President Trump’s deployment of federal agents to US cities must not be tolerated

Federal agents

President Trump’s re-election strategy to use unidentified armed federal agents to “bring order” to cities with Democratic leaders must be resisted, not only by “moms” in the streets but by all citizens.

Where are Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis? When did the Republican Party decide that Attorney General William Barr is entitled to his own private army when he doesn’t like people protesting in the streets?

The U.S. is suffering through a pandemic, but President Trump has decided that what we need is not fast-response testing, contact tracing, PPE, and safe schools, but unmarked cars, tear gas, and mysterious “police.”

All elected officials and citizens should make clear — today and loudly — that the United States is a country of the people, by the people and for the people, and that using the peoples’ government for self-serving, authoritarian tantrums will be not tolerated.

Margaret Avery, Raleigh

Law and order

It’s curious that some who were outraged about George Floyd don’t seem to be as concerned about the gang and drug related shootings happening every weekend in our cities. Hundreds are shot and killed annually. Where is the outrage over these shootings? Where are the mobs of protesters?

We need to confront the real issues in our communities: the gangs, drugs, guns, and the violence.

We need to bring law and order back to our country. We need to let the police and our justice system do their jobs. We need to work together to keep our communities safe.

Barbara Fries, Raleigh

Portland hypocrisy

Recently, the Trump administration railed against Beijing and President Xi for cracking down on protesters and free speech in Hong Kong. They subsequently removed free trade status from the territory in response. And then there was Portland.

Dr. Michael Dunne, Whispering Pines

DPS and Suboxone

Last weekend, the N.C. Department of Public Safety caused a minor uproar by tweeting a photograph of seized “contraband”: the prescription medication Suboxone.

Suboxone is a highly effective treatment for opioid use disorder. It has cut the death rate among people with opioid use disorder in half.

Yet, DPS denies this gold standard of care to all inmates, even though states like New York and Rhode Island demonstrate how safely and easily it can be provided in correctional settings.

According to DHHS, recently incarcerated people are 25 times more likely to overdose. Suboxone prevents overdose so effectively that the CDC has endorsed the use of medications like Suboxone in prisons as one of the very best strategies for overdose prevention.

DPS’s refusal to provide life-saving treatment to prisoners is cruel. We need our legislators to mandate access to life-saving addiction medications in our prisons. We can’t end the opioid overdose epidemic otherwise.

Jennifer Carroll, Durham

Tillis’ message

In remarks July 10 during the N.C. Republican Party’s virtual convention, Sen. Thom Tillis claimed the GOP will win in November because: “The stakes are very high this election, but you know why I know we’re going to win?” Because people remember how good their lives were back in February.” Yes, that’s right. Ignore the disastrous mismanagement, lies and incompetence of the party in power. Imagine it’s February when President Trump disappeared to play golf and hold rallies, and vote for those that put this country is this historical mess. That is Tillis’ campaign message.

Dennis Hawley, Weaverville

GOP acceptance

Regarding “The growing, grudging Republican acceptance of COVID-19,” (July 19 Editorial):

It is good that Republican leaders are finally seeing the light about COVID-19 and taking long overdue precautions: enforcing mask wearing and limiting gatherings.

The president is still opposed to scientific facts and thinks it resembles the common flu, and cases have risen dangerously.

I, too, am glad more leaders are bowing to the reality of this pandemic and attempting to flatten the curve, regardless of the economic distress it causes.

Norman Singer, Cary

Wearing masks

Perhaps all Christians and Jews need to review Genesis, Chapter 4. We are our brother’s keeper. We should not do anything that might lead to the death of another of God’s people. Wear a mask when you are in public. It should a religious issue for many of us, not a political issue.

Bob Williams, Fuquay-Varina

Changing minds

I wonder if those who initially listened to the COVID-19 nonexperts have now considered that the nonexperts on global warming might also be wrong in their analyses.

Glenn Woodlief, Oxford