Letters to the Editor

The Republican Dictionary is broken

Words matter. Words are important. They are how we communicate with one another verbally. Words have meanings. Everyone should have the same meanings for the same words. Dictionaries are helpful, and common usage is supplemental. But there may be a problem with the Republican Dictionary.

It’s a great dichotomy. Using word associations, a favorable word is empathy. But the GOP sees apathy. Examples could include, sympathy v. condescension, compassion v. coercion, kindness v. political correctness, inclusion v discrimination, education v. indoctrination, mentoring v grooming, encouragement v. insults, critical thinking v. criticism, enlightenment v. wokness, comprehension v. conspiracies, science v. doctrine, history v. histrionics, literature v. fables, data v. rigged fakes, evidence v. hoax, astronomy v. astrology, evolution v originalism, facts v. alternate facts, truth v. truthiness, rationality v. rationalization, interdependence v. hyperindividualism, reciprocity v. dominance, cooperation v. hierarchy, sanity v. inanity.

It’s therefore hard for reason and logic, fact v. fiction, cause and effect, adding 2+2, connecting the dots, common sense, common ground, finding the same page, discussion, debate, or looking for the Truth out there to counteract a vast assortment of forces: money, more money, emotion, fear, anger, anxiety, fanaticism, hysteria, myth, blind faith, falsehood, fallacy, filters, blinders, deafness, myopia, misogyny, chauvinism, nativism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, tribalism, prejudice, propaganda, stereotypes, soundbites, bumper stickers, bias, bigotry, racism, background, classism, corruption, irony, hypocrisy, historical revisionism, false equivalence, nonsequiturs, oxymorons, adhominems, repetition, indifference, frustration, grievance, resentment, denialism, despair, disgust, distraction, deflection, disinterest, distortion, disinformation, derision, division, dissension, divergence, deception, deceit, delusion.

Allen Brand

Bremen

When will two former Ohio GOP officials go to prison?

Householder and Borges have yet to be sentenced

In an article by Laura A. Bischoff USA TODAY NETWORK, it was reported that, ’Jurors found former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and ex-Ohio Republican chairman Matt Borges guilty’ earlier this month in a sweeping public corruption case, but the two men have yet to go to prison; which could be a 20-year sentence.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black, who will impose sentences, decided to allow them to be free until sentencing. Black is awaiting a pre-sentencing investigation report from court staff that will help him decide what punishment they should each receive. The investigation takes about three months.

How much prison time will they get?

Federal sentencing guidelines, criminal histories and the offense all go into the decision. The monetary value – $61 million in bribes − is also a factor. Since they went to trial, they won’t get points for accepting responsibility. Whether they each get the maximum will depend on their ultimate federal sentencing range and whether the judge deviates from it.

Do they have grounds for appeal?

Criminal appeals generally raise a battery of issues, such as evidentiary issues, pretrial issues which were preserved for appellate review and, if different counsel handles the appeal, ineffective assistance of counsel. Householder’s and Borges’ lawyers objected to the use of the Neil Clark tapes since the defendants couldn’t cross-examine him. Clark, who was charged as a coconspirator, died by suicide in March 2021. Householder’s legal team also accused the judge of bias against him.

Householder and Borges can ask that their prison sentences be delayed while they appeal their convictions. It’ll be up to Black to determine that issue.

These white-collar Republican felons, political operatives, seem to drag out the legal system with excessive privilege and lawyer salaries. These criminals use the resources that the ordinary citizen cannot fathom.

In this case, with $61 million in bribes involved by the GOP felons, they should be in jail during this time.

The law needs to teach a lesson.

Bob Muckensturm

Lancaster

Lancaster needs after-school options

Finding things for school-aged children and adolescents to do after school has been something that has been an ongoing struggle for Lancaster. Having an after-school drop-in center might benefit this need. Historically, we have had the West After School Center, which has helped fulfill some of this need in the past. The previous after-school center has since become Connexion West, which is a wonderful resource but has recreated the need again. This has caused students to stay home alone often due to rising costs of childcare and for teens to have nowhere to go other than roaming the streets. Finding a way to provide a prosocial environment that can also provide services such as after-school tutoring and counseling can help some kids that are struggling.

Taylor Bernard

Lancaster

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Letters to the Editor