Unpresidential
In the letter, I recalled staying at a remote tent “resort” during President Obama’s inauguration in 2009, during which another guest from Denmark congratulated me and my country. In contrast, on Jan. 20, 2017, I felt afraid and anxious because of President Trump.
My fears when I wrote that letter were tremendous and my depression was quite serious. I could not, however, have imagined just how horrible this would turn out to be a year later. My greatest fears have been realized, as our status in the world has reached an all-time low and our democracy is in serious jeopardy.
I wish that I could write I was wrong a year ago. Instead I fear for our country, our world and our precious children. We owed them so much better.
On Saturday in Los Angeles and elsewhere, we women will march for many reasons.
We march because we recognize the value of all people who come to our country hoping for a better life, and because we recognize that immigrants who contribute may come from Norway, Nicaragua or Nigeria.
We march because same-sex couples who can now legally love and marry who they choose should be guaranteed the same services as the rest of us.
We march because black lives do matter and we will never stop working for the justice that our civil rights heroes were willing to die for.
We march because we choose to protect our Earth from those who place profit over pollution.
We march because women who have been harassed, abused and paid lower wages or denied promotions deserve better.
We march because our free press should never be threatened for reporting the truth.
We march because we are at a critical time in our nation’s history. We are concerned about who we are as a nation and, more important, who we will become.
We will not be silenced. We will march for as long as it takes.
Pomona
A year into his administration, Donald Trump has proved himself the most straightforward and candid president the U.S. has ever had.
Did he not utter vile statements during his campaign? Did he not link the whole religion of Islam to terrorism? Did he not pledge to build a wall along the southern U.S. border to keep out Mexican immigrants, people he called murderers and rapists? Did he not say he would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, compromising America’s stance as an honest broker in the Middle East? Did he not promise to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change deal?
We should not be surprised by Trump’s vulgarity during his first year as president. Instead, we should blame those who raised him to the highest echelon of power.
London
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How ironic!
After just one year of his incredibly divisive and rueful, ruinous rule, at both the national but especially international level, we now really do need someone to “make America great again.”
Sad!
Sierra Madre
Viability, not strength
Initially, if somewhat wistfully, American society was built on the notion of
Jonah Goldberg does a semantic dance around this truth. He focuses on the proposition that “diversity has always been our strength,” as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said.
If only Goldberg instead had considered whether diversity promotes viability. Whether a country can project strength through military or economic power doesn’t guarantee its viability nearly so much as a diverse, democratically governed populace.
America’s existential challenges stem from ever more oligarchic rule, not from demographic diversity.
Santa Maria
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Our raucous American society is diverse because that’s the way we have historically rolled. We native born have never known anything but this diversity and, given our national egomania, of course it is glorious and better than what other successful countries have.
We must extoll diversity if we are to remain true to our belief in equal opportunity, redress international historical injustices and maintain an intact social fabric so that differences of opinion on contentious subjects are limited to wars of words and not something more damaging.
While basing my belief on moral and pragmatic grounds, I call on our social and political betters to explain just why residential, campus and workplace diversity is a force multiplier in and of itself.
Cincinnati
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Goldberg may be correct in questioning the validity of Graham’s “diversity has always been our strength” statement. But I doubt that many people would argue with this statement: “Making diversity work has always been our strength.”
Granada Hills
Reduce waste.
Drink a beer.
The first thing in the Los Angeles Times’ editorial that caught my eye was the 500 million straws allegedly discarded by Americans per day. I’m sure the hearts of the conservationists who made this estimate are in the right place, but that equals two straws for every man, woman and child in the country per day. That seems high.
But there is a problem with straws, and I have a partial solution: Require every establishment that sells food to also sell beer. Many people would prefer to have their burger or burrito with a beer rather than a soft drink, if only it were available.
The merchants would benefit from the higher prices, the legislators would get to pass a law, and it’s a good bet none of those customers would request straws. It’s a win-win solution.
San Pedro
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I have occasionally thought about researching the question of when the pernicious practice of putting straws in water glasses began in L.A. restaurants, and why.
When a server brings a glass of water to me that has a plastic cylinder protruding, I always put the straw to the side as unneeded, unwarranted and unwelcome. Finally, I have the support of a major metropolitan newspaper.
Los Angeles
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Remember paper straws? So let’s stop using and manufacturing plastic straws, and return to paper straws.
There may be environmental issues with the manufacturing of paper straws — certainly there are issues with the production and disposal of plastic straws — but at least paper straws will disintegrate in the environment faster than the plastic ones.
Lakewood
