LETTERS: Supreme Court blockade subverts democracy

President Barack Obama followed the Constitution by putting forth a Supreme Court nominee to replace Antonin Scalia (“Obama nominates justice,” Thursday Review-Journal). Shortly thereafter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reinforced his intransigent stand that the Republican-controlled Senate would not meet with that nominee, Merrick Garland.

If President Obama had selected Santa Claus as the Supreme Court nominee, Sen. McConnell and his Republican comrades would have balked. That’s how extreme and obstructionist the GOP has become.

So the question is, has the government become a dictatorship ruled by a few hundred unwieldy Republican politicians, or is America still a democracy working for its 310 million citizens? This latest action is so outrageous and such an in-your-face subversive activity by Republicans. Americans ignore it at their own risk.

Ron Lowe

Nevada City, Calif.

Liking Donald Trump

Regarding the letter from Dianne Cannis (“Trump criticism,” March 8 Review-Journal), I finally found a person who likes and respects Donald Trump. There is too much criticism of Mr. Trump, plus all the silly editorial cartoons in the RJ.

Does anyone like Mr. Trump at all, or does the RJ only publish letters from those who oppose him? If Mr. Trump doesn’t win big in the Republican primary, I’m thinking about not voting at all in November.

I could skip over all the negative letters, cartoons and John L. Smith columns. But hasn’t the RJ received at least one positive letter regarding Mr. Trump’s campaign?

Thanks to Ms. Cannis’ letter, now I know there are at least two voters who favor Mr. Trump. I love him, win or lose.

Barbara Morales

Las Vegas

Mourning a soldier

As I was passing a mortuary recently, I noticed a young Marine coming out. He had been there attending the funeral of another Marine who had passed away. I felt a loss, even though I did not know this young soldier. I felt an emptiness that cannot be filled with hollow words from politicians.

We’ve all heard the words, through various media, that what our military is doing is for the safety of the nation. Yet our government and those in command continually bind the hands of our soldiers. Our soldiers are placed in harm’s way, with not enough means to protect themselves. Soldiers are given foolish rules to be followed, but only by our personnel. The enemy is not bound by these same constraints.

As a result, we see and hear all too often of a family that must reconcile themselves to the loss of a loved one. But it isn’t just the family; the whole nation, we the people, also must adjust. We have become cold, callous and indifferent to these losses. They are no longer people. We tune it out, we no longer care, as their loss means little or nothing to us on a personal level — until it becomes someone we know, someone we loved, someone we had in our lives.

A soldier was buried that day, one who didn’t ask to be a hero and in fact probably didn’t join the military for that reason. I will never know that soldier’s name. But I will feel the loss.

Paul Butler

Las Vegas