UNC ‘hypocritical’ in accepting Pope Foundation donation

I recently received a letter from UNC-Chapel Hill soliciting a donation. While I cherish my time at UNC and attribute my education there to my success, I cannot provide a donation at this time.

UNC recently posted an announcement regarding a $10 million donation from the Pope Foundation. Art Pope is a major influencer and donor to the Republican Party in North Carolina, the same party that cut $60 million from the UNC budget in 2009 as soon as they gained control of the government.

Art Pope also has worked as a budget director under Gov. Pat McCrory, who oversaw further damage to North Carolina public schools, such as capping teacher salaries, so that North Carolina is now one of the worst states in the country for teacher pay. UNC is hypocritical is taking money from the very hand that essentially took six times that amount from the school 10 years ago.

I cannot in good conscience give money to a fund that lets ultra-wealthy conservative donors buy influence with millions of dollars and then has the gall to ask me for more. Until UNC stops accepting money from Art Pope, it won’t see another cent from me.

Worth it?

I have German heritage and ancestry. Among other values, I was taught loyalty and respect for authority. When I hear reference to the Holocaust, Hitler, or Nazis, I ask myself what I would have done if I had lived in Germany at that time.

My honest disappointing assessment is that, even though I didn’t like it, I would have turned my back, gone along, been silent. I wouldn’t have gotten involved; I had too much to lose by speaking up.

So I understand the silence of many Republicans in the face of the attacks on our democracy and its institutions by the leadership of the Republican Party and the president. In the short term, Republicans have much to lose by standing up against the party and president that have been successful in implementing conservative policies.

Please give this question some thought: Will those gains be worth the loss some of the fundamental values on which our country was built – freedom of speech, press and religion; equal justice regardless of race, position or bank account; and an independent judiciary, among others?

Stop Kavanaugh

Regarding “Democrats ramp up attacks on Kavanaugh’s honesty after hearings” (Sept. 11): Judge Kavanaugh has lied; he must not be elevated to the Supreme Court. During his confirmation hearing, documents became public showing that he lied to Congress about his role in the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program and about his possession of documents that were stolen from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

He also lied, or at best twisted, the discussion of his involvement in preparing prior judicial candidates. He lied in his first confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship and he did so again in this hearing .

Truth is the bedrock of our legal system. Witnesses swear an oath to tell the truth both in court and in Congress. And perjury is a crime at every level. How could anyone take that oath seriously if we reward someone for perjury by elevating them to the highest court in the land?

Jurists, whatever their stance on Roe v. Wade or on originalism, must all agree on fidelity to the facts. There are sound conservative lawyers who can tell the truth. Judge Kavanaugh is not one of them.

Talking about impeachment

The premise of “Why Won’t Democrats Talk About Impeaching Donald Trump?” (Aug. 30) is that impeachment talk now would make voters less likely to vote for Democratic candidates for Congress on November 6.

However, impeachment is all about accountability at the top, the “sleeper” issue of this election. The prospect of restraining a rogue president, through a range of Congressional investigations, will motivate Democratic and independent voters to turn out and elect a new majority in the House.

To be named an unindicted co-conspirator in obstructing justice, under Section 1503 of Title 18, United States Code, the president would just have to be found by “any threatening letter or communication” to have endeavored to “influence, intimidate or impede” the Special Counsel. Is there any doubt?

But impeachment does not necessarily translate into removing President Trump from office before 2020. The House determines the “high crimes” for which to indict the president, but it will require two-thirds of a closely divided Senate to vote that he must be removed from office.