Letters to the Editor: Forget about policies, Trump is on a roll
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What escapes the understanding of many people, including the mainstream press, about Donald Trump is that he is a superstar. Whether one agrees with his policies or not, the fact remains that he is compelling to watch.
In this age of visual emphasis and catchy soundbites he is without parallel. He can ramble on for two hours on stage, and people are unable to take their eyes away, even though what he says can be repetitive and unoriginal. Yet somehow he is never banal.
He is possessed of an excoriating wit and phenomenal camera presence, much like the great Hollywood actors of yore. How else can one explain the obsession of every TV station and newspaper outlet with recording his every word?
When Trump speaks, every other character is forgotten.
For a man of his age, his energy and enthusiasm is phenomenal. Last Monday, he went from destroying his opponents in the Iowa caucus, to flying to New York to appear in a court case, to giving a major speech at a rally in New Hampshire without, it seems, ever having a wink of sleep.
To anyone familiar with the huge distances in the US, this was a marathon.
To have survived the endless series of summonses and arraignments, both civil and criminal, for the last three years and still emerge as head and shoulders above his opponents both in the Republican and Democrat parties is awesome. By comparison, Joe Biden comes across as weak and hopelessly inarticulate. It is very difficult to see how anyone can stop Trump from being elected US president for the second time.
Maurice O’Callaghan, Stillorgan, Co Dublin
Why so few good candidates?
All of the world is abuzz with the politics of the US and examining these events gives some wisdom on what not to do.
Ron DeSantis has read the tea leaves and given up his dream of being the president and dashed the hopes of many who don’t want Trump to win the nomination, much less the election.
Trump is apparently “honoured” to be endorsed by Ron DeSantis, which seems odd given how poorly he spoke about DeSantis. Surely a reference from someone you insulted isn’t credible.
Maybe this endorsement is a desperate effort to get the nod for the VP job and then hope that Trump is jailed or disqualified or both.
The world of politics is still weird, full of different characters, occasionally the best of the best, lately some celebrities, a few who lack character or honesty, many of limited intellect and a few trying to do the right thing. It make people wonder if there are so many wanting these jobs, why are there so few good candidates?
Remember the value of your vote and choose the best person, not the loudest or the most popular.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Vic Melbourne, Australia
Ethnic cleansing must be stopped
After three and a half months of Israel’s horrific genocide against Palestinian people in Gaza the Biden administration in co-operation with Netanyahu is still choosing genocide and ethnic cleansing every step of the way.
Last week, after South Africa presented its damning genocide case against Israel at the Hague, Biden and the UK bombed 60 locations in Yemen, killing at least 50 people. Thus bringing renewed violence to the impoverished people of Yemen, a further example of their contempt for international law.
With over 120 children being killed each day in Gaza, Unicef has called Israel’s actions “a war on children”.
This was part of the closing statement of Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh at the International Court of Justice, in South Africa’s case against the Israeli government for genocide.
“The evidence of genocidal intent is not only chilling, it is also overwhelming and incontrovertible,” said South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi at the Hague. The Government rightfully stood up in support of Ukraine’s ICJ case against Putin’s Russia at the ICJ, yet refuses to join South Africa’s case against Israel despite massive calls from the majority of people across Ireland to stop the slaughter in Gaza and also put the Occupied Territories Bill on the statute book.
Both Leo Varadkar and Micheál Martin have made it clear they don’t want to join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice and continue to support the US with delivery of weapons of mass destruction via Shannon to the barbarian Netanyahu for the slaughter of the innocents. This alliance with the axis of evil is unconscionable.
It’s not too late for them to join the proceedings. We need to show Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar that their job is to represent us and this case could bring provisional measures calling for a ceasefire within a matter of weeks.
The Biden government’s imperialist violence will go down in history.
At this moment the Middle East needs a permanent ceasefire, release of all hostages, and start negotiations for an independent Palestinian state with equal rights living side by side with a secure Israel despite Netanyahu’s refusal to countenance Palestinian freedom.
The Zionist’s stated intent to occupy and control all of Palestine must be resisted and overturned.
Israel had the right to defend itself following the October 7 Hamas attack, but the US should never have given Netanyahu’s far-right government such a green light to wipe out and eliminate Palestinian civilians in the horrific manner we’ve witnessed over the past four months.
Daniel Teegan, Union Hall, Co Cork
Housing is a failing of the Government
Gareth O’Callaghan’s article on the attitude of Irish towns toward to the influx of asylum seekers hits so close to the mark that I can hardly believe he missed it.
Although his perspective is nowhere close to the “far-right” mentality he is rightfully distancing himself from, the attitude with which he approaches this problem is still from a problematic right-wing perspective. This is most evident in his statement that “locals have a right to know where these people are coming from, the reason they have come here, and what positive contributions they can hope to make to the local community once they have integrated”.
To see why this is problematic, we need only to compare it to other housing. Does Gareth believe that, if someone buys a house in Roscrea, the locals have a right to invade their privacy to vet them before they are allowed to move in? If not, then he believes inequalities between international protection applicants and house buyers are natural or positive. The reason he gets wrongfully associated with the “far-right” is his concerns come from the same perspective, even if his reaction is not as extreme.
The truth that Gareth comes so close to hitting on is that the problem rural Ireland has with international protection applicants comes from a lack of services. Roscrea has just one doctor for every 504 residents and one dentist for every 1,108. That is a huge problem which has nothing to do with people seeking asylum.
However, adding to the local population puts more stress on the already overstretched services in the area and that is a legitimate concern. The current focus is on international protection applicants, but same problem would be evident if an apartment block or housing estate was built there, or even if there was a sudden baby boom in the town. This is where the Government is failing our population. It’s not by doing their duty and housing people seeking asylum, but by failing to provide for these vital services to grow with the population. The “far-right” and anyone who can be thrown in together with them are a convenient scapegoat for these legitimate concerns.
Thomas Forde, St Luke’s, Cork City
Are GAA referees up the job?
With a mixture of very poor refereeing throughout, and a couple of umpires who should have gone to Specsavers, O’Loughlin Gaels were robbed in the senior Club Hurling All-Ireland final at Croke park on Sunday.
It is just not good enough that a perfectly legitimate goal was not awarded in this final. This just should not happen, and brings into question the real quality of some GAA referees and umpires.
And then to make matters worse, the person who was manning the screens in Croke Park switched to advertisements when he realised that the umpires had made a dreadful mistake. If the referee had been allowed to see the legitimate goal, it would have been quite easy for him to allow it. As well, as the referee was in communication with “the powers that be” up in the Hogan stand, why did they not tell him to allow the goal?
As far as I am concerned this is not a sour grapes situation, and I am well aware that a number of the O’Loughlin players did not play as well as they were expected, mainly because St Thomas’ are a fine team with some great hurlers. However, even if the legitimate goal had been awarded, it was still no guarantee that the Kilkenny side would win, but the very least that any hurling team should expect on All-Ireland final day is a decent referee and umpires. St Thomas’ are now All-Ireland Hurling Club Champions and good luck to them.
Liam Burke, Dunmore, Co Kilkenny