THE WASHINGTON TIMES

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Pornography OK, religion not

Bill of Rights Day, which we marked Dec. 15, reminded me just how far this country has departed from its first principles. The 2015 gay marriage ruling completes a rewrite of the First Amendment, which reads (and used to mean), "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press " Published December 25, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: End the Moonves/Cosby/Weinstein era

The extent to which corporate America has become focused on greed is laid bare by the imbroglio involving former CBS entertainment kingpin Leslie Moonves. Mr. Moonves stands accused by multiple women who have been employed by the network of having used them solely to provide sexual gratification. Published December 25, 2018

EDITORIAL: Amazon conducts an unfair competition to become its headquarters

Amazon, the world's biggest retailer, founded and helmed by the world's richest man, recently subjected scores of American municipalities to a humiliating dog and pony show. The Seattle-based tech behemoth announced it was planning to build a second headquarters somewhere in North America, promising some 50,000 new jobs to wherever it landed. It then, in a slow-motion imitation of a reality television show, invited localities to submit bids. Published December 25, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Border wall would bring only good

If a regular, middle-class household has a $20,000-per-year expenditure but could resolve it with a one-time $2,500 capital investment project, wouldn't everyone agree they'd be a moronic family not to commit to that project to wipe out the $20,000 expenditure forever? This is the case with the border wall. But that's the world these obstructionist Democrats, and more than just a few Republicans, want us to live in. Published December 23, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Trump hatred wholly misdirected

Why do so many Americans hate President Trump? Is it because of all his radical wants and desires for America? Published December 23, 2018

EDITORIAL: Martha McSally is impressive, but her appointment comes with complications

Republican Rep. Martha McSally is nobody's idea of a sore loser. The Tucson area congresswoman recently lost a close race for Senate to her fellow Arizona representative, a Democrat named Kyrsten Sinema, who represents Phoenix. Even though Ms. McSally appeared to be in the lead on election night itself, late counts pushed Ms. Sinema across the finish line a few days later. Published December 20, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Embrace LGBT rights and pluralism

In his recent commentary, "Compromising religious freedom" (Web, Dec. 16), Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, attacks the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the National Association for Evangelicals (NAE) for supporting legislation that would combine protection of religious liberty with anti-discrimination protection for LGBT persons. Published December 20, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Wall is feasible, money-saving

President Trump must make a stand on the funding of the border wall. Such a wall will work in keeping out illegal aliens (which is why the Democrats do not want it). The president must make a formal speech to the American taxpayers and remind us all of the hundreds of billions of dollars a year illegal immigration is costing us. Published December 20, 2018

EDITORIAL: The collusion puzzle perplexes as the Flynn case drags on

If only unraveling the maddening complexity of the Russian collusion investigation were no more complicated than solving Rubik's Cube with all of its innumerable permutations. Tuesday's sentencing of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was supposed to set a piece of the 2016 presidential election puzzle in place but instead, it led to new twists and turns that included an unexpected sentencing postponement. While witnessing the political spectacle the probe has engendered, it's helpful for Americans to remember one thing: There has yet to be found any collusion on the part of Team Trump. Published December 19, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Easy way to fund border wall?

Washington politicians must dispense with the drama of shutting down the federal government over the issue of payment for the southern border wall. There is a very simple way to finance such a project. Published December 19, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: House GOP, grow a spine

One of the major issues on which President Trump ran and won was border security. He is to a very large degree responsible for the Republican House majority. Yet Republicans cannot bring themselves to muster the guts or discipline to get an immigration/border security bill to the Senate before they lose the ability to do so. Frustration with the Senate is understandable but it does not excuse their failure to act. Published December 19, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Comey should crawl back into hole

Once again former FBI Director James Comey slithers into our collective consciousness with his tap-dancing appearances before the oversight committees of the House of Representatives. We are reminded — though we had not forgotten — why the inspector general of the Department of Justice found Comey's self-promoting, stage-hogging performance as FBI director to be, among other blistering criticisms, "insubordinate." Published December 18, 2018

EDITORIAL: The high cost of runaway environmentalism discourages do-good initiatives

Abody doesn't need an advanced academic degree to practice common sense. That's why working folks who carry the nation on their backs have grasped the limits of the renewable energy revolution more quickly than those enthralled with the promise of a fossil-fuel-free future. Published December 18, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Make moves now to secure U.S.

Appropriately located border walls will significantly decrease both the number of illegal immigrants entering our country through Mexico and the high cost these immigrants place on our taxpayers. Walls will also reduce the attacks on border agents and our citizens living near the border, and will limit the entry into our country of criminals, terrorists and narcotics and sex trafficking. Published December 18, 2018

EDITORIAL: China continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan Strait

The unwritten law is often a myth, romantic as the idea may be. If it's not written there's no one to enforce such a "law." Such romantic legislation is usually thought to apply to the defense of marriage and the home, but it's sometimes applied to other things, such as the freedom of the seas. It's only useful when there's a nation big enough and determined enough to enforce the principle of such a law. Published December 17, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Clintons still devious threat

Do not be fooled by Bill and Hillary Clinton's sandbagging or early DNC straw polls. The Clintons know their mathematical path to the White House is actually far more obtainable and easier in 2020 (via Donald Trump's scar tissue in office) than it was in 2016. Published December 17, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: It’s the liberal media, stupid

Former President Bill Clinton's campaign manager James Carville made famous the statement "It's the economy, stupid," which means a good economy is the critical component of political success. In addition, the highest form of assistance is to help somebody become self-sufficient (that is, get a job or start a business). Published December 17, 2018

Georgios Katrougalos, Greece official, says U.S. relations hit high point

Greek acting Foreign Minister Georgios Katrougalos was in Washington late last week for talks with senior Trump administration officials and for the inaugural U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. He answered a series of questions from The Washington Times on bilateral relations, immigration, the European Union and Russia after his two days of talks. Published December 17, 2018

EDITORIAL: Time to finish the Wall

If President Trump sends a wish list to the North Pole, it might say something like this (and he had better hurry): "All I want for Christmas is a big, beautiful wall." If congressional Democrats send a letter, it would be addressed to the Grinch, Santa's sometime helper, and demand, "Stall the wall." Published December 16, 2018

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Focus on inmate rehabilitation

While I agree with Sen. Tom Cotton that there is a risk associated with releasing potentially dangerous criminals early, we must remember the scope of the problem that the United States faces: A prison system that right now has a population double that of Rhode Island ("How the Senate First Step Act is flawed," Web. Nov. 29). The relapses Mr. Cotton fears are the very reason for this bill. These are relapses that are more common in this country than in any other. Three out of every four convicts are arrested less than five years after their release. Why is a 25-percent rate of rehabilitation acceptable? The focus should not be on the dangers posed by releasing convicts earlier, but on how to properly rehabilitate convicts to prevent this pervasive recidivism. The Senate First Step Act is the beginning of what is hopefully an extensive process of correctional reform. Congress would be ill-advised to kill a bill that the United States badly needs. Published December 16, 2018