Put Democrats on the record about their commitment to democracy
I think each Republican candidate for a congressional office should ask their Democratic opponent these questions: Do you favor packing the Supreme Court, and are you in favor of elimination of the Electoral College?
Demand a YES or NO answer; no talk around. This same question should be asked of the Register’s editorial staff. Seems like most Democratic candidates are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome and would do anything to try and win an election, even if it meant these extremes.
Fred Ruedy, Ames
We must insist on human rights, since our leaders won’t
Did you notice that conspicuously missing from the recent U.S.-China summit discussions was discourse about human rights violations? Previous U.S. presidents have questioned Chinese officials about their stifling of free expression and internment of over a million Uyghurs, not to mention its implementation of draconian laws subjecting people to indefensible state control.
But, wait a minute. The United States under our current president is also a blatant violator of human rights. The current federal mass deportation policy rips families apart and detains over 70,000 undocumented immigrants awaiting asylum in inhumane prisons dotted throughout the country as well as arrests and kills protesters. And there is more: The U.S. military has kidnapped and killed foreign heads of state and committed mass murder on the high seas under the pretense of a drug war.
It’s no wonder that U.S. officials didn’t request discussions about human rights violations at the summit; it would have been an example of “the pot calling the kettle black.”
So what can be done to challenge the human rights violations under our very noses? Carolyn Nash, USA director for Amnesty International, says it’s up to citizens to band together and insist that China’s Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump stop undermining current efforts to improve international human rights systems. No country should violate human rights. Nash also says that other governments and U.N. member states need to demand the accountability that these leaders will not require of each other.
Our churches, synagogues, mosques and temples preach justice. Perhaps we members need to work harder to put justice into action.
Marilyn Dysart, West Des Moines
Pedestrians at risk
Walking in downtown Des Moines is like playing “Frogger” on the old console games.
Tom Smull, Des Moines
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drivers don’t look for pedestrians in downtown Des Moines | Letters
Reporting by The Register’s readers, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
