Springfield victimized by political opportunists

Imagine for a moment that you are a small Midwestern city, just minding your own business and trying to take care of your people. Then, one night on national television, a presidential candidate angrily denounces some of your people for the despicable act of stealing, killing and eating other peoples’ beloved pets.

The next thing you know, you are being threatened by his hate-filled supporters. Schools and hospitals are getting bomb threats, and hostile groups are marching on your streets. What did you do to deserve this? It would be bad enough if the candidate simply neglected to ascertain the facts, but then the would-be vice president says the quiet part out loud. He admits to creating the story to promote his agenda (“Overseas threats hit the Ohio city where Trump and Vance lied about Haitians eating pets,” Sept. 17).

Is this what we look for in leaders — men who lie and bring suffering to a town just to advance their narrative? Men who mislead their followers into hurtful acts? We’ll find out in November.

Let’s make it a “No!vember.”

— Sidney Turner, Catonsville

Ravens aren’t winning with Lamar Jackson

What I am about to say will likely anger some Ravens fans, but it is something I have felt for a few years. The Baltimore Ravens will never win a Super Bowl Bowl with Lamar Jackson as the team’s quarterback (“Ravens overreaction corner: Has Baltimore already ruined its playoff chances?” Sept. 19).

It seems to me the Ravens are running on two parallel paths. First, we need to keep Jackson happy and placated at all times. Second, keep all the other players and office personnel convinced this team is Super Bowl bound this season. It’s ridiculous. The team lost some critical players during the offseason, and as the season progresses, it will become very evident that this is not last season’s team.

Unfortunately, we let some quality players move elsewhere. It’s just that Eric DeCosta cannot say the Ravens are just a mediocre NFL team. General managers cannot do that; they have to remain upbeat at all times.

I simply believe the Ravens are devolving in terms of winning big playoff games. And a Super Bowl victory seems so very far away. Sorry, GM DeCosta. It’s just me seeking the truth about a team that has yet to establish an identity.

— Patrick R. Lynch, Towson

Don’t fall for Hogan’s independent, centrist claims

I hope Marylanders won’t be lured to vote for former Gov. Larry Hogan by believing his misleading campaign for the U.S. Senate (“Hogan a nonpartisan? History tells a different tale.” June 30). Hogan is not the tough, independent, bipartisan leader portrayed in his ads. He may not have liked Donald Trump, but this self-described “life-long conservative Republican” couldn’t bring himself to vote for a Democrat, instead casting a “symbolic” write-in ballot for his father in 2016 and for Ronald Reagan in 2020, already knowing that Trump didn’t have a chance to win in Maryland.

I hardly think Hogan will demonstrate courage by standing up to the MAGA senators who currently bow to Trump. Those who really “put people over party” are the current Republicans for Vice President Kamala Harris, who loudly proclaim that Trump is not fit to be president. Unlike Hogan, they put their votes behind their stated convictions.

As for his claim to be “an early leader in the fight against COVID,” Hogan demonstrated a complete lack of fiscal responsibility by spending over $9 million of Maryland taxpayers’ hard-earned money on coronavirus tests from South Korea that were never used in any meaningful way. Then, he spent millions more to replace those flawed tests.

Now, Hogan is portraying himself as a supporter of women’s reproductive freedom. But he has already shown us who he is. As recently as 2022, he vetoed a state law to widen access to abortions and when his veto was overridden, he withheld the $3.5 million lawmakers had set aside to train new providers. Suddenly, after he secured a Republican primary win, he became a vocal supporter of a woman’s right to choose, all in an effort to increase his chances of being elected to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate.

If you admire Trump and the MAGA senators who stand by him, then by all means vote for Hogan and increase their number in Congress, probably handing them a Senate majority in the process.

We will all have to live with the consequences.

— Karen Lamis, Bel Air