Letters to the Editor: Our climate in 'good' hands, take back our flags and pray without ceasing

EDITOR'S NOTE: The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not of Ottawa News Network.

Don’t lose heart

The Heartland Institute’s 16th International Conference on Climate Change was held in Washington, D.C., recently. 

The mood was triumphant. Finally, after years of misguided public ignorance, the truth is out: Rising levels of atmospheric CO2 are inconsequential. 

As proof of concept, attendees highlight “... the role carbon dioxide plays in promoting plant growth …” This, of course, is about as relevant as asserting that plants need water and therefore respond well to flooding. 

Ragweed, by the way, does thrive with more CO2. So perhaps we should count our blessings. Sales of antihistamines and MERV-13 air filters will go way up. That’s good for the economy.

Lee Zeldin, EPA director, was the event’s keynote speaker. He leveraged the prestige of his office to give credence to Heartland’s rejection of “mainstream climate science" and what it calls "climate alarmism." Nobody is going to be abused by political preference masquerading as science anymore.  

The lyrics of Lerner and Loewe’s musical Camelot chimed in my memory when reading about the conference: “The crown has made it clear; the climate must be perfect all the year.”

If only we could pass a law that makes the Earth perform just as we please. Yes, that would be great. Let’s call it the Zeldin rule.  

Camelot doesn’t end well for King Arthur: Bitter betrayal. Massive battlefield losses. The Round Table brotherhood destroyed. His trophy wife lost. That the young boy Tom still believes preserves a glimmer of hope. 

The full trajectory of the changing climate is yet to be determined. There is still time to respond. NASA scientist James Hansen’s 1988 congressional testimony is still valid: "It is time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence is pretty strong that the greenhouse effect is here."

The evidence is even stronger today. Zeldin was only 8 years old when Hansen was speaking; maybe he missed the message. 

Peter Boogaart
Zeeland

Taking back our flags

As we drive around Ottawa County and elsewhere in Michigan, we see a number of flags posted by Trump’s MAGA-GOP supporters. We see our sacred flag desecrated by overlaying it with Trump’s face, blue stripes, etc. The Supreme Court has protected symbolic desecration as protected free speech. 

These desecrated flags are now a symbol of support for our current MAGA-GOP drive to establish an autocratic democracy where all political power would be controlled by America’s first king or dictator, his family and the wealthy oligarchs. 

Over the past 10 months, a growing number of American patriots have been turning out for No Kings Day protests and are often harassed by radical MAGA-GOPers driving by with flags stuck in the “rack pockets” of their pickups.

Often, one of the flags they use is the Gadsden Flag.

The adoption of this flag by the MAGA-GOPers reflects their inattention during their middle and high school history classes. 

This flag was one of the first flags of the American Revolutionary Navy and Marines. It is one of the original “No Kings” protest flags! 

Seeing MAGA-GOPers, who are supporting Trump’s unconstitutional actions and his attempt to establish himself as the first king of America, is personally offensive. 

Many of us are planning to take part in the next No Kings action (no specific date has been set yet), and should secure one of the Gadsden flags to carry and wave as we protest the MAGA-GOP’s support of Donald Trump’s drive to secure total control of our government. 

Kenneth Kolk
Zeeland

Pray without ceasing

“Pray without ceasing,” the biblical words of I Thessalonians 5:17, is a plea for Americans reeling from the chaos, corruption and cruelty of Donald J. Trump. 

A sociopath void of integrity and ethics, Trump has lawlessly exerted his power from the White House in executive orders, postings on Truth Social, rants and raves of revenge to destroy thousands of public service departments and jobs, ruin careers, reputations and livelihoods.

His racism has exalted bigotry and discrimination against minorities, women and immigrants. Barbaric acts by ICE to cage immigrants without due process have led to sub-standard warehouse prisons and camps, displacing 68,000 immigrants in February, and some deaths. 

Trump’s defiance of laws, justice and human decency has led him to unilaterally rule the world, alienating once democratic friends in NATO and forging alliances with dictatorial adversaries. Wars are “excursions” for Trump, and he sheds no tears for any loss of life: American troops or soldiers and civilians in foreign lands.

I have trouble sleeping at night, wondering why the federal government is spending millions of taxpayer dollars to hurt people rather than help people?  

“Pray without ceasing.” Pray that more Americans will open their eyes and oppose evil. Pray for human decency, kindness, the rule of law and justice. 

Jo Bird
Holland

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