Stupid former guy Trump is a Russian asset. Calling Putin "smart" is treason.

This series of opinion letters sent to the Register Guard's editor express the depth of grief, anger and anti Putin sentiment from readers in the Eugene area of Oregon: 

The Former Guy is bought and paid for with useless Russian junk currency.

Praising the war criminal Vladimir Putin is treason!

Reading that #TFG Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “genius” for his “savvy” moves in Ukraine raises profound questions. Is that kind of praise coming from a past and future wannabe president of the United States in the midst of a globally significant crisis tantamount to treason?

Shouldn’t we be more outraged that a foreign leader, in particular, a ruthless, totalitarian oligarch like Putin, is freely playing into our political divide? Surely, Putin is testing our resolve as we are his. Surely, he sees NATO’s expansion along his borders as a threat, as we do his Russian troops invasion into Ukraine. 

From Jack Cooper, Eugene

A more fitting comparison:  Putin has compared NATO’s eastward expansion to Germany’s invasion of the USSR during World War II. A more apt comparison would be his invasion of Ukraine to “protect” Russians in the Donbas with Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia to “protect” Germans in the Sudetenland.

Hitler’s Rise to Power Explains Why Republicans Accept Donald Trump- The Intelligencer

From Lawrence N. Crumb, Eugene

A depraved fan: It takes a depraved person to order the brutal invasion of Ukraine, which has already caused the loss of lives, massive destruction, economic devastation and untold suffering. 

That special depraved person is Vladimir Putin. And it takes another special depraved person to describe Putin's actions as "savvy," "smart" and the product of "genius." That special depraved person is The Former Guy "Donald Trump".

Trump's repetitive idolization of Putin and Russia is an insult to all who believe in the rule of law and democracy. The United States has been, and always will be, a force for democracy and a foe of totalitarian rule.

Be it Russia, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and elsewhere, Trump will predictably favor totalitarian rule.

From David Jensen, Walterville, Oregon

Like Hitler, Trump is a radical, authoritarian figure who lies outside the normal parameters of his country’s conservative governing class.

War crimes

The attack and invasion of Ukraine is genocide, and the U.N. needs to begin war-criminal proceedings immediately against Putin. Innocent civilians are being targeted and lives lost due to a mad dictator. Please, citizens of the world, do all we can to help and support the beautiful people of Ukraine. 

From Cindee Robertson, Eugene

A tale of two mandates: Ukraine mandates all males age 18 to 60 remain in Ukraine, take a Kalashnikov into their hands to protect others and defend their right to be free from Russia. Hope: a free country. Risk to them: death.

From Larry Hirons, Eugene

Ukrainians deserve all our support

I've not been this upset on a political event for decades. Right-wing news asks, "Why is Russia the problem?” Freedom is OK, but not if it raises my gas prices. This mentality at World War II would have Europe speaking German and the Pacific nations (and Hawaii) speaking Japanese.

What I view as “American values” — proud of flying the flag, a threat to democracy anywhere needs to be challenged, people over politics are being eroded. A group not connected to the conflict, but close to home for many, feeling these events is the Afghanistan War vets. Twenty years, lost friends and family, and when we left, did Afghans fight for their country? No!

Did the cowardly President Ashraf Ghanirun away? Yes! 

In Afghanistan, billions of dollars were spent, and thousands of lives were lost or ruined. Do you feel it was worth your service for a country that lacks the courage to fight for your values? You were duped into believing that your service, as was mine in Vietnam, was moral and a cause worth dying for.

The Ukrainians deserve all the support we can offer.

From Dan French, Eugene

Republicans must support and care for the human condition

When the right is wrong!  Echo opinion letter published in the The Register-Guard newspaper, in Eugene, Oregon:

President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, Sen. Majority Leader Schumer and The Register-Guard recounted last year’s violent insurrection on Jan. 6. Trump followers have been lied to and brainwashed to shun masks and vaccinations. People infected with omicron will infect, on average, three to five others.

But since Democrats are better at masking and vaccinations, infected Republicans probably infect 10 others, mostly Republicans. They are responsible for most of the 1,200 daily deaths. Republicans are already terrified because demographic changes steer most of the young, the minorities and the rational to the Democrats. Now denialism is decimating the GOP.

No wonder they want to overthrow democracy and install a totalitarian dictator. Republicans should support universal health care since they are the ones getting sick with $40,000 bills and long-haul symptoms. They should support free education for doctors and nurses since the red states and rural areas are the ones with few medical experts. They should support free contraceptives since that is the best way to reduce abortions. They should fight climate change since red states suffer the most damage. The right has been wrong about almost everything, especially the 2020, election which all evidence suggests was the least fraudulent in history.

From Jerry Brule, Eugene

The Former Guy surrendered to the Taliban! Now we must welcome Afghan refugees

Welcome the refugees from Afghanistan!

This opinion echo letter was published in the Eugene, Oregon, Register-Guard newspaper.  

Also, check this link here to the Rotary International District 7780 newsletter, where Rotarians are called upon to help receive the Afghan refugees.

Rotary service opportunity to collaborate with Catholic Charities of Maine to assist with the resettlement of Afghan refugees.

Wrong! Marc Thiessen wrote that Joe Biden surrendered to the enemies who attacked us on 9/11!  But! Hello? Fourteen of the September 11, now dead terrorists, carried Saudi Arabian passports!

Thiessen obviously forgot that Saudi Arabian nationals, and not the Taliban attacked us on 9/11?

The Trump administration negotiated the exit directly with the Taliban, ignoring the Afghan government and planning a much earlier withdrawal. Trump praised the Taliban, and his administration worked to slow down the process of bringing Afghan allies to safety, despite the extreme vetting taking place.

The U.S. government was caught off guard by the quick fall of the Afghan government, leaving little time to evacuate citizens and allies. Our military should be commended for carrying out the amazing feat of airlifting 120,000 people from Kabul within two weeks. Had they stayed longer, they risked another ISIS attack on American troops conducting the evacuation.

Thousands were able to leave during the recent airlift and now the Biden administration continues to work with Qatar and the Taliban to ship the remaining Americans and Afghan allies out of the country. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were misguided, tragic responses to 9/11 starting in the Bush administration, but now we must welcome the refugees.

Kathleen Shorack Petty, in Eugene, Oregon