Stern embodied civic virtue. You?

As you cruise into retirement to wallow in hedonism, I want to thank you for embodying Civic Virtue in our hometown La Conner Weekly News. You dared to share with your readers what 70 of the top one hundred newspapers in circulation did not, endorse a presidential candidate. And you were in good company as those papers who did not kowtow to their billionaire or hedge fund owners, 28 endorsed Harris while two endorsed Trump. Those who didn’t do their civic duty their reasons were “growing polarization and fears of political retribution”(Axios, 11/5/2024). They forgot Thomas Jefferson’s warning that “a democratic society depends upon an informed and educated citizenry”.

I would rather hear the opinions of those who serve to educate as the “first witness to history” than celebrities, memes or Russian bots. Since most editors know the etymology of the word history is from the Greek verb historein, or one who seeks wisdom through active inquiry, when they seek the truth they are not “enemies of the state” as fascists would have us believe, but are doing their duty as responsible citizens.

Unfortunately, many Americans have a historical memory of a fruit fly as they are distracted by each shining spinning object they encounter. How many Americans knew that the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey of over 500 presidential scholars of the American Political Science Association voted Trump as the worst president in U.S. history (UPI, 2/19/2024)? However, he did come in first as “the most polarizing president” (https://presidentialgreatnessproject.com). Does MAGA stand for Make America Grate Again?

As president Trump was #1 in our nation’s history in many categories – only president to be impeached twice, #1 in violent coup attempts to stop the peaceful transition of power, #1 in cabinet resignations due to corruption and ethics charges and more Americans died from COVID-19 than any other wealthy nation. 

Thanks for your article on “Local cow herds free of bird flu” (Nov. 27) which helped to remind folks about cause and effect. The 1918 influenza virus that killed more than 20 million people worldwide may have been from North American domestic birds. With more than 100 million birds either dead or killed since the latest bird flu outbreak in 2022, folks who complain about the price of eggs never learned capitalism’s golden rule: When supply drops, prices increase.

As Trump rolls out his cabinet clown car running on empty of empathy filled with sycophants, grifters, haters and billionaire oligarchs, America needs a homework assignment. Can you remember what E Pluribus Unum means, name the six goals of the preamble of the Constitution (I think when you do #5 you get #1), read Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address (“The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions” – ed.), know the 1923 National Flag Code – hint: they are not Tibetan prayer flags, or are familiar with our Founding Fathers views about the importance of Civic Virtue as the soul of democracy?

Does Trump know what execute means in the Oath of Office?

Thank you again for your service to the community!

Eric Grant

Shelter Bay