Letters to the Editor | June 13, 2024

Two fair verdicts. Two very different reactions. Addiction is a horrible disease, but as the jury stated in its verdict against Hunter Biden, that is not an excuse to break the law. The Biden family respected the process. It hurt the family to see their son convicted, but to their credit, they stood by his side the entire time. Unfortunately, many families in this country are in the same place. Justice has spoken, and the Bidens have painfully listened.

Donald Trump? He was also found guilty, but he thinks he’s above the law. Most of his family, especially his wife and daughter, did not stand with him. He has continued to reject the justice system and has not accepted the verdict. He has verbally attacked the judge. Everyone is wrong except him! The citizens of this country are watching. Is there really any question as to who is better to lead this country?

Michael J. Makara, Mays Landing

When I first learned House Speaker Mike Johnson had chosen Scott Perry and Ronny Jackson for the House Intelligence Committee, I was deeply concerned but certainly not surprised given the speaker’s penchant for acquiescing to Donald Trump’s directives. By appointing two extremist folks hopelessly enamored with and fervently devoted to anything Trumpian, Johnson hopes to solidify his tenuous hold on the speakership. Johnson’s appearance outside Trump’s trial earlier this month, where he railed against the “corrupt” judicial system, was a public show of support for the presumptive Republican candidate for president.

There was a time when elected officials placed loyalty to the nation ahead of any sitting or former president. Johnson epitomizes the current Republican mindset that prioritizes retaining power and position at any cost while jeopardizing the safety, security, and advancement of the nation’s welfare. Hopefully, voters will elect a president who puts country first, party second, and self-aggrandizement last.

James L. DeBoy, Lancaster

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ comments about Jim Crow and the Black family during a Trump campaign event in Philadelphia are typical deceit of modern Black conservatives on the national scene — i.e., all was well with African Americans until the federal government intervened with “welfare.” The culprits for the decline in Black marriage rates, among other things, their argument goes, are the government assistance programs of the 1960s and the Black women who chose them over a husband.

But the Florida Republican’s policy analysis is just as fraught and confusing as his nostalgia for an era plagued by racist violence. To begin with, marriage rates at that time were declining for all race groups, as they are today. Also, Donalds does not seem to understand how racism has shaped welfare policy and receipt in America since 1935. The irony of his empty musings culminates with a reflection on a time when Black people were conservative voters — whatever that means — without a single mention of the legal discrimination they faced to cast those very ballots during Jim Crow.

Nyron N. Crawford, Philadelphia

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