Many thanks to citizens who aren’t complying in advance and speaking out about the current administration. Stay strong, everyone. Together, there is nothing we cannot do! Many thanks to authors Stover, Pocklington, and Bryla.

Harold Stover: The Real Culprits – Representative Ro Khanna (D – Calif.) went on Fox News last week, correctly claiming that the Republicans were to blame and totally responsible for the current government shut down. Khanna claimed that Republicans should abandon the filibuster rule and reopen the government, ending the Republican shut down.

You remember the “nuclear option” used by McConnell in the past decade to confirm the Supreme Court’s Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett with a simple majority (51) votes rather than the 60 vote threshold required to overcome a Democratic party filibuster.

In fact, just last month on Sept. 11, 2025, Senate Majority Leader Thune, used that very “nuclear option” to confirm 48 (en masse) non-cabinet Trump appointees and overriding the Democrat’s filibusters on all those nominees, proving that the Republicans, in deed, can employ that “option” to pass their continuing resolution, without any Democratic votes.

To further show the lack of initiative for the Republicans to end their shut down, the House of Representatives, under Johnson’s leadership, is in recess this very week. Why in recess?  Plain and simple, the Republicans are totally unconcerned of the harm being inflicted on the American people, and especially, the military and civilian federal workforce, going without pay checks. Trump wants to fire at least another 1,100 more federal employees, as per Russ Vought and their Project 2025 decimation of the federal workforce under the 2nd Big Lie of waste, fraud and abuse.

The House is also in recess to avoid swearing in the recently elected, Adelita Grijalva from Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, and to prevent her from joining an effort to force a House vote on releasing the files related to the Epstein investigation.

A vote that would put the pedophile protecting Republicans, “on the record,” as to the divulging of the sex abusers and sex trafficking pedophiles named within.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/10/07/letter-the-real-culprits/

Steven Pocklington: Shouldn’t We All be Anti-fascists? The day after I declared in this paper that I’m a proud anti-fascist, the president of the United States pronounced “Antifa” a domestic terror organization. Never mind that there is no such organization except in his unhinged imagination. The only American organizations that have ever fought against fascism with force of arms are the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines, and then, only abroad. Here at home, we can only hope the military continues its fight against fascism by resisting Trump’s naked ambition to wield autocratic power.

There are indeed many decidedly unorganized individuals who resist fascism today. They are brave, peace- and freedom-loving Americans. They are the few, proud, civic-minded citizens who’ve actually read the Constitution and understand how it limits presidential power.

Steadfast resistance against autocratic power grabs is both constitutional and righteous. Along with voting, it’s how citizens preserve freedom and democracy. We “fight,” but we fight non-violently. We protest, speak out and stand up to authoritarians, which also means standing up to anyone who capitulates to an increasingly fascistic regime. Our weapons are Truth, a rigorous understanding of the Constitution, and courage in the face of promised retribution.

The WWII veterans in my family were anti-fascists and staunch Republicans. We regularly disagreed when discussing politics, yet they’d all fight another war to defend our right to disagree openly. They couldn’t understand how anyone would choose not to fight fascism. What mattered most to them was upholding the Constitution and preserving freedom.

Let’s join those veterans by resisting fascism. Demand that elected representatives use their constitutional powers to block every unconstitutional step Trump takes towards autocracy. Let’s all call out and stand up to the spineless lackeys currently paralyzing Washington, Raleigh, and local government.

“Antifa” can’t save us; it’s just a divisive ruse. Shouldn’t we all be anti-fascists?

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/10/07/letter-shouldnt-we-all-be-anti-fascists/

Joanne Bryla: I Object – Unlike the current resident in the White House, I do pay taxes. I resent my tax money being used for frivolous shows like flying U.S. generals from all over the world to attend a meeting they could watch online. Being an Army veteran myself, I also saw their concern for the speakers and the content.

I also object to my tax money funding the indiscriminate killing of people in fishing boats off the shores of other countries. I object to my money being used to pay masked agents to terrorize people on the streets of our cities. I object to my money being used to support an Argentinian right-wing leader to the tune of $20 billion. The list goes on. If the U.S. is indeed raking in the cash with the tariffs, why can’t we help our U.S. farmers?

It is so wrong and all done with such a hateful spirit.

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/10/05/letter-i-object/

Ed Hege: This Doesn’t Add Up? Why should anyone have to give up healthcare, see their children go hungry, or lose a job in order to subsidize the wealthy?

Read more at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/10/05/letter-this-doesnt-add-up/