‘The fight is no longer here,’ says leader of Standing Rock Sioux

The article on David Archambault defined intense sadness and despair (“Tribal leader taken aback by timing of pipeline decision,” Feb. 9). My five weeks in camp in November and December involved my brutal arrest for peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience. Morton County, N.D., is a sick culture, and the hatred of the Protectors runs deep in the communities and “law enforcement.”

Archambault made a pact with the devil, lulled by meetings with the governor and other “dignitaries,” into a false sense of importance and cooperation. Neither has ever been accorded to indigenous peoples. This time was no different. Instead of calling for dismantling the camps, his tribe should have bolstered them, winterized them and fed them. The presence of bodies was the only thing that slowed the Dakota Access Pipeline. Speaking truth to power requires standing up, literally. You can find more about my fight on my Facebook page. Brian O’Keefe Santa Fe

Not like Jesus

Donald Trump wants to reject the poor, the sick, children, “other” religions, foreigners, etc. I seem to remember, from my long ago readings of the New Testament, that Jesus preached the exact opposite. Jesus welcomed the poor, the sick, children in particular, any and all religions and nationalities. The only people Jesus seemed to have had a problem with were rich folk. With Trump’s rejection and even reversal of Jesus’ teachings, does that qualify the Donald to be nominated as “The Anti-Christ?” David King Santa Fe

So-called president

When Donald Trump called James Robart, a sitting federal judge (who halted Trump’s immigration ban), a “so-called judge” he put himself on thin ice. Those words imply a question as to legitimacy. The judge in question was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the Senate and has served many years with distinction. He is a legitimate judge. But the so-called president lost the popular vote by nearly 3 million and was installed only because the Electoral College refused to play the role the Founding Fathers intended and settled for being a rubber stamp; and his term of service so far has produced a national and international response of mixed ridicule and fear. It is his legitimacy that is in question. Richard Rowe

Santa Fe

No money, no juries

In his farewell address, President George Washington told us not to avoid paying taxes and followed his own advice by making whiskey, the only thing besides imports being taxed in those days. Our reluctance to raise taxes in the face of a diminishing tax base is a form of cannibalism. But, governor, we are not on a desert island with nothing else to eat but each other and our own dwindling supply of oil and gas revenues.

The Legislature is exploring other sources of government food — internet sales taxes, marijuana taxes and gasoline taxes. To let one of the three essential organs of our government wither — the judicial system — is to cannibalize our way of life. Kudos to Chief Justice Charles Daniels for making it clear: No money, no jury trials. Grover Norquist’s philosophy of no new taxes has this consequence: No taxes, no government. Anne Albrink

Santa Fe

The mercurial Trump

Opinion writers for the mainstream media are beginning to refer to President Donald Trump as mercurial, which Google’s dictionary defines as “(of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.” The synonyms for mercurial are “volatile, capricious, temperamental, excitable, fickle, protean, mutable, erratic, quicksilver, inconstant, unstable, unsteady, ever-changing, moody, flighty, wayward, whimsical, impulsive.” Fits, eh? The antonym: “stable.”

As the latest example of use of the word as a descriptor, the lead editorial in The New York Times of Feb. 18 defined Trump in passing as a “mercurial president.” Reporters covering the Middle East most always used mercurial to describe the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Just think what mercurial means when applied to the president of the United States of America, the “so-called” leader of the free world. Richard C. Gross Santa Fe

OK soda tax

We want and need all of our children to have equal educational opportunities (“City committee OKs soda tax proposal on 3-1 vote,” Feb. 21). That is why I support the pre-K initiative that will be voted on by the City Council on March 8. There has been much research on the positive impact of early education on brain development. For many low-income families, this program can have a profound impact on their children’s entire educational experience. Succeeding in school can create lifetime success.

As a health care provider in Santa Fe for more than 30 years, I know how important it is for us to support healthy, educated and motivated young people who will confront the complex world that awaits them. This investment in our youth can have profound benefits for our whole society. Tell your city councilors to put pre-K for Santa Fe on the ballot in May. Naomi Landau, CFNP Santa Fe

No more Donalds

Since the end of World War II, no German child has been baptized “Adolf.” I’m betting that “Donald” (as in “the Donald”) likewise will vanish from usage after our present ignominy. J. Adlmann Santa Fe