Reader submissions

Way to go, humans

While I believe that this government shutdown is President Trump's fault, just as he said it would be, I am appalled that people would take the opportunity to go out to our national parks and trash them, use off-road vehicles in them, cut down Joshua trees, and damage habitat and fragile plant life.

I thought that people who go to our national parks do so to enjoy the natural beauty of them, to see things that cannot be seen anywhere else. I guess I was mistaken. People headed for the national parks and, in the absence of restraint from park rangers, did whatever they felt like doing.

We are a sad species, and we're killing our planet — which means killing ourselves or those who come after — so maybe it doesn't matter if we go out and destroy our national parks; they'll be gone in a century or less anyway. Hooray for humanity!

Mark Rice, Palm Springs

Daisy-chain effect?

I was so disheartened to read that some visitors to Joshua Tree National Park have cut down some of the endangered trees so they can drive through sensitive areas. How in the world could these people have come to the conclusion that rules don’t apply to them? That it is okay to brazenly destroy protected lands? To openly commit felonies with no concern about the impact of their actions? Oh wait, I know.

Steven Maass, Palm Springs

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN LETTER

Here’s another bad thing

Marc A. Thiessen’s list (“The 10 worst things Trump did in 2018,” Jan. 6) charts some of our president’s mistakes but fails to cite the most damning: Mendacity.

The most recent example is there for all to see: The president assured the House and Senate that he would sign a budget bill which funded the government while setting the border wall dispute aside for further debate. Then he did precisely the opposite.

From the “birther” falsehood to payments to mistresses, the president distorts and denies fact after fact and demeans those who call him out. It seems to me the man lies nearly as often as he breathes and any account of his tenure should say so.

David M. Hamlin, Palm Springs

Advice for President Trump

The Yemen crisis must be solved. President Trump, tell Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stop the war with the Iranian-backed rebels and demand Iran withdraw all its support. If not, we bomb Iran’s nuclear power plants. Peacekeepers stay in Yemen and the U.S. forgives (never forgets) the Saudi assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.

Enforce a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With success, Trump will win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The border wall doesn’t make sense. We must ask why these immigrants are trying to come here. They’re trying to get away from narco-terrorists, like MS-13, who Trump really hates.

End the misguided drug war. Addictive drug use must be studied — especially treatments with non-addicting psychoactive plants such as Ibogaine, ayahuasca and others that have been underutilized. Prisons aren’t working. America has more prisoners (especially people of color) than any other country. This fuels racism.

Invest the saved money in ocean exploration. Build huge submarines with large windows so we can visit the beautiful landscape at the bottom of the sea. Going to Mars won’t be practical for many generations, sorry. While we are in the oceans let’s clean up the plastic trash, which may end up being more problematic than global warming.

Don R. Scott, Palm Springs