Editor:

I have never been more ashamed to be American (NCJ Daily, Nov. 10). We have elected a racist, sexist, rude, arrogant bully to be our president. Trump has spent his entire life bullying and cheating people out of their hard-earned money.

He is a pathological liar, who disrespects women, Muslims, Mexicans or any member of the press. During three debates, he could not even string together an intelligent sentence about policy because he is dangerously uninformed. Trump refused to release his taxes because it would show that he has many business ties to Russia. For the last year, Trump has been collaborating with Russia to win the election and the Justice Department knows this.

He admires dictators and is against freedom of the press. Trump has bragged about assaulting women, and 11 women have come forward to complain about just that. How do I explain to my daughter that America has elected this pig? I just hope and pray that he doesn't start World War III because his ego got bruised. The ugliness of the campaign has spilled all across the country. Hate crimes are skyrocketing. Do we really need to have all these voter suppression laws to keep African Americans from voting? Finally, will his vast oil properties be affected by his decisions? 

Larry Lange, Bayside

Editor:

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, I voted for a candidate who worked in public service for 30 years, who fought on behalf of children and families. I voted for a candidate who ran on a platform that included major reforms to help the greater good, a candidate who acknowledged that all people, no matter their skin color, gender, sexual orientation, faith, ability or disability, or even political affiliations, deserve love and respect. I voted for a candidate with extensive experience as Senator, First Lady, and Secretary of State, a candidate more qualified than any in history to hold the solemn title of President of the United States. I voted for a candidate who also happened to be a woman.

I wholeheartedly supported Hillary, but in the end my actions, and the actions of others who believed we'd be stronger together, were not enough. A very different candidate has been elected President, a man with zero experience in public service, one who I worry will propagate hatred and lies and decelerate progress, shirking unity, respect, and science in favor of divisiveness, anger, and fear. On November 8, we watched a strong, capable, and conscientious woman come closer than ever to shattering the glass ceiling, only to have this man, Donald J. Trump, slam her back down.

But she will get back up again. We will all get back up again — all of us who stand for justice, equality, love, science, and wisdom. We will make our voices heard. We will reach out to others, even those who are most different from us, with open minds and open hearts, and attempt to bridge the divides between us. We will keep fighting for what we believe in, for the ideals that really make our country great. As we always have.

Amy Fontaine, McKinleyville

Editor:

What happens when the court jester becomes king? "Coming Jan. 20, on an all new season of The Apprentice: So you Wannabe an Intern?" There's no shame, and no fame, like being fired on camera in the Oval Office. Government as game show.

Yet the Democrats deserve it. The Right may play lead dog whistle, but not solo, never solo. "Super predators" ... NAFTA, "the gold standard" (His Erratic Majesty is correct, she did say that, I've seen the video) ... welfare "reform" ... Bosnia worthy, Uganda not (no U.S. interests there — and they're black, not that that matters). Policies of expediency, national flag a wind sock, sucker born every minute, gay marriage no then yes-yes-yes, TPP yes then no-no-no ... yoga class dates and the foreign policy of a nation, side by side on the same phone, emailed with equal respect. Claw in talon with Wassermann Schultz to throw Bernie under the bus ... Donna feeding Hil the debate questions from her day job at CNN ... Zero transparency, it's all need to know and you don't need to know.

Trump's right but we knew it already, Repocrat rule is terminally corrupt. You can't get bacon from a live pig. Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in! We're all just frightened schoolchildren stranded on an island called earth.

Oh, but it's sunrise again. Breakfast, anyone?

Jamie Flower, Arcata

Editor:

This election brings up, once again, a fundamental question about our system of governance: can a representative democracy really work in America? We live in a highly competitive society, after all — why would we ever trust any politician to represent the greater good not just his own narrow interests?

Perhaps that's why only a little more than half of America's eligible voters vote. To win, a candidate needs to carry only about 30 percent of American voters. This means a minority of our population elects our political representatives. At any one time, our representatives do not represent most of us.

According to the NY Times, less than 20 percent of under-30 voters voted this Tuesday — an entire generation of Americans did not find any representation in the recent choices. What a resounding rejection of our system. What a complete loss for them.

It's been this way for a while. All American presidential elections, back to early last century, attracted less than 60 percent of voters. Of course, both parties know this fact — they don't gotta' fool all the people all the time, just a minority of the voters once every four years.

Alas, this means most of us have little representation in our government. Alas, too, for those among us with no reps at all in this system — the very largest majority of Americans — our children.

Walter J. Kelly, Arcata

Editor:

To those Christians who voted for Trump: In the New Testament, I find Jesus healing and embracing the disabled, not mocking and belittling them.

And I can't find anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus groped women or advocated a rape culture. In fact, all I can find there is that Jesus respected women to a degree unheard of in his society, teaching them and accepting them and recognizing them as having faith beyond many males in his circle of friends.

Hummm ... Jesus taught that a despised outsider was more a person of God than most of the religious "insiders" of his day, and taught that we are to be open to all people. Man, I'm having a really hard time finding anything in the New Testament about building walls, both physically and metaphorically, to keep people out. Can you point me to the passages where you see Jesus doing any of these things? ... I just can't seem to find them.

Oh ... and Jesus was a person of color. Well, now that is interesting, isn't it. And all this time, I thought Christians were supposed to follow Christ's life and teachings. Oh, silly me! Thanks for clarifying for the world that none of that really matters.

Harry Wells, Eureka

Editor:

The people have spoken. They've seen through the doubt, fear, and ignorance of all those (presumably well intentioned but sadly misguided) "progressives" and have elected someone to the presidency of the United States of America who really does understand the realities of life; how politics works, how economics work, how nature works, how human beings work, and all that.

He has (well, will have) programs that will deal effectively with all the serious problems we face, and he will have a stellar group of people in there helping him; people with experience and proven judgment like Pence (who will be "in charge of foreign and domestic policy"), Christie (in charge of the transition team), Giuliani (Attorney General), Gingrich (Secretary of State), and the likes of Rove, Ryan and Cruz giving him advice, with Fox, Breitbart, Limbaugh, et al getting the truth out to the citizenry in plain English.

What's not to like? Everything's going to be fabulous. Watch and see.

Peter Childs, Miranda

Editor:

Judy Hodgson ends her election day piece ("Didn't See That Coming," Nov. 10) saying that she "can't think of a single good thing that can come from the outcome" of this election.

For those of us likewise stunned by the results, there is one very clear and vital "good thing" that can come: We must individually and collectively do everything we can to ensure the safety and well-being of those individuals and groups who were marginalized, and sometimes actually threatened, by Trump and his supporters.

There is much we can do: not through protest marches (which serve their own good purpose) but through direct action to let those members of our community know that they, too, belong here and are welcome.

The concept of "think globally, act locally" has, perhaps, never been more important.

Robert B. Rottenberg, Arcata

Editor:

When truth is distorted or nonexistent is there any wonder why our country is so divided? Hillary was not the only loser in the presidential race; the elite media lost big time. The corruption within the DNC and the equally corrupt former secretary of state are what true journalists dream about. Wikileaks, Project Veritas, and Judical Watch have exposed the leadership of the DNC (Democratic National Committee) as being racist, corrupt, dishonest and totally disgusting. We find proof the DNC incited riots at Trump events; that our President knew all about Hillary's private server and used a pseudo name when communicating with her. He told us he found out about it in the papers. The DNC rigged the system against Bernie. The unlawful 'Pay-for-Play' scandals of Secretary Clinton have almost eclipsed those that Bill had as President. All this and what does the media run with? Trump is asking Russia to hack us and also telling Second Amendment people to assassinate Hillary.

The political/media complex bias isn't funny; it's serious and dangerous. What happened to journalists' impartiality? Do they have a clue on their responsibility to the citizens? What are they taught? Are journalists so desperate to be part of the elite establishment they are literally jumping in bed with them? Check out how many powerful people in the media are related/married to powerful people in the administration.

The 2016 election saw the media become mouthpieces for the establishment instead of watch dogs for the citizens. It is now up to us to stay informed. We certainly cannot depend on our media. We still have the WEB, even though our president would like to hand it over to the global community where surely free speech will be eliminated. The truth is out there. Unfortunately, we now have to dig for it.

Rick Brennan, Eureka

Editor:

The incoming Donald Trump administration will ensure the completion of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota ("We Travel in a Spiritual Way," Nov. 10), the pipeline company's CEO told NBC news in a recent interview.

Before the recent election, I had learned through a quick Google search that Donald Trump is a big investor in Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas based company funding the $3.7 billion project. CEO Kelcy Warren has since told NBC News that he is "100-percent sure" the pipeline will be approved by the Trump administration, although he hadn't spoken directly to The Donald.

In June, Warren donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee for Trump's campaign, and an additional $3,000 directly to the Trump campaign. For his part, Trump's campaign financial disclosure forms revealed the president-elect's investments totaling between $500,000 and $1 million in Energy Transfer Partners, suggesting a possible vested financial interest in the completion of the pipeline. This is very troubling.

The media did not widely report these facts before the election.

It is good to see that the Dakota Access Pipeline project has galvanized young people to stand up for the protection of sacred sites important to the Sioux Nation. Their nonviolent stance honors the ancestors and all Americans. It reminds me of the 1970s when my generation marched in Washington against the Vietnam War.

I pray the Creator will watch over and guide us all. We will need sturdy boots and working brains to get through the next four years. 

Janet Eidsness, Bayside