Letters to editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Would the great leaders tolerate Trump’s rhetoric?

So, our ex-commissioner, Dan Schinhofen, doesn’t think Donald Trump is a racist. Since the time his father, Fred Trump, was arrested at a KKK rally, Donny learned that people of color are not his equal. Sadly, the once dignified Republican Party faithful keep making excuses for his racist comments and policies.

Would Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower tolerate the rhetoric of the man in the White House? I think not. These Republican presidents had dignity, class and integrity. They would be disgusted and ashamed of his racist tweets.

Mr. Schinhofen, was Donald Trump racist when he called Neo-Nazis “good people” or referred to nations with large black populations as “S***hole” countries? How about when Mr. Trump labeled Mexicans as “murderers and rapists” and said immigrants at our southern border were “subhuman”? Was he racist when he calls cities with many minority citizens “infested” or says black politicians are people with “low IQs”? I could go on and on (the Central Park 5, lying about “the squad” calling America “garbage —not true, the Muslim ban, calling black athletes SOBs for protesting police brutality, etc.), but you would excuse each and every racist comment and action by this president.

We can agree or disagree on many issues facing this country, but disavowing racist rhetoric should be something we all should be willing to do. The man is president of the United States and must realize his hateful words do matter.

Dennis Crooks

Number of mass shootings in U.S. getting ridiculous

This situation is beyond ridiculous. Mass shootings continue to hold the headlines hostage.

Everyone is up in “arms” about firearms, particularly assault weapons. Those firearms are already out there. We can legislate against their possession but how would we ever collect them all back?

Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. That’s the standard “Pro-Second Amendment” response. I completely agree… that the problem is the people and the problem with those people is ultimately their mental health.

Send thoughts and prayers, legislate against inanimate objects or just piss in the wind… that’s not going to stop unstable people from striking out. Weapons of mass destruction can be created with household chemicals or objects, firearms are just more “convenient.”

I believe access to mental health care is the root of all this senseless carnage. It isn’t going to stop until access to mental health is addressed.

Craig Bohannon

Was Mueller thrown to wolves by Republicans?

No offense toward Mr. Jaronik, but I accept the findings of our congressional committee and Kamala Harris, a former attorney general, over his opinion that Mueller’s report did not accomplish anything.

Their findings from the Mueller report established that Russia did interfere in our 2016 presidential election, that the Trump campaign welcomed and encouraged Russian interference, that they met with the Russians over 100 times during the campaign, and that Trump obstructed justice at least 10 times. The fact that Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, lied to the American people per our judiciary committee’s fact finding, does not alter the truth. Barr is sadly a partisan stooge dedicated to doing Trump’s dirty work.

Perhaps the saddest thing about the Mueller investigation by Congress was the way the Republicans threw one of their own to the wolves, putting politics ahead of our national interests. They couldn’t thrash Mueller, a Republican from the old party, enough, a gentleman who has faithfully served his country while always placing our national interest ahead of his party. The Republicans could not refute Mueller’s report as verified by members of Congress so they resorted to taking cheap shots at him. The former highly-decorated Marine officer did not deserve to be bullied by Republicans.

Moreover, to suggest that Mueller didn’t accomplish anything is ludicrous. Some of Trump’s close associates are in prison. Some have been indicted and are awaiting trial, and some have pleaded guilty and are waiting to be sentenced.

Once again, I quote William Cullen Bryant, an American poet who wrote after the American Revolution. From the poem “Battle Cry” he wrote, “Truth though crushed to the earth, will rise again.”

Jim Ferrell