To the Editor:

Donald Trump has exerted power as no previous president has in our history. His actions raise a chilling question. Is Peggy Noonan right? She recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal that our republic is in jeopardy because of the actions of our president.

The recent history of international relations is fraught with examples where the sanctity of law has been compromised for political expediency. Among the most troubling instances is the Trump Administration’s alarming approach to countering drug cartels — a response that not only skirts the boundaries of legality but also risks undermining the United States’ long-standing commitment to the rule of law on the global stage. 

To the Editor:

Recently three Haywood County citizens long involved in issues of public concern met with Congressman Chuck Edwards at his office in Hendersonville. Issues focused on were SNAP, medical insurance, research cuts and the federal match for Medicaid payments to hospitals and nursing homes.

To the Editor:

The MAGAs control the executive branch, the legislative branch, the judicial branch and the U.S. Supreme Court, but the minority party who are in Washington is causing the shutdown because they will not meet with maga legislators who are not in Washington. 

To the Editor:

President Trump ordered armed combat troops into Portland, Oregon, because he said the city is under attack and burning to the ground. This is not true. The city of Portland is just fine according to its own police chief and the mayor. An area just one city block long at the federal building has been the site of small demonstrations. The city is not burning to the ground. 

To the Editor:

Last week I met with the Rep. Chuck Edwards of the N.C. 11th District for a short conversation. I asked his opinion of the military incursion into Portland, Oregon, and he asked me if I lived in Portland. For a beat I was stunned, as if I shouldn’t care about what was happening in any American city.

To the Editor:

Some protestors of the Trump administration created what they call “No Kings Day” on June 14, 2025.  They claim that Trump’s policies resemble monarchical rule rather than democratic governance. While all presidents have power, it is limited. 

To the Editor:

Setting aside the fact President Trump is a convicted felon and has been charged with nearly 100 serious crimes for which he’s unlikely to be held accountable, it’s moreover beyond question that he ignited an angry armed mob to attack his own Capitol with the clear intent of overturning an election he knew he’d lost. 

Hurricane Helene recovery czar Michael Whatley is blaming Democrats for the growing chorus of criticism over his job performance — but in heavily Republican Western North Carolina, it’s not just Democratic voices calling for Whatley to be replaced or step down. 

To the Editor:

On June 14, Indivisible Common Ground WNC and other progressive groups mobilized against the excesses of the Trump regime for “No Kings.” Since then, things have gotten worse. Free speech is being muzzled and the government is targeting immigrant families; profiling, arresting and detaining people without warrants, threatening to overtake elections and gutting health care and environmental protections.