A Creole pope

Please add Pope Leo’s ties to New Orleans and Creole relatives to the mix and you have a pope who can relate to all in some way! What an amazing background and life he has had!

— Linda Roberts, Altadena

The Birdman

I agree 145% with the “The Birdman of Alcatraz is back with a bad idea” editorial. Without a doubt, this is another idea that will not happen. In the same week as the Alcatraz idea were some additional gems from the president. The AI-generated image of Trump as Pope (it was supposedly a joke. I always thought jokes were supposed to be funny or at least clever), 100% tariffs on movies produced overseas, $1,000 and airfare to be paid to “illegal aliens” who self-deport and (again) Canada becoming the 51st state. But aren’t these ridiculous ideas the point? Distract from the incompetence.

Distract from the president profiting in cryptocurrency and real estate deals in the Middle East. Distract from the attempts to expand the power of the Executive Office.

Good news did come from the trade “deal” with the UK. Rolls-Royce, Range Rover and Aston Martin luxury vehicles will be exempt from the 25% tariff. So there you go MAGA, place your orders now! Never mind that your daughter’s two Christmas dolls will cost a few bucks more and that your kids should be okay with five pencils.

— Robert Aragon, Duarte

A gift horse

What other sitting president, besides Trump, would accept a “gift” like a $400 million airplane from Qatar, a foreign government? None, because it has bribe written all over it. But of course this administration has determined that it is perfectly fine and lawful to accept it, especially since King Baby gets to keep the aircraft for his personal use after leaving office.

And it’s not so free. Us taxpayers will have to “pay hundreds of millions of dollars to have the aircraft torn down and rebuilt from the inside out — including overhauling electrical wiring, avionics and power systems--to install secure presidential communications, self-defense tech and electromagnetic shielding.” (Wikipedia).

Where is DOGE when you need it? Oh, that’s right. Elon is gone, he had to run home to try to save his Tesla company from going belly up.

This is not even funny anymore.

— William Stremel, South Pasadena

The fired scientists

Does letter writer Mark Range have any idea as to the kind of work those 400 fired scientists actually did? (May 7).

He accuses them of being con artists funding second homes and living lavish lifestyles. He suggests there was no oversight, that those scientists might have been paid lavishly for doing nothing!

Somebody should tell Mark that most scientists don’t make enough to have a lavish lifestyle. If you want to live lavishly on the public dime, be a politician like Trump.

Mr. Range follows his idol, Trump, by giving no supporting facts whatsoever.

To me, that’s just shooting off your mouth.

— Dave E. Matson, Pasadena

Newsom’s business

Re “Tariffs bite, so do Newsom’s policies”: In regard to your editorial bemoaning Gov. Gavin Newsom’s business policies, it got me to thinking why are you constantly bagging on an elected official who has already attained the top position in the state and is termed out.

That’s answered by the last sentence of the editorial, which shows that your interest is in stopping his 2028 bid for the presidency. I’m convinced that Vice President Harris’ narrow loss in November was due to the Republicans’ successful campaign that branded her as a left-wing Californian.

While I believe that either Harris or Newsom would make a fine president, I seriously doubt that the Democratic Party would nominate anyone from California and because I want to take back the White House when the primary rolls around, I’ll look for a candidate like Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, a Democrat who has proven that he can win in a purple state.

— Ron Garber, Duarte