April 5 protest

First I want to thank those that organized, patrolled and kept all of protest participants safe, if not warm. I want to thank the Sequim Police Department for their presence. I also want to thank all who showed up, and all those that expressed support as they drove by. I also want to thank all that couldn’t make it in person but were there with us in spirit.

Next – I want to remind everyone that while most of the signs and discussions were focused on Donald Trump, and understandably so, the real problem goes well beyond the current president. Money has taken over the GOP. The leaders and influencers in the GOP have a lot of it and want a lot more of it. And they are using Donald Trump to get it.

Donald Trump is defying court orders. He is blindly dismantling government services that are vital to those of us who live here and even those who have served in the defense of this country in order to protect the people and our democratic government. He has over-stepped the bounds of the three branches of government and the rule of law. He is having people jailed, and sent to other countries to jail without due process and in violation of their rights to freedom of speech.

He is not acting as president of a democratic republic, he’s acting as a dictator. Congress has the power to control him, and if they can’t reign him in, they have the power to stop him. Indeed, it is their job to do so.

Each of us has one vote. That’s less than one part per million in the decision making process of electing a president. But it is one very important part. However, our voices, when loud and properly directed can influence our representatives and senators. There, we have a much larger say in what goes on in our government. So keep coming out to the protests. Talk to others and bring them along. It doesn’t always feel like it does much good, but it does. Our voices will be heard, but only if we use them.

Here in Clallam County and Sequim we are lucky in that we have Senators Cantwell and Murray, and Representative Randall all working for us. Write to them and thank and support them for doing all the heavy lifting. But we also need find a way to get our voices to the Republican congress persons in other parts of our state and put it to them, directly and clearly, that if they are unable or unwilling to do their job, we will find others who will.

Jim Meusey

Sequim

Dumb and careless

The people running the country are very dumb and careless, from chatting attack plans on open communication channels to imposing tariffs making goods more expensive for Americans.

The president does not understand the economy like he does not understand basic principles of business. He bankrupted his prior businesses while breaking laws and becoming a convicted felon. Now he’s on his way to bankrupting our country.

Our country is less secure today because of the incompetence and the sloppy practices of his staff. The American people are less safe because of destruction of agencies in our government. His behavior is haphazard, thoughtless, and chaotic. They are destroying the workings that make America great. We are not going to be equipped to deal with the bad things that are coming. This president is a disaster, clear and simple.

Bill Biery

Sequim

Another Disgrace

I didn’t think that members of the current administration could stoop lower than what we have seen to date. However, this latest disgrace is the worst yet. Using an open and unauthorized chat forum to discuss critically sensitive military operational information, while adding an uncleared reporter, is unbelievable.

As a combat soldier in Viet Nam, I would never have believed that my commanders would provide the enemy with information about impending tactical operations. Our men and women in the aircraft carrier and in the planes put their lives at risk to conduct much needed raids. Because of the absolutely stupid security lapse, all of the military personnel were put in a much higher risk level.

To add insult to injury, Trump, the SECDEF and the administration’s national security advisor just blew the whole incident off as not a big deal. The SECDEF and national security advisor should have been fired immediately. When our civilian military leadership totally disregards the safety of our military personnel and the security of their operations, we have sunk to new levels of disgraceful behavior.

Bob Travis

Sequim

Keep liberal democracy

Ideal tenets of liberal democracy in a nutshell: Individual liberty with opportunities for successful advancement, pluralism, a secular government, free enterprise economy, private property ownership, voting rights, balance of power between three branches of government, rule of law and due process for the benefit of all residents.

Lately, our voting system was used by totalitarian-minded people to overthrow liberal democracy. What can be done?

Understand that The Heritage Foundation, an ultra-conservative political organization, now mandates Christian Nationalism for a new U.S. government, as written in its Project 2025 goals: Spiritual warfare to destroy all current institutions replacing them with an alarming Christian theocracy.

Know that megalomaniac oligarchs – and wannabe billionaires – also desire to own all aspects of public land, business, financial, military, and other institutions, relegating nonconforming people to impoverished servitude.

Commit to vote for U.S. Senators, Representatives, Presidents, Judges, City Councils, etc. who defend our Constitutional liberties and rights.

Demand that they fulfill their responsibilities by eliminating Citizens United’s unlimited funding for political campaigns; raising various taxes of the super wealthy to contribute fairly; enforcing strong consumer protection regulations to prevent monopoly capitalism, scams, and corruption; safeguarding air, water, food; ensuring fair voting rights; and providing a broad public education in science, civics, critical thinking, analytical skills, and wide branches of knowledge to enhance vitality and diversity in our communities and country now and in the future.

Liberal democracy provides a framework to strengthen our revolutionary system of self-governance.

Gayle Brauner

Port Angeles

Banning books

On April 1, 2025 following President Trump’s executive order to purge DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) content from federal agencies, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, directed the U.S. Naval Academy to comply with the order and they removed 381 books from their library they deemed fit the criteria.

Having been in high school in the 70’s, I am familiar with banned books. The Catcher in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Of Mice and Men were some of the titles I can remember being banned for language or sex or racism.

When my dad saw the banned books on my summer reading list his reaction was “pick the ones you want to read and I will buy them.” My dad was a Korean War Veteran and wasn’t about to have some school board committee decide what someone could or couldn’t read. It turns out I wasn’t the only one that was reading banned books that summer. Highlighting the banned books just made us want to read them more.

I hope this is also the case today. You can find a list of the purged books online. I hope they too find new audiences.

The U.S. Naval Academy is training our best and brightest men and women to defend our country and we are trusting them with billions of dollars in equipment and training. Why must we shield them from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?

Todd McClain

Sequim