AP

Selective prosecution

President Trump is under four indictments currently. Maybe more are in store.

Does anyone other than John Foster maybe believe these are not selective, arbitrary, partisan and timed to keep Trump off the ballot? That Trump questioned the Biden election is free speech and not a crime.

Did he pursue legal means to perhaps rule out fraud? Yes, and that is also his legal right to do. As for the classified records, did Biden have classified records in his garage with his Corvette when he was a senator? Does this not sound like selective prosecution?

Was Hillary Clinton ever prosecuted for having emails of classified information on her personal computer? No, she was not.

Did the Democrats not say Putin was responsible for Trump’s election and it was therefore fraudulent? For six years and without producing a single thing to prove the validity of that claim. Sounds selective to me.

I am not saying this to be one who supported Trump’s election. I did not.

However, when the judicial system is used in such a partisan and arbitrary manner to go after one’s chief political opponent, then we are in the territory of countries that jail opposition leaders.

— Jerry King, Kilgore

Vote for truth

Fellow Texans, our values are at stake, and it is crucial that we stand united for integrity and accountability in our government. We face a pivotal moment in which the foundation of our democratic republic is being tested.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been impeached for actions that go against Texas values, both personally and professionally. Despite the serious threats to House members before their vote on impeachment, a substantial bipartisan majority, including a large majority of Republicans, voted in favor of impeachment. They saw the facts about Paxton’s past and ongoing issues, and we believe they made the right decision.

Notably, Paxton’s defenders are spending millions of dollars for a massive media campaign to paint Paxton as a conservative hero and denounce all the charges against him as politically motivated and unsubstantiated — a transparent effort to deceive the voters and intimidate members of the Senate.

An updated list of misdeeds, allegations, and lawsuits casting a new light on the quality of his character can be found on these informative and easy to digest resources: do-whats-right.net and paxtonimpeachment.com .

We ask you to read the truth about Ken Paxton, and then urge your state senator to hear the evidence and then vote for truth, not for political gain. Let your voice be heard, and let our representatives know that we stand by their side as they make this difficult but essential decision to do the right thing. Our future depends on leaders who are willing to put their constituents first, even in the face of potential repercussions from lobbyists and big money interests.

Just north of the State Capitol, on the southern façade of the University of Texas Main Building (the Tower) is engraved: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). These words remind us that our freedom is dependent upon our commitment to understand and follow the truth wherever it leads.

— Former state Rep. David Simpson and Dr. John Coppedge

First-rate magazine

Congratulations to Editor Santana Gallacher and her team for creating the excellent edition of ETX View magazine, “The Women’s Issue.”

The writing, editing, layout and photography are all first rate. The stories in the issue are a well organized and impressive collection of the experiences of many women leaders in East Texas.

All of us who live in this beautiful part of the state should take great pride in the courage, compassion, entrepreneurship, leadership and generosity of these women from a broad spectrum of East Texas life.

Their stories tell us how they make their mark in the community. I hope many young women will read these stories and feel empowered to overcome adversity and achieve their dreams.

Jessica Payne’s story of the Alabama-Coushatta reservation is a wonderful introduction to one of our most important and impressive resources and its historical saga. The tribes keep alive their traditions and further the contributions that they have made to the development of East Texas and the nation.

Keep up your excellent work on chronicling the life of East Texas.

— Fred Zuker, Longview