A very bad look in Washington
The following is the text of a letter that I sent to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine:
Although I am a liberal Democrat, I think that for the most part you have been a good governor.
I was impressed, for example, with your handling of the COVID pandemic here in Ohio. But I question your judgment and rationale for sending 150 Ohio National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
That’s not a lot of troops, to be sure — maybe a company or so of citizen soldiers — but the city leaders and people of D.C. don’t want any soldiers in their city. They are not needed and, quite frankly, the optics are bad. Photos of army trucks parked all over the city with soldiers is a very unsettling sight.
President Donald Trump says that crime is rampant in D.C. All major cities are affected by crime, including Columbus.
But statistics show that crime has been decreasing in D.C. and the Metropolitan Police Department say they can handle it. They know better what their capabilities are than Trump does.
And once again, the convicted felon who occupies the White House is manufacturing a crisis. Please bring our citizen soldiers home now so they can get back to their lives and their jobs and their families.
Bruce Smith, Columbus
Epstein files distraction
Shame on Gov. Mike DeWine for sending our Ohio National Guard to Washington, D.C. at the whim of our president, who has conjured up another “emergency” in our country.
President Donald Trump has accomplished one thing by doing this. No one is mentioning the Epstein files.
Gov. DeWine, don’t be complicit. Bring the Guard home.
Victoria Reidy, Columbus
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Guard not welcome in DC. DeWine helping Trump distract from Epstein files | Letter
Reporting by Letters to the Editor / The Columbus Dispatch
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