Letters: Unity requires GOP to confront president; Thiessen wrongly blames media for riot; COVID-19 vaccinations done right at Castle

Since the domestic terror attack and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI is reporting threats of armed protests in 50 states before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Republicans in Congress must demand that President Donald Trump call on all of his most extreme supporters to stand down, and to call off the war on the American people and their republic. If Republicans are calling on the Democrats to unify, then they must first call on their own leader to do that with a public address, and before another life is lost to a cruel, angry mob.

This angry movement continues to be incited by false allegations of a “stolen election,” and a Republican president’s un-American refusal to accept that his loss was the result of a free and fair election. Anything less than a unified Republican response to these threats with their president is unacceptable, and Republicans who don’t call on Trump for this are unfit for office, and should resign.

Christopher P. Fishkin

Kihei, Maui

Democrats want Republicans destroyed

Voting President Donald Trump out of office and electing two Democratic senators from Georgia did not satisfy Democrats and left-leaning entities. Now, nothing short of the total destruction of the Republican Party and its members will satisfy their appetites. What next, reeducation camps for all citizens who voted for Republican candidates?

Where are the wise leaders and supporters of our Constitution and the unalienable rights granted by our country’s founding documents? The powerful and wealthy tech monopolies decided that censorship and de-platforming of people and businesses who share conservative views were justified. Open discussion on conservative issues was silenced. The American oligarchs have spoken and millions have lost their voices.

Democrats who do not speak out and take immediate action condemning the censorship action will live to regret the new world order, when these same entities go after them when their interests do not align with tech’s goals of omnipotence and control of all the wealth-producing infrastructures of the world. At that point, elected officials will become unofficial agents for the monopolies.

John Tamashiro

Pearl City

Thiessen wrongly blames media for riot

I seldom finish reading Marc Thiessen’s columns, as he seldom can make a coherent point. I did finish his recent column, and I am appalled (“Let’s be clear: Trump now has blood on his hands,” Star-Advertiser, Jan. 8).

After admitting that President Donald Trump has blood on his hands for the horrific invasion of the U.S. Capitol, Thiessen then ridiculously placed the real blame for the riot on the media and their supposed bias. Thiessen utterly ignores the nonstop echoing and expansion of the president’s false claims of electoral fraud by Fox News, Breitbart, One America News and many more right-wing media outlets.

The assault on the Capitol was not caused by liberal media. It was caused by the echo chamber of right-wing propaganda that even now is trying to deflect blame from themselves.

Thiessen is utterly wrong, and the Star-Advertiser should not have printed this completely misleading and mendacious column.

Peter Webb

Kaimuki

COVID-19 vaccinations done right at Castle

Kudos to Adventist Health Castle for offering COVID-19 vaccinations to those first-line workers and locals over 75 years old who live in Windward Oahu.

My husband and I were vaccinated in the late afternoon and were amazed at how well the process went. According to one staff member, about 1,300 people by 6 p.m. Those meeting the phase 1B requirements who live in Windward Oahu and want to be vaccinated can go online or call the hospital to make an appointment.

We were lucky as we signed up Sunday and made an appointment for Monday. It took about 45 minutes to go through the paperwork, be vaccinated, and wait the suggested 15 minutes to be sure there were no serious side effects. The procedures used by Castle are what the state of Hawaii needs, to get all citizens vaccinated as soon as possible.

Eileen Glaholt

Kaneohe

Lack of vaccine access stresses those in need

I read and heard last week that people in the phase 1B group will find out the details of how, where and when they will be able to get the vaccine this week. This is unbelievable.

Officials knew a couple of months ago that the vaccine was going to be released, and they don’t have a plan as of this writing today.

Uncertainty at a minimum is stressful for the elderly, like me.

Louis Faulkner

Hawaii Kai

People need to mask up whenever in public

How far would you go to save someone’s life? Or your own?

More than 375,000 Americans have died, many from not wearing a mask costing several dollars. In Hawaii, the governor long ago issued a mandate requiring a mask when in public areas, with few exceptions.

I recently walked from the corner of Kapiolani and Keeaumoku to Walmart, a distance of a block and a half. Of 15 inhaling and exhaling pedestrians, seven were not wearing masks. The same day, I saw a man on an upper floor of Macy’s strolling around with no mask. Anyone driving on Kalakaua will see pedestrians, cyclists, joggers and people on the beach not wearing masks.

Deliberately risking the lives of others by not wearing a mask is the ultimate in selfishness. In addition to those who have suffered and died in hospitals, is the lifetime of grieving by those who loved them.

Robert Stewart

Waikiki

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