Us frogs will be just fine with Biden, Democrats

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 31, 2021

In response to a March 22 letter to the editor, “Heat turned up on us frogs,” I would like to comment on a few things:

The writer begins, saying “We are seeing Biden trying to erode our rights and freedoms guaranteed to us by our own constitution all by skirting Congress with executive order.” However, that can’t happen as executive orders are subject to judicial review and can be overturned if they lack support by statute or the Constitution. Executive orders are common. The previous administration issued 220 orders in one term, almost as many as the Obama administration did in two terms.

The writer goes on: “Our freedom of speech is under attack ” and “next will be our freedom of religion.” I have to ask: What is it exactly that Biden is doing to achieve those goals?

Then there’s this. “Our right to free and honest elections is being trampled upon with this recent voting rights bill.” Basically H.R. 1 will expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics and limit gerrymandering. The only “trampling” of the right to vote this writer sees are the 250, or so, new Republican voting laws that have been proposed to limit voting access, mostly targeting Black voters.

The writer then goes into name calling and disparaging remarks about our president, before getting near the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories that I won’t go down.

But, in the end, I agree with the writer when he quotes “The real danger to America is not our enemies from outside, but those who would destroy our nation from within.” The insurrection by the domestic terrorists on our capital, on Jan. 6, showed how real that threat is.

Tom Ildstad

Mountlake Terrace