Letters to the Editor: Enemies of our republic

Good morning. I sat on my porch this morning after putting out my flag. Thoughts of 23 years ago in my head. External enemies became our focus. Today, internal enemies in focus. Just read Art’s column about tRump. Yes, tRump is a loser, liar and liability for the future of the USA.

Today is a day to do a kindness or two. Or as John Cullen wrote, do a corporal or spiritual work of mercy. Works for me as the chaos and confusion of tRump is not going to distort my goal of being a decent and civil human in view of internal enemies. I read Project 2025 and know that the schemers and scribes of that document are enemies of our Constitutional Republic.

Keep your pencil sharp and factual writing coming. Thank you Cullen family.

Mary C. McCarthy, Coralville

Benefits of immigration

The United States benefitted from immigrants. Some were poor. Some were desperate. My great-great-grandparents were poor and desperate Irish. The Irish male immigrant lived an average of seven years here. Mine died seven years after he became a citizen in 1861 — Civil War.

In Iowa we need labor. It is labor that few people want to do. Bob Ray invited desperate Tai Dam Lao people. They have done well in Iowa. Our Area Education Agency people and teachers have assimilated immigrants from around the world. At the Iowa State Fair they were all represented. There were happy, integrated groups of young people of many backgrounds. It seems that our leaders are following someone else’s agenda. Making life hard for our new citizens. Moving money from where it is needed in education to where it is not needed. Why?

The national political dynamic calls for racism, sexism, exclusion and suppression. Really? In Iowa? That is not our history. That is not our future. (Too bad so few know our proud history of fairness to all sorts of people).

Michael Delaney, Des Moines

Trump resorts to ‘red-baiting’

Many who like Trump overlook his faults because his policies are so good. Besides, he says Kamala Harris is a communist.

Slowly backing out of America’s endless wars and quickly shoring up the southern border are not bad ideas. And tax cuts can help a lot of people if done right.

However, Trump’s recent resorting to “red-baiting” should disturb MAGA supporters. Republican Joe McCarthy employed it in the 1950s to advance his personal interests and destroy the lives of liberals. He hurt a lot of people.

Trump recently said, “Trump is never wrong. I am never, ever wrong.” Funny, that is the same gospel that communists in Russia and China used to get themselves into totalitarian power.

In America, only the God of scripture is accorded the status of never being wrong.

Donald Trump wants us to change the motto on our money to “In Trump We Trust.”

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah