Election lies don’t add up

The first question I want to ask President Trump after listening to his speech Thursday night about election integrity is, with all the fraud going on, how in the heck did you win the presidency not once but twice?

The contents of his speech are the most frightening I have ever heard.

In addition, I believe they are the most untruthful. Are we supposed to really believe that the FBI, the CIA and other government agencies have all found out these terrible vulnerabilities in U.S. elections? Remember, all this hard work to discover all these things has been done in the midst of designing a ballroom, cleaning up the reflecting pool and a host of other busy things the president and his administration have been doing.

He quoted what I saw as ridiculous numbers of immigrants who voted, dead people and so forth and so on. You can’t make this up even if you tried.

Wake up, people, we are in a heck of a lot of trouble.

— Joy Peeler, Mount Dora

Trump’s speech had value

Donald Trump’s Thursday speech was not full of the bombastic self-aggrandizing that understandably turns some off; rather it was a brief, positive view of the economy, then a detailed view of foreign interference in our elections (maybe worthy of an eye roll), particularly China, including a trove of supporting documents and investigation. We’ll know more as those are vetted, but I believe only fools can afford to ignore it just because they dislike Trump. Love him or hate him, it was worthy of watching and consideration.

Please open your minds, if only to hear the other side. I read the Sentinel daily as well as the New York Post, providing polar opposites in opinion coverage. We are way too polarized these days.

— Peyton Hodges, Orlando

Testosterone testing is warped

Pete Hegseth (who was barely confirmed 17 months ago by a tiebreaking JD Vance vote) is demanding that all members of the active military above the age of 30 involuntarily submit to blood analysis of their testosterone levels. In my opinion, it couldn’t be any clearer that Hegseth has convinced himself that every service member should be a raging, merciless Viking warrior willing to pillage and slaughter on his command. Or is he looking to weed out lesbian and gay service members because they are either too manly or not “man enough”?

Such a diabolical plan is, as I see it, right out of a Nazi playbook that insisted that all Germans prove that they were pure-blooded “Aryans.” The targeted victims of Hegseth’s ignoble, and likely unlawful, plan should refuse to degrade themselves by participating.

— David Kahn, Boca Raton

We get who we vote for

A letter-writer recently made a reference to an old H.L. Mencken quote about democracy. My dad loved to quote Mencken, too. Here’s another ironic quote of his from over 100 years ago in an editorial from the Baltimore Evening Sun, criticizing presidential candidate Warren G. Harding:

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

— Greg Fogleman, Winter Park

Border czar went too far

When Tom Homan was sworn in as border czar, he took an oath to “protect and defend the Constitution.” Yet in a recent interview he demanded those opposed to brutal deportation efforts ”shut their mouths,” warning there would be more bloodshed if they didn’t.

That comment shows Homan has no regards for at least three elements of the First Amendment: Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the right to petition government to address grievances.

Homan has disqualified himself. He is unfit for government service and should be fired. Unless we require that all government officials — from your local police officer to the president — abide by the Constitution, we won’t have justice or a country anymore.

— David Porter, Orlando

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