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GOP silent on Trump’sambush of Zelenskyy
Re: “Trump, Vance berate Zelenskyy” (Page A1, March 1).
What a disgraceful exhibition by our bully-in-chief and his No. 1 toady on Friday. In what was obviously a planned ambush (if President Zelenskyy did not grovel sufficiently), and to play to their MAGA base, they demonstrated for all to see their disdain for democracy and their allegiance to Vladimir Putin and Russia.
Attempting to rewrite history by blaming Ukraine for starting the war is an outrageous lie. Donald Trump’s tone, demeanor and body language were more in keeping with a mob boss than a world leader — thuggery instead of diplomacy. All this on top of the U.S. voting against a U.N. Resolution censuring Russia for its aggression against Ukraine, joining Russia, Belarus and North Korea. Are these our new allies?
And the outcry from the many Republican senators who castigated Russia at the time of its invasion? Silence.
Bruce BerwaldLos Gatos
White House meltdownalso hurts U.S. business
Re: “Trump, Vance berate Zelenskyy” (Page A1, March 1).
I doubt that Donald Trump and JD Vance realize that the meltdown with Ukraine is not just bad optics causing public outcry — it’s also bad business. America’s requirement of mineral deposits (mostly lithium) that Elon Musk needs to make batteries is now in jeopardy. Secondly, America gives arms to Ukraine and money to pay for them. This could have allowed Trump to transfer taxpayer money to profit his buddies in the war machine — also in jeopardy.
I get it that Trump has to pay back Russia for helping him win, but how is this a good deal from the world’s greatest dealmaker?
Ashok AgarwalSan Jose
Class is best place todiscuss Mideast conflict
Re: “Bill proposes limits on ethnic studies courses” (Page A1, March 2).
The contents of this article are chilling, as is AB 1468 itself.
Prohibiting teachers from discussing international conflicts and “limiting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” is censorship, pure and simple. What kind of message does this bill send? How is muzzling teachers and students in such a manner in any way educationally justified?
We might have a government that ignores the fact that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, but that only makes it all the more critical to discuss such issues in our classrooms.
Elizabeth PricePalo Alto
Nation punishes studentprotests, ignores rights
University students nationwide are protesting, demanding justice and standing up for their beliefs. Many are on F-1 visas or undocumented, striving for a better future. While the president labels undocumented people, including DACA recipients, as criminals, immigration violations are civil, not criminal, offenses under the U.S. Constitution. These students are full of potential yet terrified — not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because they fear being forced out of the country for speaking up.
Trump’s new executive order claims to target students affiliated with terrorist groups, but how many are actual terrorists? Attending a peaceful protest is not supporting terrorism. The real danger is the precedent this order sets — allowing the government to silence and remove students for exercising their First Amendment rights.
This is not democracy. It is authoritarian, racist and exclusionary, punishing students for their voices rather than protecting their freedoms.
Eva KosiecovaMountain View
Trump’s attacks onLatinx betray support
Re: “Analysis: Making English the official U.S. language can’t erase the fact that the US has millions of Spanish speakers and a long multilingual history” (March 2).
In connection to Donald Trump’s recent executive order about the official language of the United States being English, I find it odd that he continues to sign orders that will ultimately impact Latinx communities.
In Trump’s first presidential debate, he stated, “This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish.” Trump’s statement clearly shows how he will never truly accept the Latinx community. Even in his recent election, when he attained 42% of the Latino vote, he continues to mistreat the community, resulting in a never-ending cycle of division within the United States.
When will we have a president that values its people, not for their race but for the human beings that they are within this country? It is time for the United States to reform its perspective of other communities and exhibit the same treatment to everyone.
Darlene EstradaSan Jose