Readers React: Republicans don’t need to be brave to stand up to Trump. They need a conscience

To the editor: It has been noted in multiple articles that Democrats have been decrying President Trump’s border policies. Since when does compassion belong to a single political party? And, really, do we want our president, Democrat or Republican, to:

Have no empathy for those seeking asylum? Continually lie and invent facts to suit his own agenda? Demonize the FBI and Justice Department? Vilify minorities who protest injustices? Refer to neo-Nazi protesters as “very fine people”? Denigrate the crucially important free press and call it the “enemy of the people?” Intentionally divide rather than unite American citizens? Bail on the United Nations Human Rights Commission? Abandon the Paris Accord and its mission to control and stabilize the global climate? Put policies in place that do further harm to an already fragile environment? Ignore all input and advice from experienced aides and Cabinet members, no matter the problem, because he “alone can fix it?” Praise the world’s most authoritarian and least democratic rulers while maligning our closest allies?

The above is only a partial list of the deplorable actions taken by our president, and neither Democrats nor Republicans should find even one of them acceptable. To repudiate any and all of them requires only basic human decency and a conscience.

Robert Archerd, Rancho Palos Verdes

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To the editor: As a mother of two young girls, I continue to be heartsick over the separation of families at the border. And while it seems we may have had a break with the separations, I still am very concerned about how all these children will be reunited with their parents.

There are parents who have been deported without their children. How will those mothers and fathers ever get their kids back?

We must keep a bright light on this issue. This is horrific, and the only way to keep the momentum going in the right direction is to have continuous news coverage on what is actually happening to these families.

Katie Christensen, Redondo Beach

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To the editor: I am appalled at the level of discourse and associated behavior concerning the nation’s immigration policies.

Both the left and the right are making blatant emotional appeals without addressing the real issues, and neither side is serious about defining what constitutes a fair, reasonable and enforceable immigration policy for our country. Furthermore, the media exacerbate the problem by focusing heavily on the most outrageous speech and behavior.

In the long term, this can only breed disillusionment in our political institutions and disdain for the media.

Alan Baker, Westlake Village

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To the editor: Trump deserves to be taken to task for using “angel families” to drive home his position on border security.

But what about when Hillary Clinton and the Democrats used the Gold Star family at their 2016 convention and then used them to vilify then-candidate Trump for cheap political expediency?

Neither side should ever try and exploit a family’s grief for their own political hay.

Allan Kandel, Los Angeles

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