Trump’s failed claims of election fraud: Letters

Re “Election memo was absurd and dangerous” (Sept. 26):

We are a nation currently in the throes of anger and acrimony. Jan. 6th will always be remembered. “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal dared ever to dream before” Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven. We have not truly grappled with the reality that on Jan. 6, our democracy was nearly decimated in two, again. Our divisions are currently too deep to emotionally comprehend the trauma induced. But history never forgets and always remembers. The indoctrination and believing of lies and propaganda fuel an amalgamation of fervor few understand. Usually, there aren’t divisions on a ship when heading into a storm… except, in America, we have two captains worrying more about control of the crew, than the storm. We were and are in “Peril.” Indeed, the events on Jan. 6 (plus the “election memo”) were “absurd and dangerous,” to say the least.

— Troy Chavez, Temecula

War in Afghanistan

Re “Milley: Afghan war was a ‘failure’” (Sept. 29):

In a perfect world, it would be obvious that any sane American would want all of our troops to return home from Afghanistan and be out of potential harm’s way. But we live in the real world, and that reality indicates very obviously that an American presence needed to remain in Afghanistan in order to prevent the fall (immediate or gradual, either is bad) of that government to Taliban terrorists, which would result in a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the United States. Instead of considering the situation realistically, and putting our nation’s best interests first, both former President Trump and President Biden instead wanted to be the one who could be admired and praised for bringing our men and women home and ending the bitterness of an endless conflict. That said, I doubt that Trump would have ordered an immediate withdrawal at the deadline, leaving behind hundreds if not thousands of American and pro-American personnel as well as billions of dollars of military equipment which can now be used against us. President Biden not only made a series of ill-advised, glory-hogging decisions that could threaten our nation, he has also claimed success where our failure is specifically defined and he apparently lied about the guidance he received from our top military experts. If that isn’t grounds for impeachment, nothing is.

— Bob Cunningham, Cherry Valley

Affordable housing and social services for homeless in state

Re “Billions for homelessness” (Sept. 30):

Gov. Newsom just signed a group of bills to “end homelessness”, but they are all aimed at promoting “affordable housing”, rather than providing social services to help the homeless get back into the mainstream of society. Without these services, most of the homeless (especially those that have been so for some time) are doomed to fail in a housing and work situation. In many cases they have forgotten how to interact with others in a normal work and social environment. It is way past time for all the government agencies at various levels turn their attention to these services. Without dedicated emphasis on them, all programs are doomed to fail.  Too many agencies are involved in this problem and too much time and money is spent in coordinating and planning rather than actually attacking the problems associated with homelessness. Involving private charity organizations that actually deal with homeless needs on a daily basis would provide valuable input to these “coordinated agencies” and might direct energy, emphasis and money to the root problems of mental health and disassociation from housed society.

— Hayden Lening,  Claremont

Call for letters

Readers are encouraged to send in letters with their views on issues in the Inland Empire and around the state, nation and world. Letters to the editor should be 150-200 words, and focused on the issues of the day.

Send your thoughts to opinion@scng.com.

— The editors.