Letters to the Editor: Liberals are everywhere

Reading the long-awaited most recent BND letters to the editor column on 10 or 12 May, depending on your subscription, was loaded with anti-Grand Old Party sentiment.

Judy Neel was at her finest, calling Republicans everything but “deplorables.” She called out a litany of things that concerns the right: dangers of immigrants, Joe Biden’s mental acuity, inflation, and voter fraud as if they’re all big red fantasies. She was so right but didn’t even know it. Regular Americans know these issues are real and very concerning.

In regards to illegal immigrants, does the Chicago mayor need to fly a few plane loads of “newcomers” down to MidAmerica Airport to camp out there during the up-coming Democratic Convention in order to get Neel’s attention?

Left-leaning Gene Robke brought up what he opines is the inexcusably demonized Barack Obama. Not sure how a president running for an unprecedented fourth term in office can be characterized as assailed, maligned and stereotyped by the majority of the American people.

Finally, retired school teacher Ray Hollmann should know better than to use multiple ellipses when quoting Thomas Jefferson. Makes the reader wonder what’s missing that he doesn’t want them to know about. Hollmann wants voters to use good judgment and follow James Madison’s recommendation to elect “a person of virtue and wisdom” come November. Pray tell, who would that be, Ray? Don’t expect to see any saints on the ballot.

Bill Malec, O’Fallon

Interested in Tamari’s viewpoint

Regarding the BND’s May 12 report on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor Steve Tamari’s injury at an anti-Israel protest at Washington University, it saddens me to hear that anyone at my alma mater has been hurt.

However, in the course of his agonizing over the war, I am curious how often he turns his scholarly attention towards those he does not consider “his people.”

I would also like to know if he finds it at all surprising when Palestinian authors like Refaat Alareer, whom Tamari praised in a 2014 review of the short story collection “Gaza Writes Back,” start to do things like deny the distinction between military combatants and civilians (only for Jews though), call most Jews evil on social media, and apologize for the Oct. 7 attack?

Alareer’s “weapon of choice” seems to have extended a bit beyond the “keyboard and the internet” that Tamari talks about in his review. Surely Tamari disapproves of such evil, but I for one would love to hear what great writers he is reading currently.

Perhaps in a few years, they too will be openly advocating for terrorism. I’m just trying to stay ahead of the curve on this.

Caleb Bucshon, O’Fallon

Responsible use of taxpayer funds

In his April 26 newsletter, Rep. Mike Bost expressed that taxpayer dollars should be spent responsibly. I urge him to put that into practice by reconsidering his support of a bill that seems to be irresponsible spending of tax dollars.

The American Farmers Feed the World Act, HR4293 sounds good. It proposes to increase commodities purchased from U.S. farmers to feed hungry people around the globe as part of the Farm Bill. An analysis of HR4293 by international aid groups like Catholic Relief Services (CRS) shows this bill would accomplish the opposite – less people fed and fewer commodities purchased.

Currently, 86% of the Farm Bill’s Food for Peace program is used to send U.S. commodities to global emergencies. The other 14% is used to teach farmers in non-emergency situations to adapt and to grow their own food.

HR4293 changes how Food for Peace operates. It would require a larger portion of U.S. commodities to be shipped around the world. A large majority of the cost of this is for shipping. This actually leaves less money for buying commodities and would make self-sufficiency programs inoperable. Wasting taxpayer funds on shipping food to people who could learn to grow their own food is a misuse of taxpayer dollars.

CRS leaders in southern Illinois thank Rep. Bost’s staff for recently meeting with us to hear our analysis of why HR4293 wouldn’t do what It’s intended for. We encourage Rep. Bost to take an honest look at HR4293 and vote for responsible use of our taxpayer funds.

Marge Francois, Waterloo

Don’t fall for the con

Gene Robke, in a recent letter, wrote “White Christian Nationalism” is a religious movement. More importantly, it is also a political movement. Well-meaning Christians are being used by far-right propagandists to make them think their faith and way of life is being attacked by demonic forces (Democrats), and they must vote for Republican salvation. Using scare tactics on the faithful has worked many times in past history as the religious are very protective of their faith and are fairly easy to manipulate with such tactics. The faithful have been led to believe for a very long time that patriotism and religion are nearly the same, as long as that religion is Christianity. Anyone not melding Christianity and extreme patriotism together cannot therefore be truly American, which is totally un-American.

The purveyors of this propaganda wish to maintain and indeed grow their wealth and power through political means. Steering the faithful to the party that most greatly supports the wealthy and powerful, using Christian nationalism, is an obvious ploy.

They will tell you there is no need to be concerned about Christian nationalism. For the people pushing this perversion of patriotism and Christianity there is no concern. Those who ought to be concerned are those who value reproductive rights, those who understand that book banning is a bad thing, supporters of democracy, those who care about the truth, those opposed to violent extremism, those you support American values, and members of outgroups (LGBTQ+, non-Christians, non-believers, etc.).

Don’t fall for the con.

Paul Neff, O’Fallon

Attention, Republican women

This is for the educated Republican women who don’t want to vote for Joe Biden or Donald Trump but are concerned about immigration and the high cost of milk.

Immigration is Trump’s favorite issue, so he’s told Mike Johnson to not bring up a bi-partisan compromise bill in the house because it would pass. The bill lowers the wait time for deportation, makes it more difficult to claim asylum and includes other things Republicans said they wanted. The proliferation of guns is the reason for crime, not immigrants.

Our economy rebounded from the pandemic much faster than other nations. Unemployment is down, wages are up, and the stock market is at an all-time high. IRAs are thriving. Biden’s infrastructure bill is providing much needed improvements and good paying jobs; millions now have affordable health insurance with lower drug costs. Your children are now able to get a reduction on their college loans.

The backbone of Trump’s base are uneducated white males and right-wing evangelicals. The fringe include card-carrying Nazis and confederate flag worshippers who espouse racism.

Assuming you’re an educated woman and not an evangelical zealot, do you really want the government to decide how many children you have and what books you read? Do you really want laws enacted against the LGBTQ community?

A vote for Trump is approval for Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, and Kim Il Sung because he wishes to emulate them. Bite the bullet and vote for Biden. Get a better Republican candidate in 2028.

Judy Neel, Belleville

Support unpaid Illinois caregivers

Now more than ever, we need to invest our limited resources where our dollars have the biggest impact.

A solid return on investment in the Illinois state budget is ensuring older adults and individuals with disabilities live safely at home as long as possible through the dedication of family caregivers.

In Illinois, unpaid family caregivers contribute significantly to the economy, providing an estimated $17 billion worth of unpaid care annually, reducing the burden on our healthcare system and society.

By 2030, more than 25% of Illinoisans will be 60 years old and older. We have an opportunity to meet this moment assuring unpaid caregivers in Illinois are supported navigating the complexities of their caregiver journeys.

The Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition supports and advocates for family caregivers across the state by providing resources, education, and policy recommendations, aiming to enhance quality of life for both caregivers and loved ones they care for.

We applaud budget measures sponsored by State Representative Lisa Hernandez and State Senator Doris Turner providing a modest $6 million to help unpaid caregivers navigate the caregiver journey.

We support Illinois AARP and the aging network legislative efforts to create a Caregiver on-line portal to provide information and resources for caregivers when caring for loved ones facing health challenges.

We urge Governor J.B. Pritzker, his administration and state legislators to join the growing number of states with strong caregiver support so our hidden heroes - unpaid caregivers - can thrive.

Amy Brennan, Executive Director, Illinois Family Caregiver Coalition

Attack on America

Our government and the media portray an image of Israel as being our friendly ally and a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. History tells a different story. Israel is ruthless, brutal and deadly in their interactions with their neighbors and anyone who stands in their way.

On June 8, 1967, Israel intentionally attacked a U.S. Navy communications ship, USS Liberty, killing 34 crew members and wounding 171. It was a clear day, the ship was in international waters, clearly marked and an American flag was flying among the antennas. Israeli reconnaissance planes began flying over the ship for six hours. Israel’s intelligence is unmatched by any country. They knew exactly what that ship was. Then came their armor piercing rounds and napalm, killing nine crew members, followed by torpedo boats, with a torpedo directly into the communications room and killing 25 more.

The ship’s distress frequency was jammed. It was known only to the U.S. Navy and Israel, through shared intelligence. When a crew member was finally able to send out an SOS, Israel began apologizing and concocting a “mistake” cover story. The surviving crew members do not believe one word of it.

Israel believed the Liberty had intelligence about Israel’s massacre of Egyptian prisoners of war and their intention to attack the Golan Heights.

This war crime was covered up by the Johnson administration to preserve Israel’s image and appease Jewish voters.

Gene Robke, Carlyle