Letters to the editor Feb. 2
Extreme politics
The political atmosphere we find ourselves in over the past few years is too extreme for practically all American any more. I find trying to ask for any kind of civility on practically any topic will bring hyper ridicule from extremes on either end of the political spectrum, which are given the loudest voices in the media. It is only honest for me to state that the Liberal extreme is more adept at making this happen. We have reached to impeachment on what is most accurately described as a difference of opinion on an ethical issue. The Bidens are finding themselves caught up in a similar issue.
Did President Trump act illegally when he mentioned the Biden’s in a phone call, no. Possibly unethical, but not illegal. The impeachment itself does not even suggest that. Did Joe Biden do something illegal when Hunter was appointed to the board of a foreign company, probably not. This was certainly unethical and perhaps new laws need to be put in place to restrict this practice by politicians in the future. There is a civil way of resolving these issues.
My political view is Libertarian, not Republican or Democrat. I am conservative and non-confrontational when possible as it comes to foreign policy. There is a lot of room between disagreement and a hanging offense. We need to be discussing real solutions a bit more.
A good start to stopping the practice of extreme politics would be term limits. At least this would help focus final term government representatives on trying to achieve meaningful solutions before moving on. When the only issue is the endless reward of remaining in office, working for the betterment of the people is pushed aside.
—Michael Bray, Kalispell
No small matter
Steve Daines lied when he recently swore an oath for the impeachment trial of Donald Trump to “do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws.” We all know this because Daines has called Trump’s impeachment a “sham,” elsewhere a “hoax,” and he has insisted, despite all the evidence of wrongdoing, that he is “standing with Trump.”
Daines doesn’t even have the decency to pretend that he is going to uphold his oath to be impartial. He doesn’t care what the evidence is for Trump’s abuse of power or obstruction of Congress, and he appears to be ready to elevate Trump above the law, eager to make him into a dictator.
Let’s not pretend otherwise. Unless the Senate checks Trump’s abuse of power, that is exactly what Trump will become, a dictator, like Putin. This is how democracy dies.
We all know, Republicans just as much as Democrats, that Daines lied when he swore to be impartial. What terrifies me is how little Republicans care. It’s as if lying under oath, the crime that Bill Clinton was impeached for, is now nothing, nothing at all.
In any ordinary trial, any judge would throw Daines off the jury for what he has said. Daines should immediately recuse himself. If Daines nevertheless persists, he should be charged with perjury. He has lied under oath and that, as Republicans pointed out to Bill Clinton, is no small matter.
—Wade Sikorski, Baker