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Trump’s bigotry has
stained the GOP

So, this is what we can look forward to based on President Trump’s comments following the airline disaster in Washington. Anything that goes wrong for the next four years will be Joe Biden’s fault or due to a DEI hire.

If a woman or person of color is in anyway involved, they will be characterized as another unqualified person filling a DEI quota even if they hold their position by merit. Women and minorities in business, government or education at any level will be suspected of gaining their position due to DEI regardless of their qualification or performance. That’s the way the president of the United States sees it and the way his radical MAGA followers see it.

I’m a Republican and I’m appalled by the extent to which Republicans in office and the conservative media have jumped to join Trump’s crude bigotry. It’s certainly not my GOP anymore.

Dave Riggs
Aptos

Private listings subvert
Realtors’ fiduciary duty

Re: “Compass looks to shake up industry” (Page A1, Feb. 3).

A listing must be exposed to the open market, not a “private listing,” to get the offer with the best price and other terms.

A strong ethical and legal argument can be made that private listings violate the listing agents’ legally required fiduciary duty to the seller.

Lloyd Binen
Saratoga

Too late for columnist
to whine about Trump

Re: “Are Trump’s actions signaling the end of Pax Americana?” (Page A6, Feb. 6).

In December 2024, Bret Stephens, a highly-educated conservative denounced the Never Trump movement in the New York Times, claiming that the “Trump movement is patriotic,” and pompously telling everyone “to give Trump and his Cabinet picks the benefit of the doubt.”

Now that Trump is in office, gullible Bret has suddenly realized what all of us less-gullible citizens have known all along — that Trump will trash promises and alliances with our allies around the world, and unpatriotically pardon 1,500 insurrectionists who tried to overthrow our democratic government. Trump’s Cabinet picks are as incompetent and unqualified as Trump is — their only “qualification” seems to be loyalty to their leader.

Bill Charleston
Campbell

Jan. 6 pardons reflect
Trump’s corrupt nature

Equal to the numerous injuries suffered by front-line police officers is the injury that the American people suffered by the granting of pardons to the leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

These individuals, and their supporters, are devoted to the destruction of our rule of law and our Constitution.  What is the likelihood that they will be law-abiding now that they have been released? Try slim to none. Still, our president has kept open the idea that he might be willing to meet with them and others who assaulted our Capitol and our way of life. To Trump, “these were people that actually love our country.”

Why are we surprised by the actions of the president? After all, it is only his “nature” that is on display.

Eugene Hyman
Los Altos

China guilty of same
influence U.S. once held

Pay close attention. Donald Trump claims to want to control Panama because of undue Chinese influence and potential control of the canal by China.

If China has any undue influence it’s because they’ve created a huge global program ostensibly to develop infrastructure in countries like Panama. Sure it’s a program rife with propaganda and designed to spread Chinese influence over world affairs.

The United States used to do exactly the same thing throughout the second half of the 20th century. Until yesterday we still had an organization, USAID, dedicated to continuing that work countering Russian and Chinese influence. Trump and his lackey Elon Musk, in their zeal to rid government of dissenting voices, are in the process of gutting USAID of both staff and funding.

They have no clue how government or world affairs work, and they don’t care. They’re too busy waving their middle fingers at imagined enemies.

Eugene Ely
San Jose

It’s up to us to resist
blind obedience

Re: “2.2 billion gallons of water flowed out of two Central California reservoirs because of Trump’s order to open dams” (Feb. 4).

Two events reported recently make clear that federal employees need to remember that their loyalty should be to the Constitution of the United States, not Donald Trump.

Trump ordering the release of billions of gallons of water for no purpose is one example. If you are given orders that make no sense, such as this one, you have a responsibility to question and not follow that order if that is the right thing to do. Remember the Nuremberg Trials. Kash Patel promising to prosecute federal employees for their lack of loyalty to Trump is misguided and dangerous. Federal employees are sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not the whims of Donald Trump.

We must resist blind obedience.

Jeff Anderson
Gilroy

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