Christian Republicans used to back our allies. Now their leader embraces enemies | Opinion

Trump admires the avowed enemy

How did stabbing our friends and allies of the last 80 years in the back become a conservative Republican Christian value? Since when has sucking up to bullies and dictators become a conservative Republican Christian value? Are any of these RINOs aware of what they’re doing? Putin works to destroy us. And Trump loves him.

John Torrey, West Richland

Listing MAGA’s achievements

More that Trump voters have achieved:

• Thousands of IRS agents fired. Expect slow refunds, terrible customer service, no audits of wealthy tax cheaters.
• Half the Social Security agents fired; at least 10 offices closed. Expect slow responses, terrible customer service. Musk has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” Will it survive?
• National parks vastly understaffed. Expect areas closed, dirty restrooms, long lines, shortened visitor center hours.
• No transparency on Musk/DOGE access to personal data and financial systems. Is it kept confidential?
• No counter to Russian cyberattacks. Expect more ransomware attacks.
• Consumer confidence down; stocks down; prices up.
• Proposal for budget bill gives trillions in tax breaks to the wealthy and cuts Medicaid. (If you don’t believe that, there is no way to make proposed cuts without cutting Medicaid.)
• Medical research stopped because of funding cuts; meeting regarding next year’s flu vaccine is canceled.

If you think the Trump-Vance-Zelensky meeting in the White House was successful, you don’t read international headlines. The U.S. is no longer seen as a reliable ally. Russia and China are thrilled. United States, welcome to the “axis of evil.”

If you don’t like these “achievements”, vote Republicans out.

Joyce Sherpelz, Richland

Time to stand up for decency, Dan

Trump will continue to destroy the U.S. government until he is put check by Congress. Congress allowed him to replace highly qualified senior government officers with patently unqualified loyalists in a very fascist move.

Most egregiously, Trump usurped Congress’s constitutional authority by firing tens of thousands of employees under the patently false premise of “elimination of waste.” Political appointees lied on termination documents by making false claims of poor employee performance. Lies don’t age well.

Perhaps most terrifying is that Trump has defied court orders (as in USAID contracts). Trump is thus currently without effective judicial or congressional constraint. He’s de-staffed our military’s Judge Advocate General’s office, removing all barriers to military use of deadly force against peacefully protesting citizens.

I want Rep. Dan Newhouse to understand that we can hold him responsible for the economic losses that our district will incur under Trump’s fascist-motivated, tariff plans. Further, Republicans plan devastating cuts to Medicare and Medicaid for the sole purpose of giving further deep tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy. More homelessness will result.

Dan Newhouse needs to stand up for his constituent’s pocketbooks, decency and democracy. Stand against Trump and Putin, please. Now and not later. Slava Ukraine!

Ivar Husa, Richland

Time to speak up, Rep. Newhouse

If Dan Newhouse thinks he can just do whatever he wants for 16 months, then send out some slick campaign mailers and TV ads and get re-elected, he has another thing coming. His latest piece of sycophantic showmanship in censuring Al Green is particularly egregious, since we well know how silent he was when Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert berated President Biden.

If I had wanted a representative who would roll over for table scraps from Elon Musk and Donald Trump, I would have voted for Sessler or just sat last year’s House race out.

I expected better from Newhouse, but since the only time he speaks up is to pander to extremists, perhaps Doug White is right to call him “Do Nothing Dan,” at least when it comes to actually representing his constituents.

Murray Sampson, Winthrop

No Nobel ahead in Trump’s future

The Trump administration has made a further attempt to force Ukraine to make a peace agreement with its Russian attacker. This was a peace agreement deal that was brokered between the U.S. and Russia with no Ukrainian participation, and which allegedly gives away the land that its Russian aggressor currently occupies.

On Feb. 28, after being browbeaten at a public meeting in the Oval Office by Trump and his vice president for not signing a rare-earth minerals-sharing agreement or the peace agreement — the former (of) which smacks of coercion, Ukrainian President Zelensky was asked to leave.

In a further attempt to force Ukraine to accept these deals, the Trump administration has stopped sending it military weapons and financial support. It has also stopped sharing intelligence information that aided Ukraine to anticipate and block incoming missile and drone attacks and to better target Russia’s military invaders.

As reported by Reuters, the Trump administration is also preparing to revoke a Biden-era parole program, which granted temporary legal status to 1.8 million migrants, including approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia.

If the president is expecting a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, I believe he will be disappointed.

William Petrie, Richland

Hoping Newhouse can find courage

Dan Newhouse has been a good steward for the Fourth District. As Trump seeks greater and greater power, it will continue to come increasingly at our expense. Let us hope that Rep. Newhouse can summon again the courage to stand up against the Trump power grab. Thanks to the Herald for their encouragement of this.

Richard O. Zerbe, Winthrop

‘Art of the Deal’ wasn’t on display

The televised meeting of President Trump and Volodymr Zelensky was a gut-wrenching spectacle of diplomacy transformed into a mafia protection-racket demand for Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for continued U.S. support. When a reporter asked what would happen if Russia broke the cease fire, Trump snapped, “What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now.”

In other words, there is no negotiating. Trump and Putin will make decisions on security guarantees without Ukrainian participation. Zelensky challenged Trump’s reality based on Putin’s talking points, which set him off on how he and Russia were victims of a witch hunt of Russia meddling in the 2016 election — a fact confirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The author of the “Art of the Deal” left with no document for minerals signed. Zelensky was kicked out of the White House, leaving lunch on the table. Russian media had a field day.

It is a hard to understand Trump’s complete embrace of Vadimir Putin, a murderous dictator whose intent is reestablishing the Soviet Union. Without U.S. support of Ukraine, Trump’s desire for a ceasefire lacks any leverage that U.S. weapons provided. Putin’s army can push forward, gobbling up more of Ukraine.

Mickey Beary, Richland

Tri-Cities group to stand together

Politically, we are in 1935 again, only this time Donald Trump and the United States are center stage instead of Adolf Hitler and Germany. It took Hitler 53 days to dismantle Germany’s democracy. Trump and the GOP have consolidated absolute power, gaining full control of the three independent arms of our democracy and added a fourth: DOGE, which is unelected and unaccountable.

It is no coincidence that the Doge was the head of state from the 7th through 18th centuries in the autocratic Oligarchy of Venice, Italy. Trump has succeeded in appointing sycophant heads to every cabinet position in Congress, whose primary qualification is absolute fealty to king Trump, firing federal employees and disabling agencies responsible to hold the executive branch accountable.

Our democracy is threatened, but our power remains with the people who are brave enough to stand up to autocracy. A group of citizens have formed Tri-Cities Indivisible, which is a local chapter of the national Indivisible Movement. Our initial meeting will be held at the Richland Public Library at 2 p.m. March 16. We stand together, and we’ll fight back in defense of our rights, our communities and our values. Join us.

Chuck Wood, Kennewick

Russia is making its crimes pay

I admit to some bias. We adopted one of our boys from Ukraine. We also have friends in Ukraine who run a nonprofit for adults with disabilities, Wide Awake International.

America recently:

1. Froze emergency aid to Ukrainian towns hit by Putin’s missiles/drones,
2. Announced the lifting of sanctions (which helps him get more missiles/drones), and
3. Announced Russian oil deals and promotion to the G7 (G8).

I guess crime pays!

BTW, Putin really is bad. He lies, assassinates, jails, steals, bribes, aids terrorists and commits mass murder. He also has swiftly broken all of his last 25 peace deals, using them to re-arm.

Let’s not be fooled— Russia can be beaten. Even with Biden’s timid slow-walk of military aid, Ukraine took out the “mighty” Black Sea Fleet, captured Kursk and crippled many oil facilities. In three years, they couldn’t take 20% of Ukraine.

Believe in self-defense? Let’s use some of our military budget to help Ukraine defend themselves. In justice? Russia should pay reparations, not Ukraine! In integrity? We must fulfill our 1994 pledge to protect Ukraine. By embracing Putin, we damage Ukraine’s future, (and) protect a war criminal, and join the likes of Iran, North Korea, China and Hamas!

Mark Douglass, Kennewick

How to strengthen nation’s economy

To Rep. Dan Newhouse:

I have a number of asks for you that could strengthen our economy and benefit your constituents:

1. Do not support a budget that cuts Medicaid.
2. Do not support decimating the federal Department of Education.
3. Do not support cuts to nuclear safety works, air traffic controllers and researchers like those at PNNL and many U.S. universities. These folks make sure our water, climate and health are safe and keep us looking toward the future.
4. Do not support cuts to our parks and forest service.
5. Support our veterans and the agencies that serve them.
6. Do not support tariffs and cuts to USAID that will hurt consumers, the very poor and farmers. Most tariffs will increase prices, not lower them.

Please pass a federal budget that includes support for items listed above. An ideal budget will combine targeted cuts and tax increases on corporations and the rich.

Thank you for your service to our country, state and our congressional district.

Barbara Puigh, Richland

Winning at House without your spine

To Congressman Michael Baumgartner:

Here’s some advice when tossing around D.C.’s political football. First, your teammates lack the spine to disagree with the head coach; so, it’s a necessity to join these “Oath Keepers” and follow suit.

If quarterbacking is your long-term objective, it’s imperative to show empathy toward your fan base, always implement the coaches’ game plan, and follow the party’s play script. Additionally, hand-picked, town-hall attendance and partisan media coverage are crucial (if ascending to QB1 is your goal).

Next, the organization’s assistant coaches – Musk, Vance, Johnson – care not for the below, median and above-average fanbases. So, it’s important to pledge allegiance to those “DOGE(ies)” and then publicly “fake” it when facing your constituencies-in-need.

Finally, “win at all costs” is the team’s motto; when victorious, allow your coaches to take the credit. However, after a loss, defend their claim that the outcome is stolen and demand an appeal. If the powers-that-be do not rule in kind, then support sending in the Proud Pardoned Boys to force a favorable result; this must be a last resort, though!

Remember, Project 2025’s playbook is your bible. So, to reach QB1-status, exercise its mandates, never override it, and let’s Make America Great Again!

Patrick G. Shannon, Clarkston