25-05-2025
Trump's refugee policy is animated by white supremacy
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa from 2015 to 2017. The village where I served had been one of the 'Tribal Homelands' where black people had been forced by the apartheid government to reside after being taken from the areas where they had been living for generations.
There is still no running water, no indoor plumbing and very limited electricity. The soil is of very limited fertility; there is widespread unemployment and childhood malnutrition.
It is an outrage that, while many brave people who worked alongside our military in Iraq and Afghanistan are still waiting in refugee camps, President Trump is allowing white South Africans to enter the USA immediately as an 'oppressed minority.' White South Africans are not economically depressed nor in any immediate danger. They live in modern cities and towns with shopping malls and all the same basic services we have in the USA.
This action is a slap in the face to all the people who fled for their lives from authoritarian countries and are now patiently abiding by the rules while awaiting judgment on their applications.
Jonathan R.C. Green, Fife
Dear News Tribune staff,
I wanted to thank you for announcing the May Day march on the first page before it happened. One, so that those unaware of the event could participate, and two, because in these fraught times with the media under pressure to capitulate to an overreaching federal government and many of our rights being trampled, it is vital that our media stand up and help us keep those in power aware of our opinions.
Patricia Flynn, Tacoma
Step into classrooms across the country, and you're likely to hear the question: 'When am I ever going to use this?'
Career and Technical Education (CTE) encourages a mindset shift, prompting students to ask: 'How can I apply this in the real world?' Once seen as a path for only 'other' students, CTE is now recognized as a valuable option for all learners, preparing them for the demands of today's workforce.
In fields like business, healthcare, IT and engineering, students gain hands-on experience through project-based learning that builds the Four C's: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Graduates earn more than a diploma — they leave with industry certifications, portfolios and sometimes college credits, equipped for life beyond high school.
Policy support is vital, especially in online learning, where CTE removes geographic and economic barriers.
Carter, a Washington Virtual Academies student and professional disc golf athlete, is graduating in June 2025 with a full-ride college scholarship — proof that CTE turns passion into opportunity and success.
Felicia Kern, Puyallup
I wrote this letter to my neighbor who is flying an American flag with Trump on it: 'I am not the kind of neighbor who likes to pick fights with those who live around me, I am merely telling you what I think, citizen to citizen. I want to tell you how I feel about your American flag, the one that has Donald Trump superimposed over it. What that flag says to me is, 'Trump is America, America is Trump.' If you are tempted to say, 'heck yes,' please consider this… At the infamous 1933 Nuremberg Nazi rally in Germany, one of Adolf Hitler's henchmen stated 'Hitler is Germany, Germany is Hitler!' The issue that I have with your flag is that the flag of the United States is supposed to represent ALL of us, you, me, and yes, even Trump, but not ONLY Trump. If you really truly are a patriot, who believes in what this country is supposed to stand for: a country of the people, by the people, for the people, then you will take down that flag and replace it with a standard stars & stripes, which represents us all.'
Michael Buse, Gig Harbor
