THE WASHINGTON TIMES

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Terrorists come in all shapes, shades

The recent shooting at a Republican congressional baseball practice in Alexandria attests to the terrifying reality that no one, not even our highest elected officials, is safe from the disturbing nationwide increase in violent acts. Particularly troubling is that the shooter, James Hodgkinson, appears to have made a calculated attempt to inculcate fear with his fierce opposition to President Trump and the GOP. Published June 22, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Vote for values

I once had an assignment with the United Nations in which I worked in Egypt with officers from the Soviet Union and other nations. This was during the Cold War years, with Leonid Brezhnev in power. As a young U.S. Navy lieutenant, the job was exciting in certain ways. I learned different things through the relationships I made, but some things stayed with me for life. One has been that people, no matter where they're from, all have the same basic needs. All have the need for sustenance, family and shelter. All seek to be content. All feel emotions, both good and bad. All desire to live life to best of their ability. The representatives from the Soviet Union, along with the other nations, were people with the same basic needs as us Americans. Published June 21, 2017

EDITORIAL: The bad day for the Democrats

The morning after an election is always a time for poring over the entrails of the campaign, and Wednesday the Democrats spent the whole day trying to figure out how they could spend $25 million on a special election in Georgia, and still lose. Published June 21, 2017

EDITORIAL: Getting to the heart of health care

It's still there. Like chewing gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe, Obamacare refuses to let go. No other Republican promise made over the past eight years, repeated endlessly during 2016 presidential election campaign, was more popular than the assurance that Barack Obama's namesake legislation would expire with his term of office. Six months into Donald Trump's presidency, the promise remains unredeemed. That may soon change. With the hammer of repeal and replacement about to drop, two words of advice: Don't miss. Published June 21, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Pelosi needs reality check

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has once again demonstrated an unbridled level of buffoonery. Her recent proclamation that the hateful and violent incidents we see today can be traced back to the 1990s during the Clinton administration and the attacks by conservatives and Republicans on Bill and Hillary is simply ludicrous and unfounded ("Pelosi: 'Outrageous' for Republicans to blame Democrats for heated rhetoric," Web, June 15). Published June 20, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Immigrants infuse U.S. with life

Is America still the last, best hope for mankind? That status could have slipped some on our watch (see Iraq, deficit spending). And we have been a bit stupid (see Citizens United, concealed carry, extended ammo clips). Well, our nation was founded on money and violence (see slavery, native genocide). But remember also the Civil War, women's suffrage, civil rights and gay rights, and remember America's extraordinary labor-saving and Published June 20, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Justice for Otto Warmbier

I can only hope that retribution for the egregious death of Otto Warmbier is swift and sure. This horrible tragedy resulted from no more than a college prank, leading to the death of a vibrant, loving and intelligent young man. I can only imagine the suffering endured by his family, and was brought to tears by their description of the peace that had come over his face, even when he was in a coma, as he realized that at last he was home. Published June 20, 2017

EDITORIAL: No stacking the deck

Robert Mueller III has always got high marks for probity, integrity and honesty, but as a Washington lawyer of considerable talent he should know that sometimes it's the perception that counts most. Mr. Mueller is asking a skeptical capital to take too much on faith. Published June 20, 2017

EDITORIAL: Sitting ducks in Congress

Sitting members of Congress should not be sitting ducks. Last week's shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise and several Republican staff members at a baseball field in suburban Washington revealed them to be exactly that. They can thank the District of Columbia's excessive and spiteful firearms restrictions. Laws hindering their ability to carry a concealed weapon should be relaxed to enable members of Congress and other law-abiding Washingtonians to protect themselves. Published June 20, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Return to private-sector insurance

Obamacare, Ryancare, McConnellcare, etc., are all disasters for the quality and expense of medical care in America. The solution is returning 80 percent of Americans to private-sector insurance in a nationwide marketplace. As insurance companies compete for customers, we will see the choices multiply. Federal mandates will be eliminated and the states will be encouraged to eliminate mandates as well. Published June 19, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Congress wasting taxpayer money

As sad as it was, last week's deliberate shooting of members of the GOP probably surprised few people. The Republican Party in particular decries the failings of one federal agency and its employees after another. Yet almost every day the GOP and Democrats alike throw at each other the politics of immature obstruction, insults and finger-pointing. Either party passing a bill but not getting it to the president's desk is not success, it is legislative failure. Published June 19, 2017

EDITORIAL: Disappointment in Potlandia

Curing cancer and eliminating heart disease would be nice, but what the government -- federal, state and local -- would like most of all is a new source of revenue, i.e., something new to tax. Published June 19, 2017

EDITORIAL: Greater expectations for Cuba

There's more to life than pursuit of the dollar. It's not a message necessarily expected from a billionaire president, but in reversing his predecessor's Cuba policies, President Trump reminded the world that prosperity grows in the sunshine of freedom, and dwindles in the darkness where democracy dies. Published June 19, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: More laws not the answer

Once again, according to the political left, gun control is the answer. Violent, angry people will calm down and hug their teddy bears if we just instituted more gun control. If we get just the right gun law, criminals will stop using firearms to rob others or settle gang scores. Published June 18, 2017

EDITORIAL: Calm now, more hysteria later

Keeping calm to carry on is not always regarded as a virtue in Washington, where there's always a television camera nearby or a reporter with a pad and a pencil at the ready. Making partisan noise is the name of the game with an infinite number of players. Never let a crisis go to waste, and all that. Published June 18, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: PBMs lower drug costs

When it comes to the price of their products, drug companies want the public to ignore what they spend on marketing and the tax breaks they get for direct-to-consumer advertising. Instead of acknowledging their pricing strategies, drug companies have launched a finger-pointing campaign at pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Published June 18, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: U.S. still “shining city upon a hill”

The world is dying before our eyes as the forces of darkness and light collide on a daily basis. We have state-sponsored terrorism coming from countries such as Iran, North Korea and Syria. Behind closed doors Russia and China plot to bring chaos and death to humanity while pretending, publicly, they are for peace. Published June 18, 2017

EDITORIAL: Some of our cruisers are missing

No good deed goes unpunished, as the folk saying goes, and the Los Angeles Police Department has solved the mystery of what happened to three of their police cruisers. Three teenage cadets, 15, 16 and 17 years old, saw an opportunity for a joy ride, and took it. Published June 18, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Memories of a simpler time

What you have more of than anything else as you reach old age are memories. Back in the 1930s, the Depression years, my family lived in Cottage City, Maryland. Nobody in the neighborhood locked their doors. My mother and father worked, and we three children were in school during the day. We had a telephone, a party line, so if a neighbor who did not have a phone needed to make a call, they were free to do so on ours. Published June 15, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Military purpose defense, not equality

This absurd policy of accepting transgender individuals into the armed forces of the United States must be terminated. Good order and discipline within the ranks, plus respect and trust among the troops, are absolute requirements for an effective and viable military-command structure. The presence of transgender individuals in the ranks debases this efficiency ("Pentagon continues LGBT pride celebration; conservatives say it's a shame in Trump administration," Web, June 11). Published June 15, 2017