OPINION

Where are all the

‘Lock him up’ chants?

I keep waiting for the chants to start. Remember“Lockherup!”directedatHillary Clinton for using a personal server for some emails while Secretary of State? Poor judgment, but not criminal, according to a full FBI investigation. Certainly, no violation of the Espionage Act or the Official Secrets Act, or a slew of other laws regulating top secret stuff.

But now, we citizens have the 2020 presidential loser, Donald Trump, cartingoffboxloadsofclassifieddocuments, without authorization of any kind. Some so secret they carry SCI (sensitive compartmented information) designation, which means they can be viewed only in special controlled environments − Mara-Lago not being one of those environments. Such action is criminal. If you or I didwhatTrumpdid,wewouldhavebeen indicted the minute evidence was gathered by the feds.

Deference aside, one wonders, where is the chant? “Lock him up!”

Seemsthatallthosefolkswhowereso concerned about national security back in 2016 are deathly silent these days. Nowthebootisontheotherfoot,andthe guy wearing it is both a loser and a person who clearly violated the laws governing federal top secrets.

Lock him up? Seems like a chant we should be hearing, doesn’t it?

Bob Wilhelmy, Loveland

Republicans stack the deck against anyone who disagrees

How refreshing it was to read the article in the Oct. 9 Enquirer that our great local humanitarian statesman, Republican William J. Seitz III is proposing to redraw the judicial districts for the Ohio Court of Appeals in order to ensure that right-mindedjudgeswilldominatethose courts. It is not enough that the Ohio Republican Party has tried to dominate both the state and congressional legislative districts by ignoring constitutional amendments overwhelmingly passed by the Ohio citizenry to ensure fair and balanced districts, but now the Republicans need to ensure that they control the judiciary so that no independent-thinking appeals court judges will rock the boat of the attempted Republican domination of every Ohioan’s life.

Seems a simpler solution would to be to declare all non-Republican voters as illegal aliens and deny them any participation in government. It is a pity the Republicans have become so out-of-touch from current mainstream thinking that their only hope of attaining positions of power is to stack the deck against anyone who disagrees with them.

Chris Noell, Hyde Park

No wonder Cincinnati is in a financial bind

In Councilman’s Jeff Cramerding’s guest column in the Oct. 9 Enquirer, he states the city of Cincinnati is in a financial bind. The recent vote to hire a new city manager was 9-0. That means all nine council members voted to hire the new manager. The new manager was given a salary, approved by council, that was higher than any previous manager, approaching $300,000 a year.

If the city is in such a financial bind, how could Mr. Cramerding agree to pay thenewmanagersuchaoutlandishsalary? Secondly, the city hired the same firm (PoliHire) to search for a new health commissioner.Thisfirmfailedmiserably in the search for the city manager position. Again, another waste of taxpayer’s money. No wonder Cincinnati is in a financial bind.

Dennis Daly, Cold Spring

A few things Cincinnatians should know about Taiwan

Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in Asia. Freedom House ranked Taiwan as one of the freest nations in Asia, with a scoreof94/100.Taiwanesenotonlyhave a female head of state, but 42% of seats in Taiwan’s Parliament are held by women. Taiwan is home to more than 90% of the manufacturing capacity for the world’s most advanced semiconductors microchips, which are the lifeline for smart phones that are used by everyday Cincinnatians. Cincinnati and New Taipei City in Taiwan established their sister-city relationship in 1994 and regularly have student exchanges between the two cities.

Najee Woods, Bond Hill

No mail delivery in almost 2 weeks and no explanation

Can the post office tell me where my mail is? I have not received one piece of mailinnearlytwoweeks.Idonotseeany mail delivery trucks in my neighborhood, nor any mail carriers. I work from home so I check this out daily.

My bills come so late that even if I do receive them, I have to rush and send them ASAP in order to avoid late fees. Magazines that are to arrive weekly have not been seen for at least a month. Effortstoobtaininformationatthepostoffice are met with blank stares.

Many people like myself depend on the mail service for the necessities of ev- eryday life. Can my local post office get my mail to me, or at least tell me where it is?

Susan Valera, North College Hill

Treatment of Portune reason enough to vote against Dumas

I have always thought of myself as a loyal Democrat who regularly votes a straight Democratic ticket. But that will not be the case in this election. Here is why I will withhold my vote this November from Democrat Stephanie Dumas, an incumbent Hamilton County commissioner who is seeking reelection.

In 2019, longtime Democratic County Commissioner Todd Portune was in severely declining health. He was in a wheelchair, partially paralyzed on the right side of his body. His left leg had also been amputated. While at Drake Hospital after neck surgery, he requested that thethree-memberboardofcommissioners hold their next meeting there.

Ms. Dumas rejected this change of venue. It was rumored that she felt this concession might provide some sort of political advantage to Portune. So with great difficulty, Mr. Portune managed to attend the meeting at a downtown location. He even quipped that he had to “move heaven and earth”to get there. He died in January of 2020.

This cruel treatment of a fellow commissioner may be hard for some to believe, but it is true. Anyone with doubts can Google Jason Williams’s 2019 Enquirer article entitled “PX column: We all failed on Stephanie Dumas.” Mr. Williams mentions that when Republican commissioners were in control, they held occasional meetings at Drake to accommodate Mr. Portune’s health issues.

In my experience, most people, regardless of their political affiliation, are empathetic towards those who are suffering. Ms. Dumas appears to have other priorities. Therefore, I will either vote for independent candidate Christopher Smitherman, or leave that portion of my ballot blank. I urge my fellow Democrats to do the same.

Powell Grant, Oakley

Judges should have to reveal their party affiliation to voters

Maybe I missed it and, if so, I apologize to the media source that provided it. But my wife and I have been researching party affiliation as we prepare for the midterm elections. In the past, we had some limited success as we self-educated ourselves on party affiliations. This time around, we have been frustrated after numerous Google searches by a lack of information. While it is stated that judgeships are “non-partisan,” we’ve witnessed judges in action over the last few months. Some judges void state laws; some delay enforcement of laws; some interfere with the judicial process without resolving the issue.

It is unfair to voters when a candidate seeks your vote without revealing potential attitudes aligned with their party affiliation. I won’t go so far as to call positions “biases,” but we all have opinions, and those opinions should require party identification. If a candidate disagrees with their party affiliation, they have ample time to make that disclaimer.

I’m not saying anyone should be ashamed; I am saying the voters have a need to know before entering the voting booth.

Mike Hauer, Villa Hills Government should compensate women for forced pregnancies

When government takes private property, the Constitution mandates just compensation. When the government takes the body of a pregnant girl for nine months of pregnancy, the girl must be paid compensation.

I suggest the current baby-sitting charge of $20 an hour for the duration of the pregnancy, and it should be tax-free.

Charles Hadaway, Hyde Park Republicans’ redistricting tactics a sign of desperation

Afterreadinganarticleinthepapertitled “Has your voting district changed,”it brought some very negative memories. The only reason the redistricting action came about is because the Republicans wanted to try to make sure they will win both elections coming up. They don’t feel they can win it on their on campaigning actions. I wonder why? Saying that we can’t drive others to the polls, or can’t provide water to those standing in line or movingvotingpollsfartherawayisasign of desperate people.

Mary Edwards, North Avondale Reds president Castellini got the answer he deserved

Just before Opening Day, when he gutted the roster, Reds president Phil Castellini insulted us all with his now infamous line “Well, where are you gonna go?”Then, he proceeded to put a team on the field that was so bad they had their second 100-game losing season in history. With attendance at an all-time low at Great American Ball Park, it looks like Phil got his answer. Based on his arrogance, Phil got the answer he deserved.

Tom Dorger, Hyde Park