Letters to the editor Aug. 31

‘Thoughts and prayers’

When gun-loving, God-fearing GOP politicians say “thoughts and prayers” are their top priority immediately after a mass shooting, what exactly are they praying for? If they’re praying for an end to gun violence, God probably isn’t responding to their prayers since it keeps happening relentlessly.

And that makes us wonder if God is actually sending them a message that the solution lies in their own hands, not His. As the old saying goes, “God can move mountains for you, but He wants you to bring a shovel.”

Also, why does the actual well-regulated militia (our National Guard) choose not to carry weapons of war during civil deployment, while the not-at-all-regulated militia guys carry weapons of war whenever and wherever they please?

And, finally, why does the GOP believe the right to bear arms is fixed in stone, God-given and eternal, while other constitutional provisions — like separation of powers, birth-right citizenship, freedom of speech and assembly, due process, The Emoluments Clause and others — are viewed as optional or inconvenient?

Just curious.

— Greg and Jill Mueth, Creston

National Guard deployment

Recently our government brought in Army National Guard personnel to assist law enforcement in Washington, D.C. I am strongly in favor of law enforcement that keeps the peace in difficult situations. 

The first deployment of troops appeared to be reasonable to allow local law enforcement to more appropriately deploy their own peace officers. However, there has been no increase in disruptive activities within D.C. 

Since we, the taxpayers, pay the costs for federalizing those troops, I now wonder, “Isn’t this a case of wasteful spending to bring in additional unnecessary troops?

This morning’s news on Aug. 22 talked about a raid on John Bolton’s house for the mishandling of classified documents. Having fought in Vietnam, I am acutely aware of the need to protect classified information. If Mr. Bolton has mishandled classified information, he needs to be held accountable. No one is above the law. I strongly agree with that statement. 

However, I reflect back to a previous situation where classified documents were discovered unsecured at a Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, hidden from investigators and even moved to prevent discovery. Individuals received no legal penalties for that violation. Does that mean that no one is above the law  — except?

From the internet, the definition of socialism is an economic and political system characterized by government ownership of the means of production (factories, equipment, resources), rather than private ownership. Our government has purchased stakes in a several private companies. While that has been done briefly in the past to “bailout” companies in dire economic situations, no indication of such situation(s) exists at this time. Are we a capitalistic economy letting market forces determine the success of companies or are we a socialist economy where the government strives to “maximize” profits for the government?

Think about these actions.

— Christopher Hagar, Bigfork