Need to stop 'lawfare' waged against Trump and more letters to the editors

Need to stop 'lawfare' waged against Trump

"Lawfare" is being conducted by the Biden administration right before our eyes. This is one of the lowest and ugliest actions that an administration could ever stoop to use.

Every American, whether a Democrat, Republican or independent, should pay close attention to what is going on here. "Lawfare" is the effort by an administration to go after political opponents, Donald Trump, in this case, and try to destroy them by using the DOJ to charge them with "crimes."

These are obscure and frivolous charges that have little chance of bringing a conviction. But if Trump can just be discouraged, distracted or harassed enough, it could affect his campaign negatively. Certainly his time and resources will be drained while he is forced to mount a defense. And maybe enough voters would be swayed not to vote for him so that the election outcome could be swayed.

This is election interference of the highest order. But it is in full motion right now. No one seems able to stop it.

J. Johns

Ringgold, Ga.


Having the courage of our convictions

It seems to me that for more than a decade people in general are not being as honest or truthful.

It takes thought and courage of conviction to be honest.

The simple act of saying you'll do something and following through in a timely manner has been replaced by a casual "yeah, let's do it" without any real intention of actually doing it.

Did this all begin with movies like "Wall Street" or "The Wolf of Wall Street,"or is it a result of easy communication that is done without eye contact or body language to judge actual intent?

I find myself occasionally agreeing to some vague plan to "do something" at some point with people, only to later think, did I just agree to something or was that simply a noncommittal way to say goodbye?

Whatever this phenomena is, I'm in favor of shelving it and not bringing it back until we can promise — vaguely — to agree to forget it ever happened.

John Mathna


Nothing laudatory about Calvin Coolidge

In Cal Thomas's latest laudatory column about Republican Calvin Coolidge on the Wednesday Free Press opinion page, he mentions the former president's modesty. I agree: Coolidge was a modest man with much to be modest about.

In addition to such trenchant insights as "When people are out of work, unemployment results," he also opined that "The future may be better or worse."

While serving as the nation's chief executive, Coolidge supported high protective tariffs and the quota-based National Origins Act (1924) which both barred Japanese emigration to the U.S. altogether and denied admission to Jews escaping from the Holocaust. In addition to asserting "America must be kept American," the former president allowed for the imposition of a 50% tariff on pig iron while simultaneously denying aid for struggling American farmers.

Andrew Mellon, Coolidge's Treasury secretary, arranged for $3.5 billion in handouts to large companies, including those in which he had a financial interest. He enacted across-the-board income tax cuts, got rid of the estate tax, and halved the gift tax.

With credit and speculation skyrocketing, Coolidge left office in March 1929; seven months later, the stock market crashed. The Great Depression was right around the corner. Fortunately, so too was FDR's New Deal.

Michael V. Woodward

Wants to boycott Trump supporters

To MAGA supporters:

How could anyone give money to a convicted sexual predator and habitual liar?

Please let us know who has given money to our former president. The names would keep those of like minds clear of giving business to those so misguided. I just cannot understand the mindset that would give money to someone to pay their lawyers to defend their crimes.

Hiding classified documents to show to your friends, trying to overthrow our democracy, tampering with evidence and the multitude of other crimes is astounding.

Giving such a person your money is misguided, but it is your personal choice. I would just like to know who you are so I have a chance to steer clear of you and your business.

Linda R. Harris

Walden

'We are next' if current crop stays

A Mallard Fillmore cartoon in a recent Times Free Press edition points more to what Ron DeSantis is doing in Florida classrooms than it does to anyone else.

The very idea that certain books cannot be in a school library or that teachers must adhere to strict rules (poorly defined) as to what can and cannot be taught for fear of a student feeling bad, or worse, guilty, is ridiculous. And dangerous. There are penalties for those who break the opaque rules.

Beware Tennesseans. If we allow our current legislators to remain in office, we are next.

SueCarol Elvin

Why no TFP report on softball tournament?

I thought I would let you know that my wife mentioned to me recently that she couldn't believe there has been no reporting in the TFP about the women's Alliance Fastpitch Open National Championships held last week at five different complexes in and around Chattanooga.

More than 350 teams, families, and 125-plus college scouts were here all week for one of the largest softball tournaments in the country for girls.

As you probably know, this sport brings more visitors to Chattanooga each year than any other event; the economic impact of each tournament is massive. Somewhere between $5 million and $10 million for the week alone. Hotels, motels and Airbnbs were sold out.

More D-1 players come from girls softball than any other sport in Chattanooga.

David Patten

TEA lawsuit exposes lack of neutrality

For too long the myth that public education is values-neutral has distorted our understanding of what schools can and should do. Every teacher, by virtue of what it actually means to teach, brings to the classroom not only a grasp of methodology (the "how" of instructional management) but also, by virtue of his or her humanity and experience, a more-or-less developed world-view (the "what" of teaching). Unless teachers are simply reading from someone else's script (itself a "what"), they cannot help but communicate their morality, their perspectives on the meaning of life, etc. Neutrality is impossible — even facts will be selected or ignored.

Thus, it's no surprise, as you reported recently, that the Tennessee Education Association has filed a lawsuit objecting to the state legislature's previous attempts to define what may or may not be taught, particularly in the areas of race, gender and bias. Not only does this suit demonstrate the folly of legislators trying to define instructional content from House and Senate chambers in Nashville, but it also exposes the dishonesty of the article's claim that critical race theory is limited to universities, never trickling down to elementary and secondary classrooms. Where, after all, did these teachers earn their college degrees and learn their world-views?

Gary Lindley

Lookout Mountain, Ga.


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