Editor:

 My name is Michael Hanna. I am a white, upper-middle-class male who attends a small Catholic liberal arts college in New England. Trump's election does not threaten my freedom. It does not instill any fear in me. We are Americans. The pendulum of political power will swing back towards the Democratic Party, and we must stand firm, have faith in our democracy, and maintain our principled belief in liberalism. We are still the party of Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, and Obama. 

However, I fear for the undocumented immigrants who are the backbone of our workforce. They came here to escape oppression and to live out their American dream, which we are so proud of, yet now they must once again live in fear. My fear is for my gay friends, who now worry that they will never be able to love or marry their person openly. My fear is for small businesses like my father’s, who will struggle to compete with large corporations who can afford to pay the 25 percent tariffs on imported goods, and my fear is for the consumer who can’t afford basic goods because their cost has increased by 25 percent. I fear for children in schools who have to walk the halls at risk of dying in a tragic school shooting because of the lack of gun safety laws. I fear for future mothers who now worry that if their fetus becomes non-viable or their pregnancy threatens their own life, they might not have access to abortion. Maternal mortality rates increased 11 percent nationwide after the overturning of Roe and 56 percent in Texas after the implementation of stricter abortion laws. 

So, do I fear a Trump presidency? Absolutely not, because I believe in our democracy, but because the great commandment that Christ gave us was to love our neighbor, and I am horrified for mine.

Michael Hanna
Brewster

Editor:

Our names are Quinnie and Charlotte Waldo (ages 6 and 5) and we live in Chatham in the summer. We have seen people pick up horseshoe crabs by their tails and we know it is not safe for them. Can you please put up signs at the beach telling people how to properly pick up horseshoe crabs? Thank you!

Quinnie and Charlotte Waldo
Winchester

Editor:

Veterans who have served our country in the U.S. military, U.S. Coast Guard or National Guard, whether it be for a brief time or a full 20-plus year career; active duty or reserves shared one thing in common. Each of you raised their right hand and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, our country, and its people. Many sacrifices were made to fulfill this oath including time away from families, for some physical injuries both minor and debilitating as well as PTSD and at certain times in our nation’s history unfortunately a total disdain for the uniform that was worn. Yet if you asked most any veteran, would they raise their right hand and do it all over again, a resounding yes would be the majority response.

Today many of our veterans are older and aging and have sought to live out their post-military service with continued honor and dignity. The occasional “Thank you for your service” if one is recognizable as a veteran in our communities is an often-treasured encounter. For some of our veterans, their time post-military service has been a lifelong struggle because of the invisible wounds of their service. For others they may be seeking assistance for the first time.

Veterans tend to be a proud lot and very rarely reach out for help for themselves, but would go to the mat for a brother or sister veteran who is in need. This is where family, friends and fellow veterans need to encourage that veteran in need to seek help or reach out and advocate for them. Many of my conversations with veterans in need start out with “There are many worse off than I, please go take care of them.” A few minutes of shipmate-to-shipmate or fellow soldier-to-soldier conversation generally turns the tide into a willingness to accept help from fellow veterans.

To my many brothers and sisters who served this nation, please know that service has made a difference. Although none of us were seeking the title of veteran when we enlisted or were commissioned into the service, it's ultimately who we are today. President Ronald Reagan spoke these words: "Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us."

For our veterans in need, please know there are many governmental and non-profit organizations that seek to respond to need and will help you. My fellow veterans, “Thank you for your service.”

Jim Seymour, executive director
Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center 

Editor:

I cannot imagine a more arrogant (and counterproductive) sentence than your presidential endorsement: “We reject hate and divisiveness and support inclusiveness and respect and therefore endorse Kamala Harris for the nation’s highest office.”

Was the sentence an attempt at irony? It certainly seems divisive and hateful to me, especially since you are endorsing the candidate of a party immersed in identity politics.

I suggest you try to persuade people to your way of thinking by facts, not by attacking their character.

Frank R. Duesel
Brewster

Editor:

Last Wednesday, Nov. 6, I sat in my car at the Chatham lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic. I was drinking coffee and trying to understand what just happened, wondering what went wrong. Later, I came across a quote by Vladimir Lenin, the founder of Soviet Russia. "There are no morals in politics; there is only expedience." Suddenly, it all became clear.

Edward Fried 
West Chatham

Editor:

Donald Trump had a plan and skillfully executed it flawlessly. Hallelujah!

Every time I saw pictures of him and Kamala side by side, it bothered me immensely because she was not even in his league. As an old Navy veteran, I greatly admired the American people. I used to hitchhike from Norfolk, Va., to Danbury, Conn., and always got a ride and offered lunch. But in my later years, I wondered what had happened to those I had admired all those years. With the results of this election, I’m convinced they are back bigger and stronger than I could have managed. 

James Coyle
Harwich

Editor:

The voters have spoken loudly and clearly with the overwhelming passage of Question 1 that they want an audit of our legislature, known as the most nontransparent in the country. While the legislative leaders, Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka, have been vocal in their opposition to such an audit and may be expected to continue to attempt to avoid it, they should not be permitted to do so.

As citizens and taxpayers we are entitled to know how laws are considered and passed or not and how our taxes are being spent. Why, for example, do so many important bills pass or fail during the night of the last day of the session? Why do all 40 of the senators and 109 of the 160 representatives receive leadership stipends when many are chairs or vice chairs of committees which did not meet once during the last two-year session? Why is the selection of these "leaders" solely the province of the two legislative leaders?

How are goods and services necessary to the legislature's operation procured, by competitive bidding or from favored vendors? What portion of our taxes, or for that matter political contributions, is used for personal expenses and entertainment totally without relevance to the lawmaking process? While arguably not subject to review, the use of donations may be an enlightening byproduct of an audit.

We have approved the proposed audit. May it proceed promptly and without interference!

Ralph W. Smith 
Harwich Port