Letters for July 4, 2019

Party rules

(“Snuffing free choice,” editorial, June 20):

The Electoral College was always intended to prevent “city ruffian proletarians” from electing anyone not pre-ordained by the landed gentry. For Americans today to tolerate one more election cycle using the Electoral College should be grounds for treason based on the effects of rigged elections. Methinks they have no clothes. Just because they subscribe to pockets of right-wing habit doesn’t mean their votes count more than anyone else’s.

David Morgan

Carson City

Sheila’s endorsement

Re “Needed: A trustworthy president” (Left Foot Forward, June 20):

Should we be surprised that the leanings of Sheila Leslie land her in the camp of Elizabeth Warren for President? From income inequality to the opioid epidemic, Ms. Leslie supports the proposed policies of Ms. Warren, as she looks for “intelligent, honest and decent” leadership. Isn’t this the same Elizabeth Warren who lied about being of American Cherokee ancestry?

Perhaps Ms. Leslie is right. This could be the special brand of decency and honesty that’s needed in the White House. It certainly appears to be the type she finds attractive and prefers. Defining deviancy down.

Thom Waters

Reno

Re “Needed: A trustworthy president” (Left Foot Forward, June 20):

Ms. Leslie states that she is “searching for a candidate who inspires me.” To imply that one must be “inspired” by the Democratic Party candidate in order to vote for her or him is wrong and dangerous. Trump is president because too many Democrats and non-affiliated voters who weren’t “inspired” by Clinton decided not to vote or to vote for a third party candidate. Literally any of the 20-plus Democratic candidates would be better than Trump. One should support his or her favorite during the primary, but once the nominee has been chosen, we must vote for that person. Conservatives are good at this; progressives are not.

Michael Powell

Reno

The border

Enough is enough. The outrageous conditions that the children of immigrants and refugees are being subjected to is not who we are as a country and society. I thought things would be corrected when the horrors of child detention were first shown to the public, but recent investigative reports show that children are still taking care of children in conditions that would horrify any parent. The harm being done to these children will last a lifetime and be remembered for generations beyond. I remind you of the very first declaration in our own Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Some things to note: There is nothing in there about a time window of opportunity or a time limit on those truths. And even though it says, “men,” it must be universally accepted that it really means “people.” If you believe that these immigrants and their children must be kept separate from the population, as a human being you must still insist that they be provided basic necessities, and I suggest you base your definition of necessities on what you would expect for your own child or grandchild.

If you believe that these people should not be held separate from the rest of the population, there are options for properly managing this crisis. But there will necessarily be a lag between when action is started and when it manifests itself. In the meantime, we need to insist on improving conditions that currently exist in these holding pens. This has to happen now, not after months and months of congressional deliberation. If the government is unable to provide the personnel and resources to fix the situation, they must allow private institutions and volunteers to step in.

There are a zillion ways to do the right thing, and maybe the reason it’s not being done is that not enough people are making enough noise to the right people about it. Again, regardless of your position on immigration in general, as a human being you must do your part to stop this inhumanity. Contact your local and federal representatives. Contact your friends and your friend’s friends. This is real, and it won’t stop unless someone makes it stop. We are better than this. Civilized societies, by definition, are better than this. Enough is enough.

Michel Rottmann

Virginia Highlands