Monday's letters: Republicans attempt the 'She did it, too' defense

In court, two wrongs don’t make a right

It was not surprising that when former President Donald Trump was indicted last week on charges that he illegally handled classified government documents, many high-ranking Republicans flocked to his defense.

What was particularly surprising was that few, if any, of them said he was actually not guilty of any of the 37 federal charges lodged against him. Instead, most just said “But, look at Hillary Clinton” or “But, look at Hunter Biden or Mike Pence,” as if the fact that they might be guilty of the same crimes would somehow absolve Trump of any crimes he may have committed.

More: How to send a letter to the editor

Unfortunately, like the old saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” our justice system dictates that each of these potential crimes should be prosecuted independently based on their own merits.

Arnold Factor, Sarasota

Think before forming political opinions

The American public is an uneducated populace, not civically involved, and dependent on Fox News, MSNBC or social media for information we take as gospel.

We don’t look at writings by experts in the field or analyze various sources and use common sense to formulate our opinions. In other words, we are not critical thinkers.

We are not well versed on issues, yet we have strong opinions. Our nation is divided, democracy is at stake and political leaders, to stay in power, continue to fuel the fire with rhetoric and convolute issues to mislead the public and further divide the nation.

Related story: What happened at Trump's arraignment

Allowing cameras in the upcoming court proceedings of Donald Trump would allow the public to see and hear evidence collected and get clarification afforded by a judge, who will maintain decorum.

Doing this in the open, in the sunshine, would diminish the effect of the rhetoric used by politicians who continue to take advantage of the uneducated populace for personal gain.

We may then take what we saw and heard, listen to Fox News and MSNBC, and read social media, analyze it all and use common sense to formulate opinions. Hence, critical thinking in its most simplistic form.

WJ Roberson II, Sarasota

Taking documents a stupid move

With all the commotion about Donald Trump and whether or not he should be tried for allegedly breaking federal laws and endangering our national security, why is no one focused on how it was blindingly stupid of him to take all those classified documents from Washington and store them in his bathroom in Florida?

What did he expect to do with them?

George Lavigne, Sarasota

Vote out Biden, useless members of Congress

America, in its headlong rush to rid itself of Donald Trump and all things Trump, has lurched so far to the left we are lying in a ditch.

We begin with President Joe Biden, who has been feeding at the public trough for 50 years but contributed nothing to make America better.

Moving on to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, who is clearly impaired from a stroke. His biggest champion is his wife, who wants that seat and will call the shots until she’s electable.

Then we have U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is clearly past her time.

We move on to U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, who aspires to Feinstein’s seat, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, who was accused of a sexual relationship with a Chinese spy.

Ask yourself: Has any of these politicians ever done a real day’s work or signed the front of a paycheck?

It’s time to vote them out of office.

The words of President John F. Kennedy ring in my ears: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Robert Rosenbluth, Sarasota

End division, unite for common good

What’s wrong with America? The only thing wrong is that political-party identification has put people at each others’ throats.

Instead, ask “What can I do to improve things?” as they do in Laurel, Mississippi, Waco, Texas, and Reading, Pennsylvania. These cities have risen from serious decline to become some of the best places to live in the country.

In both Laurel and Waco, a husband-and-wife team saw the benefit of renovating low-cost housing. Waco is now a tourist attraction and Laurel has people relocating from New York City.

Reading created artist studios in the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, a former eyeglass and goggles factory.

U.S. News ranked Reading No. 10 on its list of Best Places to Retire in the U.S. in 2022-23.

Maybe we should put aside party, roll up our sleeves and fix what needs to be fixed. Instead of endlessly talking, we should work together rebuilding our decaying roads, bridges and housing stock.

Sarasota probably has many bright people with service experience capable of still serving if simply asked. Let’s ask!

The Herald-Tribune could start it off by simply listing Sarasota volunteer opportunities.

Thomas L. Moses, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: GOP leaders come up with childlike defense for Trump