Readers Write: Separation of church and state in Itasca County, the caucus system, war

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I am a longtime church member and a steady church attendee, but I applaud the decision to paint over the religious words at the Itasca County jail (”Ten Commandments painted over at jail,” May 14). I believe in a strong separation of church and state; governmental entities should not be promoting any particular religion, even with good intentions. If the people who originally sanctioned the words on the gym walls want to promote Christianity and demonstrate their faith, all they have to do is act in accordance with the scriptures: Seek justice and practice kindness. This exhortation is particularly applicable in the setting of a jail. Jesus’ words about prisoners were not punitive but merciful. Words and proclamations do not make a Christian; actions do.

Mary Yee, St. Paul

Starting back in September, a bunch of us local Democrats spent close to 100 volunteer hours organizing and conducting our Senate district’s caucus and convention. Right after it was over, my first tired thought was, “Let’s can the caucus.”

But as Briana Rose Lee reminded me (“Caucuses are the cornerstone of grassroots democracy,” Opinion Exchange, May 13), the upside of our effort is this: We in the SD49 DFL have a long list of new Democrats in our area who are willing and even eager to raise their hands and be a part of local politics. Together we will recruit and work for school board, city council, county and state elections. If the caucus were canned, most of these volunteers would not be engaged, would not see the power and fun of local participation in politics and would not be priming the pump with new future candidates.

So, Minnesota, with the caucus you get our devoted efforts in 67 Senate districts, where our main job (at least in the DFL) is to make politics more productive, representative and positive. So, yes, the caucus is a winning formula for Minnesota.

The writer is chair of DFL SD49, Eden Prairie and Southern Minnetonka.

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Briana Rose Lee defends the precinct caucus system as a vital part of democracy as it provides a grassroots opportunity for everyone to participate in the political process. Lee claims as her credential the fact that, as the former chair of the Minneapolis DFL, she has organized numerous precinct caucuses and conventions. So what? As a former Senate district chair for many years, I have done or helped with the same thing many times, just as have so many other people as well. While I have attended precinct caucuses all of my adult life (save for when I was out of state while in the Air Force) and have seen periods of high attendance, usually due to some social issue such as abortion, the last few cycles have seen very low attendance. In fact, attendance was down to three to five or so in many of the precinct caucuses in my Senate district this year. There were about 25 people in my precinct caucus, but that was largely due to the fact that many were there to support their candidate for an open legislative seat.

Lee may be technically correct in her claims about the value of precinct caucuses. On the other hand, very few people attend them, meaning that the candidates endorsed through the caucus/conventions process, especially at the state level, frequently do not survive the primary election, let alone the general election. The DFL-endorsed non-incumbent candidate for governor, for example, has not been elected governor since the 1970s, and most of them have not survived the primary. The precinct caucuses do seem have outgrown their usefulness given that very, very few people attend them.

Norm Hanson, Roseville

As killing children seems to be a key element of war, each side will agree to kill a specific number of children, say 20,000 or 40,000. Whatever number, as it doesn’t seem to matter now to either side how many are killed. In addition, it would be agreed as to how many thousands of homes, holy sites and places of business will be pulverized. A specific number of days would be allotted for these atrocities to occur. A neutral party would do the math. If that doesn’t solve the issue, the fighting would cease but be renewed every few years to allow time for more children to be born.

Or if no resolution is found, the leaders of all parties involved would be killed along with their families and extended families and their homes would be destroyed. Might this incentive aid in resolution?

Or perhaps leaders could come together and agree that they hate each other now and that that will never change, but they promise not to kill children or each other and not make life miserable as the way to address issues. Future generations may choose to discontinue the “hate policy” and initiate a “respect for each other” policy along with the “no killing/making life miserable” policy.

Or perhaps all parties might follow the sacred books containing their religious beliefs that direct them to love each other.

Just trying to be helpful.

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President Joe Biden’s refusal to release the promised arms to Israel can only be seen as a betrayal to our longtime support of Israel and the Jewish people. There is no justification for this action. It seems this administration cares only to please the pro-Hamas demonstrators. The reason Israel was granted any arms at all is because the Republicans tied it to aid for Ukraine. One can only question the direction of this action and what the outcome will be. What right does Biden have to prevent the shipment and dictate to Israel what it should do?

This administration should instead be standing with Israel and giving the country our full support. The administration needs to give moral clarity to our citizens and denounce the rampant and unjustified antisemitism of the raging mobs. Instead, it seems to be standing with and supporting the terrorists and the delusional protesters raising havoc on our own streets. This is a purely selfish political move by the Biden administration to get votes. It is catering to the demonstrators. It is yet another low in the moral decline fostered by corrupt agents who seem determined to destroy the United States and its reputation in the world. The United States has always stood for good and opposed evil. Today, it seems it only supports the evildoers in the world. Its decisions are on the wrong side of history, morality and our God.

Janet Anderson, St. Paul

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We can decry the inhumane destruction caused by militant Hamas all these years on innocent Israelis, particularly on Oct. 7.

We can feel deep compassion for Jewish people, who have shouldered more than their share of prejudice and brutality.

We can decry the unbelievable destruction rained on innocent people in Gaza by the militant government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More is yet to come.

We can feel sadness and frustration that Israel has essentially hobbled the Palestinian people since Israel’s inception.

We can fervently hope that both sides will stop “an eye for an eye.” Missile attacks both directions were common years before Oct. 7. Why? What grievances are so important that physical destruction is the only answer?

Innumerable innocent lives have been lost, and citizens in the region live in constant stress and fear. The wanton destruction is heartbreaking.

Can we be on the side of understanding, wisdom and peace?