Hillary Clinton’s candidacy represents a historic milestone

My dear departed Mom was the biggest cheerleader for women’s rights. She forever talked with excitement about the world of careers opening up for her daughter and granddaughters. She would have been an impassioned Hillary supporter.

Whenever I’d hit an obstacle put up by the “boys club” to keep women down and out, my Mom, who found a note pad for just this purpose, would dash me off a line of support.

The pages had a quote from John Wayne.

Barbara Walters had been made the first female co-anchor of a national news broadcast. She faced vicious, cruel opposition from her co-anchor and peers every night, on-air. Looking back, it’s unimaginable it was allowed to go on. But it was, and on she went.

As Barbara Walters said, “It was lonely and it was painful, but what saved me: one was letters from other women saying, ‘We’re going through the same thing.’ And I knew I had their support.

“And the other thing was a telegram I received, believe it or not, that said, ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down,’ and it was signed John Wayne. A man I had never met. And I felt the cavalry was coming!”

Holding one of those notes, I knew just how Babs felt.

So, in the immortal words of my Mom and John Wayne: “Don’t let the bastards get you down!” You will prevail – just not this time.

PEGGY SEYMOUR, Lahaina

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Quit the negative press on Trump

To the liberal press and Clinton supporters in the media (even here on Maui), try writing the news and quit pushing your crazy views on all of us! This is exactly what the people of this country are sick of, and it has a lot to do with why your party lost.

If you would actually take the time, get rid of your hate and look at what Don Trump is proposing, you might just change your views.

He was not a politician and is in no one’s back pockets. He certainly didn’t need fame, power or fortune; so why give up his great life and put himself and his family in danger, as every president does? Maybe, just maybe, it is because he actually wants to help repair this country and help ALL the people.

He saw people make less than they did ten years ago, how bad and unaffordable our health care has gotten, how fast ISIS is spreading and how our infrastructure is crumbling. Our borders need protection, our vets need help, and our police need to be backed by our government and given respect from the communities for putting their lives on the line every day.

He will begin to fix all of the above and more. He really is for all of us, so let’s start thinking positive and quit with the horrible, negative “articles.” Start working together and show the rest of the world how great we are.

Oh… I wrote this letter and didn’t even attack the Clintons. It’s because it’s time to move on and show some aloha.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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Big fail, America

I’m embarrassed for America, especially those hypocritical “Conservatives” who supported Trump in the name of their party in spite of the fact that he knows absolutely nothing about the office, foreign affairs or diplomacy.

He is a vile person. Anyone who can make fun of a disabled man, boast that the only way to handle a woman is to treat them like *** and grab their ***, and has insulted every ethnic group, religion and foreign country should not be president. We are now a laughing stock to the rest of the civilized world.

Hispanic children will live in fear of the moment one of Trump’s hoodlums comes to drag mommy and daddy away. Children will have their healthcare yanked. Isis will grow in America because of his insults. Gun violence will escalate, and mass shootings will continue, thanks to his massive support from the N.R.A. He will continue to make millions on the backs of people he doesn’t pay, building monuments to himself made of Chinese steel, yet he will pay zero in taxes.

He said he would make America great again – big fail. He says he wants to bring about change; well, hang on. He will, and we will all pay for it. I’ve never been so disappointed in people and in women in particular. I pray we can get through the next four years without total ruination of everything we as Americans hold dear.

NAME WITHHELD BY REQUEST

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Thanksgiving: Have an attitude of gratitude

Thanksgiving is much more than a big meal with family and friends. It’s a time to reflect on, and be thankful for, all of the good things you have. It’s important to be grateful, not just on Thanksgiving but each and every day. Rather than lamenting what you feel is lacking in your life, begin each new day by developing an attitude of gratitude. Take inventory of your blessings and you will be surprised at just how much you have to be thankful for.

If you have enough to eat, a place to live, a way to get around, people who care about you, or people you care about, then you are wealthy. If you lack any of these elements, you must still be grateful for what you do have while striving to obtain whatever is absent.

Focus on all positive aspects of your life. Take nothing for granted. Every morning, recharge your appreciation. Be happy for everything there is, not upset over what you feel is missing.

Dreams of the future shouldn’t diminish appreciation for the present. If all you do is concentrate on what you want, you won’t enjoy today. Don’t be jealous of others; what they do or have has no bearing on you.

You can feel bitter or resentful for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you feel something is missing from your life, things aren’t going your way, or you have been treated unfairly. You may wonder, “Why do these things always happen to me?”

Life’s problems tend to dominate your thoughts, turning your focus to what you feel is wrong. You may start to resent those who appear to be better off. You’re apt to dwell on things you think would make your life better if you had them. If only you had more money, more time, a bigger house, a different car, a different job, a different boss, had picked a different career, etc.

Once your attitude becomes one of deficiency instead of abundance and appreciation, you can become overwhelmed by feelings of frustration and feel like a victim. As this happens, a consuming vicious cycle starts.

Being bitter or resentful blows situations out of proportion. People who are bitter frequently find that their situations deteriorate and their mental and physical health decays.

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve your goals while you are bitter or resentful. Regardless of what challenges might befall you, bitterness makes finding solutions much more elusive.

There is no point to feeling bitter, since it accomplishes nothing, harms you and makes things worse. Filling yourself with gratitude on a daily basis makes you feel good, while driving out negative feelings.

Begin your practice of gratitude each morning as soon as you wake. Every day is a great day. If you have any doubts, try missing one. Take inventory of everything, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, that is good in your life.

If it helps, make a written list of all things you are grateful for. Read your list every day. As you do this, you will build and reinforce your attitude of gratitude. Don’t waste any time with what you feel you don’t have.

Keep things in perspective. Consider all the people who have overcome difficulties far worse than yours. Don’t be consumed by your problems – there is always a solution. Maintaining an attitude of gratitude allows your mind to devise a resolution for your circumstances.

Make everyday a day of Thanksgiving, and you will be amazed how much better your life will become.

BRYAN GOLDEN

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Conservatives want term limits and a citizen’s Congress

Conservatives are overwhelmingly in favor of replacing the professional politicians in Congress with a citizen’s legislature through term limits, according to a poll conducted by Americans for Constitutional Liberty. This change had the support of 91 percent of those who responded to the poll.

There was 93 percent support for extending to seven years the time during which a former member is prohibited from lobbying his former colleagues.

The poll revealed a strong feeling that Congress and the federal government have become too expensive, with 81 percent saying that congressmen are paid too much and 95 percent saying that the federal government has become “too big and too rich.”

PETER THOMAS, Americans for Constitutional Liberty/The Conservative Caucus