Don’t let media decide who the ‘haters’ are

There was a group of individuals in Charlottesville, Va., that decided to protest the removal of a statue that represented a part of their heritage. They obtained a permit and marched to the location of the statue accompanied by some local law enforcement officers. There was a second group that decided that the statue should be removed. They also marched to the location of the statue. There was a confrontation and violence erupted, witnessed by the local law enforcement officers that were present. Which group was the “haters”?

I found it interesting that the media, in its capacity as the selfappointed opinion generator, decided that the first group was at fault. But if the second group remained at home and marched on a different day to make their point, there would have been no confrontation and hence, no violence. So who were the haters?

I was not surprised when the media criticized the president’s response to this unfortunate event. They would have criticized him no matter what he said, but what was interesting was that they criticized him for what he didn’t say.

Maybe we should be happy that we have a media that can form our opinions for us, since we obviously no longer have the capacity to view the evidence that is presented objectively and decide for ourselves. And now they are willing to take on the added responsibility of determining what the leader of this great nation should say or not say. Is it awesome or awful? I guess I’ll have to ask the paperboy. THOMAS AUBRECHT

Green Tree

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“Fire and fury.” “Locked and loaded.” I will never understand Donald Trump’s appeal among so many veterans and active-duty military personnel in this country. As with so many other privileged, white males of a certain age (I’m looking at you Dick “I-had-other-priorities” Cheney), Donald Trump had neither the physical courage to serve in Vietnam, nor the moral courage to protest against it. The man who was fit enough to be the captain of his high school baseball team, be scouted by professional teams, and play countless rounds of golf since, wasn’t fit enough to make himself available for the draft. To his credit though, Mr. Trump was never captured by the Viet Cong.

Now that he has safely passed into old age, and he and his family are surrounded 24/7 by heavily armed Secret Service agents (taking up where high priced attorneys and private bodyguards left off), this intellectually incurious and historically illiterate man-child blithely powers up his nuclear PlayStation.

He recklessly uses language that would normally embarrass anyone who had attended a military prep-school (check out the ribbons and medals he wore in his class photo!), yet sought and received numerous educational and medical deferments to avoid actual military service.

This is stating the obvious, but if war breaks out with North Korea, Iran or Venezuela, it won’t be Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Jared Kushner or Barron Trump (remember, our wars go on forever) who will do the sacrificing and dying for this country. It will be the children and grandchildren of Trump’s working-class base, and other unfortunates, who do. WILLIAM STEEN JR. North Side

Recently President Trump has been chastised by the driveby media and even some of his own party for the “fire and fury” warning to North Korea, which threatens to destroy U.S. cities, as well as U.S. allies via miniaturized nuclear warheads delivered by its ever advancing missile program. How soon we forget.

It was the Clinton administration that gave North Korea nuclear reactors with the promise of future peace based upon an agreed, but obviously flawed, framework. Subsequently, the Bush policy of peace and reconciliation was equally unsuccessful. Recently, the Obama administration’s “strategic patience” allowed North Korea to process fissile material to double its nuclear arsenal.

For decades, the world, like an indulgent parent, has given in to North Korean threats with gifts of fuel, food and technology. Perhaps the media should dig deeper into American history to understand President Trump’s position.

In the early 1800s, the United States was threatened by the Ottoman pirates of Tripoli whose primary purpose was to capture slaves for trade and ransom. Thomas Jefferson declared “millions for defense, but not a penny for tribute.” The Ottomans were ultimately defeated by the U.S. Marines in 1805.

How refreshing and honest to have a president how is willing to stand up for America and advise North Korea that the days of tribute and petty threats are coming to an end.

The rebuttal to this argument is that this type of response could lead to nuclear war.

However, it is obvious that the lack of response over the last several decades has, in fact, brought us to this ominous position. RICHARD LAFFERTY

Freeport