Low bar
The staggeringly vile actions of Donald Trump continue to pour out of his administration. Two recent articles highlight that.
The ruler of Saudi Arabia, a country that supports terrorism, denies human rights, beheads its enemies in public, and has others brutally murdered on foreign soil, is welcomed by this president with open arms. Trump brushes off Mohammed bin Salman’s crimes with a wave of the hand, saying “things happen,” then considers selling him F-35s, the most advanced fighter jet in the world, in a deal that could land the plane’s technology in the hands of bin Salman’s close ally, China.
And on Air Force One last week, Trump, who has stalled the release of the Jefferey Epstein files until it became clear even his allies in Congress were going to force his hand, responded to Bloomberg News correspondent Catherine Lucey with, “Quiet, quiet, piggy,” when she asked him about the files. It is just one in a long list of examples of Trump’s antipathy toward strong women.
But I guess we should expect nothing less from a man who admires dictators and is a convicted sexual abuser. These are just two examples of what so saddens me, that so many in my country can support him. A common refrain from my friends who do support him is that they don’t like the man, but they like his policies. Is there no one out there among Republicans who is not amoral and lacks honor, and who can implement the same policies they support?
Steven Barrer, Huntingdon Valley
Pardonpalooza
The recent editorial on Donald Trump’s abuse of presidential pardon power is so important. Everyone should read it. Trump’s Department of Injustice, under Pam Bondi, is a travesty. Trump talks about “weaponizing” the Justice Department, and that’s exactly what he has done. The Justice Department is supposed to be independent of the executive branch, not subservient to it. Bondi does whatever Trump tells her to do, whether it’s legal or not. The Injustice Department was just caught using Trump’s signature, with or without his permission, to pardon criminals.
In a recent letter to the editor, Terry Hansen wrote about Daniel Rodriguez, one of the insurrectionists on Jan. 6, 2021, who received a pardon from Trump. He repeatedly drove a stun gun into the skull of a police officer, Michael Fanone, causing him to lose consciousness and suffer a heart attack. Rodriguez was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Trump pardoned him.
Trump has pardoned all 1,500 of the insurrectionists from Jan. 6. Trump issued two pardons for Daniel Edwin Wilson — the first for the invasion of the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6 and the second recently for gun charges. He pardoned Suzanne Kaye, who was sentenced to 18 months for threatening an FBI agent. Trump has also pardoned numerous convicted criminals for all sorts of violent crimes, fraud, embezzlement, extortion, and other felonies — all in just his first 10 months in office.
The big question is, why? Trump never does anything that does not benefit Trump or the Trump family’s fortunes. Is he setting a new precedent? Or is he sending a message to his loyal followers: No matter what you do on my behalf, I will pardon you. Don’t you worry.
Most presidents don’t hand out pardons until their last year in office. We have three more Trump years to go. What more can we expect?
Patrick Thompson, Media
Hope on the horizon
Unexpectedly, I long for the days of George H.W. Bush’s call for “a kinder, gentler nation” and Richard Nixon’s creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and focus on energy efficiency. After decades of increasing respect for the rights of all, regardless of race, gender, and social status, we have entered a period of degradation, incivility, greed, and violent threats toward others. Earth is threatened by strident demands to stop renewable energy projects. Immigrants, even American citizens, are being ruthlessly and indiscriminately torn from families. As noted in a recent Inquirer editorial, drug runner suspects have been summarily executed without due process. The government shutdown caused needless hardship for furloughed federal employees and for the hardworking poor who rely on SNAP and affordable healthcare. This month’s election offered a glimmer of hope, but the greed of a few continues to oppress the many. Let’s hope our course changes with next year’s midterm election, if we have one.
John Groch, West Chester
Fatal illusion
Trudy Rubin’s recent column correctly identifies the fundamental flaw in Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan: its failure to address Palestinian political aspirations.
Peace is indeed achievable, as Rubin suggests, but it requires more than clever diplomacy or economic incentives. It demands one basic ingredient that has been consistently missing: genuine recognition of Palestinian aspirations to live free from occupation.
Rubin describes how Trump’s plan “regurgitates ideas that have previously failed” by offering economic benefits without political sovereignty. But this pattern extends far beyond the current administration. For decades, Israel has pursued a strategy of dividing the Palestinian people — separating Gaza from the West Bank, Fatah from Hamas, and creating internal rivalries — to maintain the occupation while claiming there is “no partner for peace.”
As long as Israel continues this division strategy, violence will persist. The occupation itself breeds resistance, and Israel seems to exploit Palestinian disunity as justification for maintaining control.
Real peace requires moral clarity: the recognition that Palestinians have the right to live free from military occupation, just as Israelis have the right to security. These rights are not mutually exclusive, but the current approach — attempting to offer economic development under permanent military control — is fundamentally wrong and will never succeed.
Sam Kuttab, cofounder, Prayers for Peace Alliance, Philadelphia
. . .
“If you will it, it is no dream” was a core belief of those who defied the odds and built the great country of Israel.
I am appalled at the treatment of Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Israel’s top military prosecutor, by her own government, after she shone a light on the brutal abuse of Palestinian prisoners. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling her a traitor, as well as his apparent indifference to violent attacks by settlers in the West Bank, further undermines his legitimate authority.
I agree with Trudy Rubin that the only path to long-term peace is a two-state solution. I hope responsible leaders in Israel will rise and will this dream to come true.
Rob Howard, Rosemont
Faux surplus
Nearly every article about the possibility of school closures in Philadelphia includes some version of this statement: The school district has 70,000 surplus seats. But the class size expectations used to calculate that number are not reported. ats.
Citing the 70,000 number without explaining expected class sizes, estimated special education programs, and specialists’ needs (or maybe even a library one day!) creates an exaggerated sense of urgency that manipulates the public into supporting closures.
At my child’s school, the district claims we are not at capacity, but our special education teachers are sharing classrooms, autistic students have no sensory room, there is no storage for excess materials, and if we ever got funding for a library, there would be no place to put it.
If I have two pairs of pants, you could technically say I have a surplus of pants, but we all know two pairs of pants is still not many pants. Claiming everything beyond the bare minimum is a surplus sends a message that we have no right to expect more for our students.
Tamara Sepe, Philadelphia
Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.
