Three letters, three topics

Thanks Washington Times, San Jose Mercury News and Stu News Laguna

Another great day when it comes to published letters.  Always fun to hit the trifecta.

Washington Times, Feb. 17

Haley's low-key race entry

I couldn't help but notice how low-key Nikki Haley's presidential announcement was Tuesday.  So much so, I wonder if the former South Carolina governor and Trump administration U.N. ambassador really is running for president, or is she positioning herself as the number one GOP candidate for vice president?

Haley's signature line in her announcement was this:  "I don't put up with bullies, and when you kick back it hurts them more if you're wearing heels."  If that's true, then Haley should have said something when she was governor back in 2016, when candidate Trump was overheard bragging, "I grab them by their genitalia."  But she didn't.  To her credit, Haley did stand up to then-President Trump in 2017 when she said that women who accuse men of sexual assault "should be heard."

Make no mistake about it, Nikki Haley will be an interesting candidate to watch.  My only question is this:  How long will she stay in the race?  I guess it depends on how much money she can raise in the next four months.  If she can't raise $25 million by June, then I'd say there's no reason for her to attend any county fairs in Iowa this summer. 

Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach, California

P.S.  So you know, I wrote "I grab them by the p---y."  Unfortunately, the conservative Times watered down what everyone heard Trump say.

San Jose Mercury News, Feb. 17

Remembering release of US POWs from Vietnam

Last week marked the 50th anniversary of American prisoners of war being released from Vietnam.  It was 10 years after I first learned about the war as a sophomore at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto.

At the height of the war, there were more than 500,000 U.S. troops fighting in Vietnam.  By the time the war ended, 58,220 Americans had been killed in action.

Our appetite for war changed when TV legends like Walter Cronkite and others began broadcasting gruesome scenes from the Vietnam battlefields into people's living rooms nightly.  

I'm not sure how much of this the POWs were aware of during their captivity, but I do remember watching the first of them being released and landing on American soil.  

Over the years, several prisoners have returned to Vietnam.  Some even have met with their former captors.  I'm glad they made it home half a century ago.

Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach … Former staff assistant to the late Rep. Don Edwards

Stu News Laguna, Feb. 17

What happened at the City Manager's home

Emil Monda was right to condemn the vandalism at the City Manager's home (Stu News Letters, Feb. 14).  Hopefully, police investigators will find DNA at the scene and quickly match it to the perpetrator or a relative.  If not, then I urge the City Council to offer a $5,000 reward to the person whose tip leads to the arrest and conviction of said perpetrator.  Surely, that person told someone what his or her plan was, or bragged about it afterwards.  As Monda pointed out, "This cannot stand."  I agree 100 percent.

Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach

Breaking News Today: The Laguna Beach Police and Community Foundation is offering a reward of at least $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of any person or persons responsible for the recent act of vandalism at the residence of Laguna Beach City Manager Shohreh Dupuis.