But since the adolescent gang is too immature to understand what all the fuss is about, they not only don’t see the need to save anything.

click to enlarge (Jack Fowler / for Oklahoma Gazette)
Jack Fowler / for Oklahoma Gazette

Open letter

Dear Sen. James Inhofe: With all due respect sir, you are a liar. You said, “The Senate traditionally does not confirm a Supreme Court nominee in the final year of a president’s term.” This is patently and demonstrably false.

President William Taft, during an election year, nominated Justice Mahlon Pitney, who was confirmed. President Woodrow Wilson, during an election year, nominated justices Louis Brandeis and John Clarke. Both were confirmed. President Herbert Hoover, during an election year, nominated Justice Benjamin Cardozo. He was confirmed. President Franklin Roosevelt, during an election year, nominated Justice Frank Murphy. He was also confirmed. President Ronald Reagan, during an election year, nominated Justice Anthony Kennedy. He was confirmed unanimously.

As a matter of fact, the last time the Senate took no action on an election year nomination prior to this instance was over 100 years ago. In 1881, President Rutherford Hayes nominated Associate Justice Stanley Matthews. It is inarguably tradition for the Senate to confirm Supreme Court nominees during an election year.

It shows tremendous disrespect for you to lie to me, and even more to assume that I would be too dumb to know — or too illiterate to research — the truth.

You have lost my support as a constituent, and you have lost my respect as a person. I look forward to voting for someone who puts morality over partisanship and who actually understands the lessons in the Bible that they so frequently hide behind.

Mike Tate Oklahoma City

The Problem Party

Why is it seemingly that the Republican Party is always the one that becomes entangled in wrongdoing and scandal? Not that Democrats are invulnerable, like with Bill Clinton’s sexcapades or some congressman trying to scam the system for a little extra cash, but as a whole, their psyche doesn’t seem to work that way. Maybe it’s because they really are out to help the people and that they derive a certain amount of spiritual satisfaction from their endeavors.

If I think about it, it doesn’t strike me that when the Republicans caucus together in some extravagant hotel or getaway, they would be gathered in groups in deep discussions of how they can bring relief and help to certain American groups or cultures or how they can reduce college tuition fees. On the contrary, they hate all entitlement programs.

Possibly the reason their thinking doesn’t work this way is because it takes a certain amount of maturity to think of others instead of oneself. And if this is correct and is due to a lack of maturity, that’s when situations can go awry.

Picture some teenage boys jumping into Dad’s car while he is out of town and joyriding without a thought in the world about the consequences. If they drive through a stop sign or cross the double line into oncoming traffic, as long as they’re all in agreement and they’re having fun, they must be invincible.

One could make an analogy of President Donald Trump and the Republicans and the teenage boys. Trump is the ringleader, of course. It used to be Paul Ryan, but the bigger bully won out and is now head honcho. Of course the new “gang” on the block wants to tear down everything the previous, more mature gang leaders built to make the neighborhood a better and safer place.

But since the adolescent gang is too immature to understand what all the fuss is about, they not only don’t see the need to save anything; what is more frightening is that they’re unable to understand the gravity of their actions. The truly sad thing is the damage they do to the American people and their knowing it.

Joe Wright Oklahoma City

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