Mitchell and Trump are right about Chicago violence

The usually sagacious yet candid Mary Mitchell again hits the bull’s- eye in her Jan. 26 Sun- Times column.

She responds to political and religious leaders’ refusal to even study President Donald Trump’s response to Chicago’s shooting carnage violence by “send[ ing] in the Feds.”

Mitchell strongly hints that if Trump means federalizing the Illinois National Guard to assist police in protecting citizens in certain shooting violence plagued Chicago neighborhoods, then so be it — unless a better short- term answer is soon found.

Allowing Chicago’s long- standing shooting violence on the West and South sides to continue is a crime. The good citizens there can‘ t regain control of their communities unless they are promptly made safe.

In short, as Mitchell implies, dramatically and quickly reduce the shooting violence in these neighborhoods so that long- term solutions can be developed and implemented.

Chicago’s so- called political and religious “leaders” have failed for many years to meaningfully address the shooting violence. Trump, Mary Mitchell, and a few others are courageous in supporting a short- term answer to making the affected neighborhoods safe.

Dennis M. Dohm, Oak Lawn

Reaping what they sowed

American media are responsible for Donald Trump’s victory in the recent election. They gave him billions of dollars in free publicity for no other reason than the ratings and advertising revenue this coverage created.

Now those same media outlets are reaping what they have sown. President Trump has put gag orders on federal agencies, going so far as prohibiting federal workers from communicating with Congress. The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Department of Transportation were a few of the agencies to be forbidden from communication without prior authorization, even on social media. This denies news channels needed material.

Journalists who ask hard questions of Trump are being threatened with a loss of access. Trump strategist Steve Bannon has said the media should “Keep its mouth shut!”

The media created President Donald Trump. Now the media is being destroyed by President Donald Trump. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America protects the press from government interference. The question now is whether Americans will stand by and watch our constitutionally guaranteed right to know “what is going on” shredded by the very figure it put into the presidency.

Karen Wagner, Rolling Meadows

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