating, once again, that the majority of Americans who voted on Nov. 8th voted against Trump.

      (cue the “unicorn/fact-free/fiction-is-truth-if-I-say-it-is” brigade. 3… 2… 1…)

      • bsummersneedsfacts

        bsummers, Here are some facts for you. Can you guess where they come from and why they are important?
        Article II (Article 2 – Executive)
        Section 1
        1: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows

        2: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

        3: The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President.

        • Lulz

          BSummers lives in Woodfin and yet thinks he’s supposed to have a voice in local city matters. BSummers, did your property taxes just go up 55% for the simple exploitation by both the city and the county? I didn’t think so.

          • Tracy Rose

            This is off topic — please stick to the subject of the letter.

      • Lulz

        And yet the map of red covers 95% of the country. So you’re saying that only liberal coastal cities should decide the elections? Sort of like blaming Benghazi on a YouTube video and jailing the MUSLIM who made it. Without due process. LOL. Was the Trump or Hillary who did that because you loons seem to hide these things.

        • hauntedheadnc

          How many people live in that 95% of the country? Dirt doesn’t vote and that’s why Trump lost the popular vote.

          Btw, in light of your insulting personal insinuations about my employment (and thanks MountainX, for being on the ball with that!), let’s just say that you couldn’t do my job.

          • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

            The popular vote only matters to those who don’t understand how presidents are elected in the US. They are elected by the majority of states (quantified by electors), not the majority of US citizens. This past election demonstrates why that was a stroke of genius on the part of the founding fathers.

          • Tracy Rose

            Yes, speculation about other commenters’ employment is not an appropriate discussion point here. Please, everyone, stick to the topic addressed in the letter.

      • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

        Won’t it be great when we can finally lay this argument to rest after they’ve cross referenced voter rolls with federal citizenship records?

        (cue the “theres-no-reason-for-voter-fraud-investigation-because-there-is-no-voter-fraud-because-we-say-so” brigade. 3… 2… 1…)

        • bsummers

          Won’t it be great when I get to play in the NBA despite the fact that I’m a rotund 57-yr old with bad knees… and other baseless fantasies?

          Throwing doubt on the validity of our election process, to the point of insisting (without any evidence) that 3 – 5 million fraudulent votes were cast, can only serve to empower those who want to sweep aside our entire system of government.

          Why do you hate America?

    • Lulz

      You fought for nothing. For half the county to exploit the other have via taxation and wealth transfers. And then claim the payers are racist and bigots as their quality of life goes down and tire of pulling the cart for the worthless. See the article about the state of the city. Manicotti and Otis are arguing about the tax value as a meas of exploitation of the residents. Never mind the quality of life in this area is going down.

      • bsummers

        You fought for nothing.

        A new low for anonymous sockpuppet comments. No matter how much I disagreed with him, I would never say what you just said to this veteran. Shame.

        • The Real World

          Sigh……and this is how free speech works from a liberal point of view (just like all the crazies at UC-Berkeley are evidencing currently). Meaning, no one is allowed to say anything that doesn’t fit the opinion of a lefty. The “offender” should be ashamed because a snowflake got triggered. Really? No.

          And, rather than refute the statement made with some facts or better reasoning, the messenger gets attacked and an attempted shunning occurs. So very typical and immature.

          As far as the original letter writer — also typically hypocritical from the “open-minded, tolerant, diverse” crowd to assign those with a different viewpoint as traitors. Now, THAT is shameful.

          • bsummers

            I would never say to a veteran, “You fought for nothing.”, as part of a rant about how bad things are in America. That’s just plain awful. But then, me & the veteran at the top of this thread are the only real people in this conversation.

          • Phil Williams

            Yes – if “The First Amendment has Limits”, who gets to set those limits? Free speech yesterday at Berkeley seems to have taken then form of setting things on fire and assaulting folks who have another viewpoint. Destruction of property and physical attacks are acceptable forms of expression, but a paper’s decision to print a nasty letter to the editor is a vote for Fascism…..

          • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

            I love how the Berkley antifas were gathered around the mobile light generator they set on fire chanting, “This is what community looks like”

        • Lulz

          Let’s see what 7 years of being a POW has earned him:

          Called a traitor
          Women are murderers of their own children by the millions
          Open border and low wages; a dying middle class
          Government bullying, over taxation, preferences based merely on skin tone and sex, perverting the Constitution and ignoring it for political gain. Exploitation of mainly white males and persecution of them as well.
          .
          Why don’t you give him those 7 years back Summers. Because you owe him. I don’t.

  2. Don

    Let’s make America great again…. well, when was America last great? A very subjective thing one would suppose. Me…. 1790-1860….. now that’s when America was great…. as least for some of us lighter skin folks down south here. Now for the darker skin folks, seems to me even after 1860… thru 1960 ….was still a pretty dismal time for them. Then times got seemed to get somewhat better for them…. about time…. still, they’ve got a long way to go to see “their” great America happen. So, it seems to me that TheRump’s ardent followers are, well, somewhat quixotic in their view of when America was “great”… wouldn’t you say? (and I’m being kind here… lol). Actually, they’re simply delusional and we’re stuck with them -and TheRump- for the the next four years. shit. ;-)

  3. bsummers

    While discussing how to MAGA, I think we need to take a moment to remember the unfortunate victims of the Bowling Green Massacre. Never Again!

    • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

      This is probably a good example of how Democrats parse language to not understand the meaning of what their opposition says (Iraqi refugees in Bowling Green were responsible for a massacre of US troops in Irag using IEDs)), but to find fault with it as a means to gain political advantage (Can you believe that she said there was a massacre in Bowling Green?). There’s no question that the Trump administration uses sloppy language, but honey badger don’t care. The left is just going to have to get used to it, or look like fools picking at every little thing that is said..

      • bsummers

        Iraqi refugees in Bowling Green were responsible for a massacre of US troops in Irag using IEDs

        “Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 25, and Waad Ramadan Alwan, 41, never managed to carry out the schemes they hatched once they found haven in Kentucky because the feds had infiltrated their circle.”
        http://bit.ly/2kzhMMj

        Never let facts get in the way of your “truth”, eh comrade?

        • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

          You really should have provided the full quote

          “Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 25, and Waad Ramadan Alwan, 41, never managed to carry out the schemes they hatched once they found haven in Kentucky because the feds had infiltrated their circle. However, the sentencing memo says Alwan confessed that, back in Iraq, “he twice blew up Bradley tanks, and on one occasion participated in an attack that killed U.S. soldiers.” Hammadi, who immigrated to the United States in 2009, applied for refugee status after traveling from Iraq to Syria, a sentencing memorandum in his case says.

          Their arrests in 2011 prompted then President Barack Obama to slow the Iraqi refugee program in the United States for several months. The government tightened the vetting process, including checking refugee fingerprints against IEDs.”

          • bsummers

            You really should acknowledge that what you said earlier was false: there WAS no “Bowling Green Massacre”, either here or in Iraq. Competent law enforcement by the Obama administration prevented it.

            Not holding my breath…

          • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

            I never said that there was a Bowling Green massacre. And I don’t think Conway did either, even though she used those words. All one has to do is add the word “planned ” to what she said to see the reality of what she was talking about (if she wasn’t talking about what happened in Iraq). But like I implied earlier, these people (especially Trump) take shortcuts with speech leaving lots of opportunity for ambiguity and misunderstanding. So if you want to find fault with, and not the truth of, what they’re saying, then you’re going to have lots of opportunities. But nobody really cares.

          • Huhsure

            See, Peter? All you had to do is listen to the words that KellyAnne _didn’t_ say. Easy!

          • Peter Robbins

            You can’t just listen to the words of this Administration. Like Mr. Snowflake, you must learn how to give them a proper gander.

  4. Phil Williams

    Mr. Kay, I would recommend that you get a paper bag and breathe in and out of it until you calm down. You are mighty free with the word “Fascist” in describing your President and elected leaders, and hollering about how “disgusted” you are with a newspaper that printed something many people found offensive.

    I have read and heard a gracious plenty from folks that I don’t agree with (BTW, where is “The Rocker” on this one – he must be on vacation, banned from commenting or dead – or perhaps changed to another nom de plume??), but I think that folks like you, who are trying to tell a newspaper what to print, are leaning a bit closer to Fascism than you realize or will admit.

    When a paper prints a particularly offensive letter, they have not necessarily concurred with or supported the writer’s point of view, nor have they done him or her the favor of providing a platform or mouthpiece. On the contrary, they have given him or her an opportunity to show themselves and their beliefs or opinions for what they are .

    • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

      They use “fascist” as an emotional trigger word completely divorced from its meaning. Fascism is socialism wrapped in a capitalist veneer. Obama’s government was neo-fascist. Trump is some form of market capitalist.

      • Phil Williams

        Yes, Mr. Snowflake, I agree – when these folks scream “Nazi” they are apparently thinking along the lines of the “Soup Nazi” or a “Grammar Nazi”. The Nazis were originally known as the “National Socialist German Worker’s Party” – they wanted what they considered the best of capitalism and socialism – and a homogeneous society without racial division, because their goal was to have one “pure” race.

        Mr. Kay and numerous other people have no idea what a “Fascist dictator” is. Comparisons of President Trump to Adolf Hitler are either hysterical screeching of folks trying to vent their own frustrations, an effort to stir things up, or ignorant ranting. I haven’t seen any brownshirts murdering political opposition, nor have I seen any “undesirables” driven from their homes and businesses, rounded up and taken to concentration camps, or disappearing in the night. Nobody being forced to wear yellow Stars of David or pink triangles, no “annexations” of neighboring countries. “The Art of the Deal” can hardly be compared to “Mein Kampf”.

        • The Real World

          “hysterical screeching of folks” — yes indeed, you perceive the behavior as I do. About a year ago I trademarked the term “shrieking toddlers” to describe their reactionary, childish nonsense. How they are not embarrassed by their own behavior is beyond me.

          • Phil Williams

            Oh my Doodness Dwacious, Real World! Take notice! Mr. Robbins offers 2 pre-election articles – from the Washington Post, no less – as evidence to support Mr. Kay’s assertion that our President and Congress are Fascists!! O my ears and whiskers! Of course, I reckon we have no choice but to accept this as indisputable evidence. It is kind of ironic, that. In all fairness to the progressive pundits and prognosticators, I also thought that Secretary Clinton would nab the Presidency thru the EC and Mr. Trump might get the popular vote. It is also ironic that so many folks would now do away with the EC – the very thing that the Founders stuck in there to protect the Nation from the rule of King Mob. Majority Rule is a dandy thing until the majority starts veering too far to the right or left…

          • Peter Robbins

            I’m sure that Robert Kagan will be interested to learn that he’s a progressive pundit.

          • The Real World

            Phil – that’s funny. But, my mind is conjuring Elmer with the terminology used yet you mentioned ears and whiskers? It’s dialing back a long time ago but I can’t even recall the sound of Bugs Bunny’s voice. Elmer Fudd? I’d recognize his in an instant.

            I think Peter is a good egg but old habits die hard for him. Or he just doesn’t care what reality is; not sure. Democrats don’t seem to harbor any anger at the massively duplicitous mainstream media for misleading them so badly this past election. Intentionally biased polls (by over-sampling Dems; hello?), false reporting, colluding with their favored party and the list goes on. The Wikileaks emails proved all this.

            Who the heck would trust a thing that WaPo, NY Times, CNN, MSNBC and others would report after all that? It’s junk news. C’mon Peter, you’re better than that. Yes?

          • Phil Williams

            Real World, I must admit I would not know Mr. Kagan if he were to punch me in the nose – but he sure sounded like he gets off on the left side of the aircraft…..The “ears and whiskers” quote is from the White Rabbit in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. Lately I feel as if I have slipped down some kind of rabbit hole!!

          • Phil Williams

            And yes, I concur on Mr. Robbins – he and I have had a run-in or two, but he actually at very least forces me to think – and makes sense a good bit of the time.

          • Peter Robbins

            They aren’t news reports. They’re opinion pieces. You can check the bios of the authors at your leisure and decide for yourself whether they know anything about history or political science.

          • Peter Robbins

            And to paraphrase Mr. Twain, good sense is the most valuable commodity we have; so let us economize it.

        • bsummers

          The seeds for America to turn towards fascism have always been there. It’s said that when we first threw off the British, there were those who wanted to install George Washington as King. Fascism pretends to be strength, but it’s also weakness – the fear that without a strong authoritarian to rule us, we won’t survive.

          Those gold decorations on the wall behind the Speakers rostrum in the US House of Representatives? http://www.rense.com/general85/clj02%208.jpg They have a name: “fasces”. They are the symbol of fascism. When they were first put there, they were meant to represent the notion that like a bundle of sticks tied together to make a weapon, we are stronger when we are united. Hitler and Mussolini recognized the power of that image, and used it judiciously: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2VmQCzYu4rI/hqdefault.jpg

          Just because we don’t currently see jackboots and swastikas (well, not many of them anyway) doesn’t mean fascism isn’t taking root today. Like the chickenpox virus that goes dormant in a child’s nervous system only to blossom forth decades later as shingles, the fascism of the 30s isn’t going to re-emerge looking the same in the 21st century. But it’s easy to see that the same nationalism, racism, xenophobia, sense of victimization, reliance on propaganda and emotion rather than fact and reason, etc. that nurtured that earlier expression of fascism, is on the rise in America today.

          During the campaign, Donald Trump told us over and over that he was the only man who could rescue America from the state we were in. A strongman. Yay! He’ll save us! MAGA! MAGA!

          • The Real World

            “we are stronger when we are united” — yes, I put forth that very concept several times a couple of years ago and it garnered no traction or discussion. It’s a no-brainer, if you ask me.

            Since then, I’ve read the comments regularly on this website and others and the problem seems to be (as I’ve also previously articulated) that there are too many people who seem to NEED an “enemy”. The vast majority of fellow citizens are not actual enemies and, at the end of the day, the hysterical self-loathers know this. So, why aren’t they dealing with their personal issues instead of wasting energy manufacturing imaginary enemies? I believe the answer is that it’s easier to point the finger than take responsibility.

            For example: “easy to see that the racism, sense of victimization, reliance on propaganda and emotion rather than fact and reason” — yes and all of that was on constant display in the Obama era. And when it quieted down either Obama, his lackeys or a certain twisted, megalomaniacal billionaire would intentionally instigate more racial strife and victimization. Paid-for riots, extensive property damage, human assault, ETC, ETC.

            Barry, if you really want to see the change — then you need to BE the change. And it starts with calling out the deep pockets that organize and pay for the nasty social unrest, the politicians who support it or turn a blind eye to it (they know who the deep pockets are) and all the gullible citizen fools who chug the fake kool-aid and wouldn’t know facts and reason if they smacked them in the face. Set the example, start calling them out. Then we’ll believe you mean what you say.

          • bsummers

            Sorry, I don’t find your ‘I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I’ response persuasive, nor are your insults.

          • The Real World

            Your response provides ample example of exactly why we will not be united. Because too many people “NEED” enemies, which is a form of self-victimization.

            Anyone who refuses to take responsibility or assign it accurately remains part of the problem.

        • Snowflake (Social Justice Worrier)

          This article is so weak it’s pathetic. Washington Post, it figures.

          Fascism exerts heavy regulatory control over industry and trade. Trump seeks to drastically de-regulate industry and trade
          Fascism is socialism. Trump is a market capitalist.
          Fascism is collectivist. Trump champions individual freedom and empowerment.
          Fascism is nationalist, but so are other forms including free market economics.
          Fascism is militaristic. Trump has shown no interest in militarism (to be distinguished from having a strong military). Obama, on the other hand, is the first US president to have bombed people every day of his 8-year time in office.

    • Richard B.

      I have to admire Mr. Williams. I could not bring myself to put together a cogent reply to the original letter writer.
      Impossible for me to take him as a serious, rational person.
      Your reply illustrates the meaning of civil, respectful dialogue. as opposed to a malcontent’s ranting.

      • Phil Williams

        Thank you kindly, Sir – I try to “speak” to others like an adult – although being somewhat new to the online news/commentary world, I have admittedly misjudged the audience or made a poor choice of wording here and there, that I would have re-worded if it were possible! Any point, even a negative or unpleasant one, can be made in a civil manner most of the time. As for the fellow who made the comment that started the whole conversation – I consider his remarks “hateful speech” rather than “hate speech” – and there is a difference. He was communicating what he “wished” would happen rather than exhorting the government or his fellow citizens to do it. Allowing him to post his letter serves the purpose of letting normal, thinking people know that there are hateful folks still out there – the paper’s decision to allow him to identify himself was a benefit and a service to society.

  5. Peter Robbins

    All these suspicions about the democratic bona fides of our great new President are just so unfair. It stands to reason that anyone who gets enough electoral votes to seize the highest office in the land must have only the most profound regard for for the institutions of republican government and the deepest desire to preserve respect for them. Who are we to so-called judge?

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