Americans who remember when life was once upon a time politically "normal" must push back against extremism- GOP Alert!

Echo opinion letter published in the Boston Globe:

Utah Governor Spencer Cox: said he is sad and angered after the killing of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University. But it was Kirk's own words who helped him."When people stop talking, that's when you get violence," Cox said, quoting the conservative activist, known for visiting college campuses and inviting people to debate him. Cox read several of Kirk's quotes about forgiveness and having human connections, telling the younger generation to build a culture that is different than today's political climate. https://cbsn.ws/46oOENl

Dear Editor of the Boston Globe:  About the only thing I’ve heard in the two weeks since Charlie Kirk’s sad and tragic assassination that has made much sense to me was Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s encouragement to “log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, and go out and do good in your community.” Wise words. So much of the rest of what passes for public discourse in America today assaults our senses.

Out here in normie-land, we do not want a civil war. 

Instead we vigorously renounce political violence and its encouragement — period. We wish that political leaders of all stripes — but honestly, especially the hard right and all the “near-right” leaders who have been sucked into that vortex — would just put down their swords and work together to solve the grave problems we face. Those of us on the left are not members of a cabal of child-eating America-haters; those of us on the right are not fascist Hitler wannabes. 💥😡

Who are we❓ We are (the normal people❗) most of the country, and by a very wide margin. 

But you would never know that from a glance at social media or even the pages of this newspaper. What would happen if we all took Cox’s advice❓ What if we turned off social media and worked together to solve our common challenges❓ What if we elected leaders who genuinely felt the same way and acted on that impulse❓

From Andy Calkins in Gloucester, Massachusettes

Protect immigrants from illegal ICE round ups and keep local police separate from Project 2025 evilism Trumpziism

EVILISM Project 2025 is in place and we urge local police to adopt or maintain policies limiting local law enforcement engagement in any federal immigration enforcement. Opinion echo published in the The New Bedford Light newspaper, in Massachusettes. 

Collaborating with federal agencies such as ICE diverts critical resources away from public safety efforts, erodes trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities and creates fear, which prevents immigrant residents from reporting crimes or seeking police assistance.

Although Mattapoisett’s (Massachusettes) immigrant population is likely small, policing should focus on protecting all members of our community regardless of immigration status. 

Engaging in immigration enforcement undermines this goal, fosters distrust and fear among our immigrant residents, making it harder for the police to build partnerships needed to keep our community safe.

When local police participate in federal immigration enforcement efforts, it leads to concerns about racial profiling, violation of constitutional rights and potential costly legal challenges.

Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, not the local police.

Police should adopt policies which bar agreements under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act; prohibit inquiries about immigration status or sharing immigration status with federal authorities; and our local police should not honor ICE requests to hold individuals beyond their release date without a a warrant.

These acts will strengthen the trust our community places in the police while protecting some of our more vulnerable residents.

We look forward to discussing this issue with our community.

Nicole Demakis is chair of the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee.