The ‘No-Trump Zone,’ press freedom and Trump’s twitter account

Living east of I-5

Re “Greetings from the No-Trump Zone. Join us, America.” (California Forum, July 2): Wow, David Freed, I have chills running up and down my legs. I am so glad you are holding the line until disaster passes. What a guy you must be. Save the world. So I can tell my friends with a bit more clarity to my fence leaning deplorable friends, which disasters are you talking about and what do you intend to do about them? Good thing I live east of I-5. I am too stupid to know what your reference means. I have friends in Oakland, but they live on the 14th floor above Lake Merritt. I’m lost in all this. Be more specific so us fly-over citizens know what you are talking about. Detail, give me detail. How can I debate if you are unwilling to give me detail. And yes, America is the land of opportunity. Just read the Declaration of Independence. As you say, we still have plenty of room for legal immigrants. Join us. The welcome mat is out. And the truth be told, I love ethnic food. I grew up in Dearborn, Mich., and I love Middle Eastern food and the Midle Eastern people who live there.

Press freedom

Re “Americans take the First Amendment for granted. They shouldn’t under Trump” (California Forum, July 2): Perhaps writer John Berthelsen spends too much time in Hong Kong. Reporters are not actually in danger of being body-slammed for simply asking legitimate questions. The Montana politician in question was charged and punished. I suspect that the U.S. downgrade in the Reporters Without Borders freedom of the press index, has more to do with which party is in power than freedom. Everything White House has attempted to intimidate the media has backfired, giving desired attention to figures who few have heard of, while Stephen Colbert’s astonishingly vulgar anti-Trump rant on national TV got hardly even a tut-tut. Freedom of speech and the press is threatened by media gate-keepers like McClatchy, the TV networks, and Internet giants like Facebook, not the government.

Religious freedom

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that restricts freedom of religious expression to 16 hours per day, or from a government building. That many think so is our loss. Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Imagine our political history if some progressive had gotten a court order preventing him from speaking on the grounds that some people might find his Christian references offensive.

Weather patterns

Re “Climate change, quit messing with my vacation” (California Forum, Erika D. Smith, July 2): Erika Smith blames climate change on the low attendance of rafters and people on the American River this summer. My family has lived on the American River for over 50 years. We have observed rafters going down the river every summer. In the early 1960s, we used to water ski up the river. It was that deep and smooth. We have observed high water every decade since then. We have observed the river change course. This is not due climate change. The water is cold because it comes from the bottom of the reservoir. We have also observed the reduction in numbers of rafters ever since the ban on alcohol. Drownings occur in the American River every year and this is no different. As to the high temperatures, 56 years ago in June of 1961, during the same two weeks as this year, temperatures soared above 100 degrees for 14 days. This is not climate change, either. This is Sacramento’s weather pattern. The “climate” may be changing in the world, but it takes hundreds of years to determine a trend so comparing one season from one year to the following year is no indication of climate change. It is just a weather pattern.

Please tweet

Re “Hey, Twitter: Just delete Trump’s account” (Erika D. Smith, July 4): I totally disagree with Erika Smith’s column about taking away President Donald Trump’s Twitter account. I say let him continue his ridiculous tweets, for eventually he will twitter himself right out of the White House. His recent tweet showing him attacking a CNN reporter might be considered a threat. If one were to turn it around and depict the reporter attacking the president, it might be considered to be a Class E felony. The more Trump tweets, the more his true personality is revealed. Even his staunch supporters may finally see the light. So keep those tweets coming.

Intolerant left

We all know how Erika D. Smith feels about Donald Trump. She tells us in detail. So it’s no surprise that she would like Twitter to delete President Donald Trump’s account. I bet she would. My thought is that on the Fourth of July, it’s a good day to remember the Constitution, all of it, including the First Amendment, and the part about not “abridging the freedom of speech.” Lately the left seems more eager to shut down, or shout down, what it doesn’t agree with. This isn’t written to support whatever it is the Trump tweeted. A lot of what he says and does can be hard for a conservative to defend. But shutting down his account? Is censorship your best solution to the pain you feel from your exposure to whatever he’s written this time? Debating can get so contentious. Wouldn’t it be so much better if the other guy would just shut up? And if he won’t, wouldn’t it be good if we could just turn off his microphone?

Unfollow Trump

Erica D. Smith obviously dislikes what Donald Trump is tweeting, so she suggests he be banned from saying it. Does anyone not remember the saying about disagree with what you say, but defending to the death your right to say it? Is this not this what we want to aspire to? Ideas can encourage thought and discussion, even if you strongly disagree or reject them. While Trump’s thoughts are distasteful to her, he has the right to express them. Instead of banning the President’s Twitter account, why not stop reading them?

But we like her

Hey, Bee, Just delete Erika D. Smith’s columns.

 

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This story was originally published July 6, 2017 at 1:17 PM with the headline "The ‘No-Trump Zone,’ press freedom and Trump’s twitter account."