Ethics of Jesus not out of favor
Pam Sohn, David Cook, Clay Bennett, Deborah Levine - a fine array of good thinkers and writers who appear to us on the opinion pages of our wonderful Times Free-Press. They give hope to some of us for a better and more equal future for this country.
In recent years, a large number of evangelical Christians have so besmirched the name of Jesus the Jew that I no longer like to be called a Christian.
Rather, I now prefer to be known simply as a "Jesus follower," and, thankfully, those named journalists help me to see that the ethics of Jesus Christ are not totally out of favor these days.
Joe T. Porter
Sewanee, Tenn.
Photo ID problems? Not so much here
Not everyone can get a photo identification, and it's a racist requirement to show one when voting, or so we are told.
Last week my wife and I drove a Sudanese refugee to the local DMV office to obtain his Tennessee photo ID. With simple documentation it was an easy process. After 15 minutes at the counter he had his ID.
I think he loves this country. Welcome to America.
Thomas Blewett
Signal Mountain
Don't elect Trump or his supporters
In a recent column, Thomas Friedman talked about the 2018 book "How Democracies Die," written by Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
It discusses democracies that have fallen to authoritarianism. Since the Cold War, this has happened in elected governments (Russia, Venezuela, Hungary), not through coups d'etat. It talks about Trump and how he meets the indicators of authoritarian behavior. Then it explains how important unwritten rules - mutual tolerance, forbearance or restraint in wielding power - are as parties deal with each other.
When Nixon resigned, he did so because the Republicans made it clear to him he would otherwise be impeached and convicted. Can anyone really believe that today's Republicans would do that?
The International Institute of Democracy has deemed the United States as backsliding toward authoritarianism. It is happening gradually.
A friend of mine, when asked what she thought about Trump's impeachment after the Jan 6 insurrection, answered, "Oh, I don't pay attention to that stuff." That is the problem. Too many of us aren't paying attention to "that stuff." That is why we must not only not vote for Trump (if he runs in '24) but not vote for those who support him.
Nancy Bishop
Birchwood
We must do better; protect grey wolves
The recent news that 20 wolves from Yellowstone National Park have been killed by hunters and trappers is heartbreaking evidence of the need for the Biden Department of the Interior to finally act and protect these wolves as Congress members, scientists, tribal leaders and activists have been imploring.
Hunters in Montana can sit just feet outside of Yellowstone National Park using bait and recorded calls to lure wolves out of the protected area to their deaths. In Montana, they can kill as many as 20 wolves each (10 by gun and 10 by trap). In Idaho, there is no limit.
The Biden Administration must act before it gets worse. To date, President Biden and Secretary Deb Haaland have ignored pleas to act.
We learned that Haaland has opted out of meetings with tribal leaders seeking to speak with her in support of re-listing gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act and engaging in consultations before any future policy decisions are made.
It took our nation decades to bring these wolves back. Idaho and Montana can destroy this progress in just months if the Biden Administration continues to ignore them. Haaland and Biden owe the country better.
Ron Hubbard
Jasper, Tenn.