Translating Trump
EDITOR: I think we could all benefit from a Trump-English Dictionary. It would be simple to create. Just reverse everything he says. “Senate Democrats have screwed things up royally” means his administration is screwing things up royally. “The 9th Circuit Court is in chaos and turmoil” means his administration is in chaos and turmoil. “The dishonest media” means they have been reporting his lies. In this new political landscape, up is down and left is right. This explains why I literally feel dizzy every time Donald Trump speaks.
BRIAN NARELLE
Rohnert Park
Meaning of holidays
EDITOR: Holidays, such as Presidents Day or Martin Luther King Jr. Day, should be a time to honor the heroes (Washington, Lincoln and King), the institutions (the Constitution and our system of government) and the values (the Declaration of Independence) that have shaped and continue to shape this nation.
Holidays should remind us who we are as Americans and how we arrived at this point in our history, not just another day off from school or work. Holidays are an opportunity to pass on to the next generation and new arrivals the ideas that define this nation. Not a trivial matter.
In our neighborhood, many of us subscribe to Boy Scout Troop 58’s Flag Display Days. Each major holiday morning, yes even in the pouring rain, the Stars and Stripes magically appear on our curb to prompt us to reflect on our American heritage. The foundational ideas that define America must be celebrated and taught lest they fade from view.
JERE and SALLY JACOBS
Santa Rosa
Natural treasures
EDITOR: Thank you for the article about the Laguna de Santa Rosa, one of Sonoma County’s great natural treasures (“Rain-swollen wonder,” Feb. 16). I would like to encourage anyone who enjoys the laguna, whether by boat or on foot, to bring along a garbage bag, pick up some trash and take it home with you. Every rainstorm washes tremendous amounts of trash from creeks draining Betpas throughout the Santa Rosa Plain, much of it making its way into the laguna, the Russian River and out to sea.
Our county is fortunate to have a number of volunteer organizations including the Clean River Alliance, Russian Riverkeeper, Friends of the Laguna, the Surfrider Foundation and others working throughout the year to remove trash from our watershed and beaches, but it’s a never-ending job. Trash is not just unsightly; birds, fish and animals consume it by accident or become entrapped, with deadly results. Please don’t just look at it and say, how awful, somebody should do something.
ROBIN FACTOR
Santa Rosa
Donald Trump: ‘choir boy’
EDITOR: In my opinion, we as citizens should stop the unseemly practice of vilifying our president. After all, there are political corruption standard-bearers such as Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Maxine Waters who by comparison render our president a “choir boy” in decorum.
Informed voters from both sides of the aisle realize that George Soros has pulled the Democratic Party far left and, in the process, has rendered the Democratic Party radicalized and powerless.
Instead of silencing free speech through violence, maybe the Democratic Party can take the lead in debating existing policies thought to be counterproductive.
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