To the Editor:
Re “Threat of More Violence Weighs on Inauguration” (front page, Jan. 11):
I am very concerned about the scheduled inauguration events in light of the recent attempted insurrection. President Trump’s recent tweet that he would not be at the inauguration may be interpreted as a message to his followers that they are now free to attack the inauguration itself. For that reason, the oaths of office should be taken at some undisclosed location, not at the Capitol.
The usual ceremonies and celebrations can always be held at another time. Many will be disappointed, but the failure of the police to secure the Capitol, coupled with the boldness of the rioters, and Mr. Trump’s continuing attempts to set aside the election, make protecting our new president and vice president more important than anything else.
Ann Matias
Tucson, Ariz.
Good Call, Coach Belichick
To the Editor:
Re “Belichick Decides to Decline Accepting Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor” (Sports, Jan. 12):
Bill Belichick has coached the New England Patriots for 20 years. His record speaks for itself. He has made hundreds and hundreds of good calls for his team. But I must say not one of these calls comes close to his decision to decline Donald Trump’s offer to bestow the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
To the Editor:
The word from President Trump’s camp that Rudy Giuliani may be his lawyer in any Senate impeachment proceeding, perhaps along with the redoubtable Alan Dershowitz, conflicts with the long-established ethical legal principle barring an attorney from serving as counsel in a case in which the lawyer may be a witness.
Mr. Giuliani accompanied the president at the rally that launched the insurrection that forms the foundation for the upcoming impeachment and gave a rabble-rousing address at it. Because he is not only a witness, but a potential criminal conspirator as well, his representation of the president at a Senate impeachment trial would conflict with basic ethical protocols.
But it wouldn’t be the first time that the former mayor has overstepped permissible boundaries in his representation of the president.
Marshall H. Tanick
Minneapolis
The writer is a lawyer.
Too Late, Lindsey Graham
To the Editor:
Re “‘Traitor!’ Dozens of Trump Supporters Heckle Lindsey Graham for Breaking With the President” (nytimes.com, Jan. 8):
For a moment, I felt sorry for Senator Lindsey Graham, pursued and heckled as a traitor. That moment was fleeting. Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and others at last Wednesday’s rally were the sparks for the Capitol insurrection, but Mr. Graham and G.O.P. colleagues have been providing the fuel for four years, nourishing a false narrative that continues to threaten this nation.
Only after they saw the deaths and destruction the mob had wrought — and after their personal safety had been threatened — did senators like Mr. Graham break with our inciter in chief. The armed protesters in statehouses? The plot to kidnap a governor? The threats against election officials? Why were these things not enough to persuade Trump defenders like Mr. Graham to take action?
I applaud Senator Mitt Romney for his integrity, but ask why he stood virtually alone among Republicans.
Marilyn Tal
Princeton, N.J.
Breonna Taylor Would Be Alive If …
To the Editor:
Re “Louisville to Fire Two Detectives Over the Raid That Killed Taylor” (front page, Dec. 30):
This news gives me no sense of satisfaction or justice done. The issue is not these individual police officers, but the war on drugs and the system in which these officers work. The crime here is the system that allows the use of no-knock warrants for drug-related crimes.
Legalize or at the very least decriminalize all drugs and Breonna Taylor would be alive. Disallow the use of no-knock warrants for drug-related crimes and Breonna Taylor would be alive. Short of a risk of imminent death there should never be no-knock warrants, and the evidence required should be great.
There will be no justice until the use of no-knock warrants is severely limited and we end the racist, costly and ineffective war on drugs and treat drug abuse as a public health issue.
Lisa Tane
Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.
Recalling the Places We Love
To the Editor:
Re “52 Places We Love” (special section, Jan. 10):
Thank you, New York Times, for giving your readers a “road” map to bring back our most enduring memories of travel experiences.
Whether the “places we love” are near or far from where we each are now, we can re-experience them in our minds and in our conversations. And remind ourselves that the shadows and the darkness can never wash away the joy and comfort we have known in the places we have been and the people we have known.
Fran Kramer
Pittsford, N.Y.