Letters to the Editor: July 26, 2024

Wrongdoers should pay

It’s a no-brainer. Dave Brown, Brian Shannon, Renee Powell and Trevor DeHart should pay $370,000 back to the Newberg School District for their illegal actions.

It all began when seven concerned citizens took these four to court for violating public meeting laws. They also had to name the school district, as they were not allowed to name only individuals.

Circuit Judge Cynthia Easterday ruled these four board members illegally met secretly to conspire to hire an attorney aligned with their political goals, even though the district already had an attorney. So now the school district owes $370,000 in attorney fees.

But the district can take Dave, Brian, Renee and Trevor to court to try to get the money from them.

This is a no-brainer. They should pay the school district back for their illegal actions.

Janice Allen

Newberg

No telling why

When I heard that someone had narrowly missed shooting former president Trump, I was sure that within hours, investigators would find a political manifesto written by the shooter.

But no such manifesto has been found. Instead, it turns out the shooter was a registered Republican and supporter of the former president.

I heard a newscaster ask, “Why would such a person try to kill the candidate he supports?” Exactly. Why?

So why did a young man about the same age walk into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas murder a bunch of beautiful children? I don’t think it’s possible for a person who is neither insane nor evil to begin to guess why these people do what they do.

The attempted assassin was a shooter who practiced at ranges. Any shooter knows that you make sure what your backstop is — that is, what’s behind the target to stop rounds from travelling further.

He had to know that his backstop was a set of tightly packed bleachers. He had to know that with no space between those people, that every round would hit someone. But none of that mattered.

It might be that this only seemed political only because the target was a high profile politician. It might be that it was nothing different from all the other similar crimes committed against regular citizens in classrooms, theaters and churches.

Fred Fawcett

Lafayette

Chaos looming

On Sunday, I learned, as did a lot of Americans, that Joe Biden had dropped out of the 2024 presidential race.

My immediate reaction was, “God answers prayers.” However, I was reminded of the rotting stench of Democratic policies that would still be in effect — policies like open borders, crime, inflation, unconstitutionally forgiven student loans and oppressive regulation and taxes.

I was reminded that major cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and Philadelphia would continue to be decimated with crime, drug use, homelessness and human excrement. That the corruption of the DHS, CIA, FBI, DOJ and judiciary would continue. That the murder of the unborn, 63 million of them, would continue.

I watched the talking heads of CNN, MSNBC, CBS and other left-wing outlets break down and cry when the news broke. Other shameless pundits commended Biden for his courageous and honorable decision to “do the right thing and step down,” ignoring the protection these organizations gave him to cover his three years of cognitive decline.

The military was unable to meet recruitment goals for the past two years due to DEI. And we now have two active wars going on in the world.

What the above comments show is just how totally corrupt the Democratic Party is from top to bottom, from its leaders to its supporters.

They lie, misinform and gaslight anyone dumb enough to listen to their propaganda. It is right there in the open for all who have the eyes to see and ears to hear.

As for me, I have ordered an extra-large box of popcorn in anticipation of the soon to begin Democratic convention and the ensuing chaos.

Robert Long

McMinnville

The GOP’s turn

Dear Republicans:

You surely know what you would say if the Democratic Party presidential nominee were: 1) a twice-impeached ex-president who refused to accept the outcome of an election he lost, instead attempting to subvert the will of the voters and continuing to propagate untruths about his defeat; 2) a convicted felon who bragged about molesting women and was twice found culpable of libeling one of his victims.

The Democratic Party has shown the way with an alternative path. After several weeks of public outcry and painful debate within the party about his fitness for office, President Biden has withdrawn from the 2024 election for the good of both the party and the nation.

Many Republican figures decried Mr. Trump’s early candidacy for the 2016 nomination because of his boorish behavior and lack of any apparent qualifications, among them his current vice-presidential pick.

Nothing has changed for the better with Mr. Trump since. What you see is still what you get.

Only The Republican Party can intervene and replace Mr. Trump with a candidate who represents the highest values and true patriotism of the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

The Democrats have shown the way. It’s time for you Republicans to stand up for the nation as well.

Denny Patella

McMinnville