Jennifer Kiggans

Forgive, don’t reelect

Re “Kiggans faces criticism after radio show host’s comments” (A2, May 13): We should forgive U.S. Rep Jen Kiggans for agreeing with a talk show host’s opinion that included an unfortunate antiquated expression, but Virginia’s 2nd District voters should not forgive her in the same interview for perpetuating President Donald Trump’s lie that Democrats have been rigging our elections. Even worse, Kiggans, along with most of her congressional Republican colleagues, excuses Trump for doing the exact thing that they falsely accuse the Democrats of.

Trump solicited help in his 2016 presidential campaign from the Russians, as documented in the Mueller report. There are recorded phone conversations in which he tried to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to smear his election opponent. Trump pressured the Georgia Secretary of State to find votes to win that state’s 2020 electoral votes. And, as president, Trump watched as a mob that he encouraged stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Some may remember that Republican G. William Whitehurst honorably represented the 2nd District from 1969-87. He was conservative, but independent, and congressional Republicans during his tenure forced the resignation of former President Richard Nixon. In stark contrast, Kiggans and her Republican colleagues have forgotten that they are part of an equal and independent branch of the federal government. Instead, they have become a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump.

If this is still a constitutional democracy, Kiggans should not be reelected.

David Meyerholz, Virginia Beach

Imported outrage

Re “Virginia has historic moment to choose community safety over fear” (Other Views, May 16): State Sen. Saddam Salim’s guest column reads less like a discussion of Hampton Roads concerns and more like political theater carefully timed to distract from Virginia Democrats’ current troubles.

At the very moment local political figures are facing uncomfortable scrutiny, including the ongoing federal investigation involving Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas and her business interests, readers are suddenly presented with emotionally charged rhetoric about masked federal agents, fear, intimidation and immigration raids.

There is no immediate local immigration crisis driving this conversation in Hampton Roads. No major local ICE controversy suddenly emerged demanding urgent public debate. Instead, readers were given a narrative designed to redirect attention, elevate the political temperature and reframe federal enforcement itself as inherently suspect.

The pattern is familiar. When politically damaging stories begin dominating headlines, activists and politicians pivot toward emotionally activating national issues. Immigration currently serves that purpose.

Reasonable people can disagree about immigration policy and enforcement practices. But Virginians should recognize when opinion pages are being used less to inform the public than to manage political focus and emotional momentum.

Hampton Roads deserves discussion grounded in local realities, not imported outrage narratives timed to coincide with unrelated political difficulties.

Thomas Hobert, Williamsburg

Gloves on

Many teachers, such as me, have had the experience of breaking up a fistfight in the schoolyard. Sometimes we were able to induce the combatants to “put on the gloves” to settle their differences. This way they could fight and not cause the loss of blood — and usually it worked. Now why does this come to mind? Today we are involved in a war to force Iran to give up its nuclear program. Third-party negotiations show no promise of resolution. We have a military and diplomatic stalemate.

No one ever mentions the fact that Iran’s desire to build an arsenal of nuclear weapons could be, at least in part, the knowledge that its avowed enemy Israel has nuclear weapons. The Israelis probably have quite a lot of them. One important element in the negotiations to end this war might be simply to persuade Israel to give up its own nuclear arsenal — metaphorically to put on the gloves. That might be unrealistic, but why is this solution never mentioned?

Dave Boraks, Onancock