Letters: Nov. 2, 2023

Pat Boone is out of his white bread mind

In answer to Pat Boone who claims that Democrats are aiming to radically cut Medicare advantages plans, and many of the other far right myths being used to radicalize the public, read this: https://rollcall.com/2023/02/22/insurers-republicans-square-off-with-biden-on-medicare-cuts/

A quote: "The insurance industry and Republicans are using the debt ceiling fight and President Biden’s vows not to cut Medicare to fend off changes to private Medicare Advantage plans, which are popular among the public but have faced criticism about their costs to the government."https://www.axios.com/2023/03/03/republicans-medicare-advantage-cut-biden

Context:"Medicare Advantage is a private health insurance alternative to Medicare and often offers extra benefits such as dental and vision coverage."" Claims that this administration is cutting benefits or increasing premiums are calculated misscharacterizations," the spokesperson said. "Our proposals will ensure stability for people who choose Medicare Advantage."Any proposed cuts are intended to take back substantial over payments and make the plans better able to serve the public, So this time Repubs are not trying to cut Medicare, instead they are using political sleight of hand to downplay Democrats intentions to make the fund more solvent and efficient, and they are pointing out such changes to say that democrats want to slash payments! 

So with an unexpected solid 180  degree strategic turn, Republicans have decided to portray Dems as liars, by stoking fears about (them) cutting benefits. Before deciding if Trumpers are telling the truth, look at their real record--refusing to even visit a truthful discourse, and lie with the billions that their political ads cost!

Two other distortions used by Repubs to villainize Democrats i.e. that Biden's "promotion" of LGBT "sex change surgeries are just ways to sterilize children because parents want to harm their children? And that, Sex change operations are just granted to say, let a child see how fun it would be to be of the opposite sex? Instead, they are compassionate procedures used to match their child's minds to their bodies. And now that Newsom has agreed to require parents' consent, what is left is a very loving and brave transformation  instead of decades of self hate, hopelessness and despair.  

This and all culture wars have been manufactured by Republican propaganda masters, for one reason--to vilify democrats as evil and uncaring, and thus enable more bizarre conspiracy theories to gain complete control of our government while misstating the first amendment in ignorant ways.

Peter Johnson, Superior Wisconsin  

Genocide in Palestine  

Israel is openly committing genocide in Palestine. It's been doing so for 75 years-stealing from and killing Palestinians. I have worked in Palestine on 4 separate occasions and I have seen first-hand the crimes of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. Israel is truly a terrorist state. There are so many Palestinians in Israeli jails-political prisoners. We can easily see these crimes occurring now with the killing of 8000 (and counting) of people in mostly Gaza using American weapons that Biden and the Senate and the House are quite willing to send. America is committing the genocide along with their Zionist pals using our (my) tax money for these horrendous crimes-keeping the Palestinians prisoners in their own land.    The Democrats and the Republicans are both guilty of these terrible crimes against humanity. It is time for Minnesota Senators and Representatives and those from all the states to stand up and stop these criminal acts. If it were up to me anyone participating in these crimes should be impeached and jailed and that includes most of those in Washington.   

Resistance to these crimes is not terrorism, a word the press uses against the Palestinians but not against the real terrorist-Israel and the US government.    The media keeps us in the dark and would have us believe that the Palestinians are to blame. But there is media that can be trusted such as the Jewish Voice for Peace to understand what the US government does not want you to understand.  

Peace is the most important thing in the world.  

Steve Johnson, Ely, Minnesota