Republicans: 74 million Trumps
As I watched the news on Jan. 7, I was not alarmed or shocked. Democratic leadership claims this insurrection was instigated by the president. It was.
However, we should all understand one very important thing: Donald Trump did exactly what Republicans wanted him to do. The pillars of the Republican Party platform are anger, hatred, racism and violence. Don't be fooled by Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty when they feebly rationalize the violent actions of the very people they courted and value as members of the Republican Party.
The Republican Party is actively trying to dismantle democracy in America by denying the validity of minority voters, and the violence of Jan. 6 is just one of its tactics. The most dangerous aspect is this: These criminals will dismiss the behavior as acceptable until we forget the brutality of this incident.
Sweeping this aside with no repercussions will continue to feed the idea that the violence of Jan 6 should be the foundation of the Republican Party. After all, it is endorsed and rewarded by the Republican Party leadership and 74 million Donald Trumps.
Jonathan D. Nessle
Thankful Trump no longer relevant
It's been five days now since President Biden became the president of the United States.
After four long years of nearly daily chaos in America, I feel a great sense of relief and serenity. I compare it to recovering from a deadly disease or surviving a great hurricane. The end of the Trump era is what I think it will feel like when the COVID-19 pandemic is finally over.
What America needs is a few years of quiet. We need kindness, empathy and peace. The end of the error is here. Thank God Trump is no longer relevant.
Serenity Now!
Pat Hagan
Milkshake mention is racist throwback
I was happy to see your Jan. 19 article about a new nostalgic diner in Ooltewah, the Whistle Stop. But then I was disgusted to see its "best-selling milkshake" introduced as the "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy Cookies & Cream."
If anyone wonders who shined the shoes in old Chattanooga, the ingredients listed in that paragraph help answer the question: "Oreo crumbles ... zebra cake, devil cake, and chocolate drizzle." Dark-colored toppings imply that dark-skinned people were the ones doing this job.
I don't want to see a menu item that evokes racist child labor. I don't want a dessert that reminds me of how many African-American adult men were called "boy" as they knelt to clean the shoes of white customers. And I don't want to see a newspaper casually introducing a paragraph like this as "vintage vibes."
Nostalgic diners are fun. I love milkshakes. But there's nothing happily nostalgic about how Black boys and men were treated in a typically racist, physically demeaning job.
Ooltewah, surely we can do better than this. (And Chattanooga Times Free Press, surely there's another story here, too.)
Dr. Amy Ziegler
Ooltewah