Letters to the editor: Elections, Russia investigation and Canada’s role in World War I

Thank you, Broward County

We should give the Broward County elections office some recognition. If the leadership there had not been so outrageously incompetent, they could have stuff the ballot box with tens of thousands of strategically marked ballots and nobody would have been the wider.

But because they are so hopelessly lost, they drew a great deal of attention to their delays, gross incompetence, fraud, cheating and breaking the law. You have to wonder how it could have gone on for so long with someone dealing with them.

Dan Crumpler

Bradenton

Trump’s move is unconstitutional

America is a nation ruled by law, not by men. We call ourselves a representative democracy because we elect legislators to write the laws and elect administrators to enforce them as written. Our elected officials pledge to enforce the law and “protect and defend” the Constitution. This is why I don’t understand what just happened at the Justice Department.



I am old enough to remember when President Nixon wanted to get rid of a special prosecutor who was investigating him. It was called “The Saturday Night Massacre” when Nixon fired the attorney general and several others in the prescribed line of succession before he found someone to get rid of special prosecutor, Archibald Cox. Unfortunately for him, another special prosecutor was quickly installed.



This time President Trump fired Attorney General Sessions and installed a man to take his place, who is not in the prescribed line of succession, Matthew Whitaker. Mr. Whitaker has never been confirmed by the Senate for any position in the DOJ and is a political lackey who has pledged his loyalty to the President.



Are we a nation ruled by law or by a despot? This move by President Trump is unconstitutional. It must be rescinded and the president must face consequences for his action.

James Frazier

Bradenton

Keep Russia probe independent

When Richard Nixon tried to shut down what was then called a special prosecutor’s investigation by firing his attorney general for refusal to fire the special prosecutor, Republicans in Congress recognized the threat to our republic and its Constitution.



Congress must ensure that the special counsel’s investigation is not impeded by the executive. This is a principle that is as true today as it was in Nixon’s day, and just as true now as it would have been if Bill Clinton had tried to interfere with Kenneth Starr. You have on a number of occasions broken with the president, and this has been part of your continuing support, and explains why your poll numbers have remained constant in the face of a significant national move toward the Democrats. If there ever will be a time for such independence, a president’s interference with an investigation into criminal foreign manipulation of our electoral process is it.



This is not about partisanship; it is about the very foundations of our system. I trust that in the event it becomes necessary you will recognize your patriotic duty, and find a way to articulate its necessity that will seem courageous and correct to your constituents of both parties, except for the die-hard percent.

Joe Lubow

Sarasota

Don’t forget Canada

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 8:35 AM.