Voter suppression laws are modern version of the poll tax

A Linda Chavez op-ed warning against political ethnic and racial appeals is right in its basic premise but wrong in its details. (Guest Column, June 3.)

She bashes as untrue the thought that says (her words) “Vote Democratic because the other side will take away your rights as American citizens.” Yet there is no other way to interpret the

rash of vote suppression laws passed by Republican-majority states to make minority voting as hard as possible.

They claim it ends vote fraud, yet they show no evidence it exists, much less is growing. It’s the latest reincarnation of the discriminatory poll tax, long since outlawed. Nor do such efforts stop there.

Chavez seems blind to the consistent racial politics played by the Republican Party ever since its Barry Goldwater days in 1964. Every GOP candidate since has used code words and symbolism, slyly appealing to the worst reactionary impulses deep in its ranks.

All their Paul Ryans taking the high road cannot atone for the haters among them, blatantly personified by Donald Trump, who put naked racism center stage.

Chavez understandably was among Republicans happier when racism was the implied subtext, and not the lead paragraph writ large in their political discourse. Too bad. The Republicans

nurtured it and own it. Chavez must now wear it, embarrassed by it or not.

Ted Z. Manuel, Hyde Park

Honest take

In Friday’s Sun-Times, guest columnist (Opinion) Linda Chavez provides an honest take on “Politics playing dangerous ethnic, racial blame game” and details how “identity politics” (now the norm on both sides of the aisle) is destroying our country from within … and I couldn’t agree more, but it actually goes way beyond that.

Just a few minutes before, I was reading Neil Steinberg’s column “Continent Divided Over More Than Water” in which he “identifies” all Republicans as “anti-government, pro-business, anti-immigrant, pro-white, anti-gay, pro-religion, and anti-women” Can you call this simple-minded generalization of half of the American people unattached to a political agenda?

Rob Sarnowski, Elgin

What has Trump done?

Tell us, Paul Ryan, what has Donald Trump done in the last three weeks since you said you were not ready to endorse him to inspire you to endorse him now? NOTHING! Does this surprise anyone? Trump talks of changing the insider politics and then proceeds to fall into the same old “Good old boys” environment. He also is going to accept contributions outside of his own funds for the presidential race. He said he wouldn’t do that either. Why then can’t any of his supporters see his rampant and out of control lying? I am not saying the Democrats don’t lie because they most certainly do.

My dad once told me, “anyone who says ‘believe me,’ ‘to be frank’ and ‘honestly’ in every other sentence should not be trusted.” I know now more than ever he was right. How many times in every speech does he use these phrases?

Ken Karlson, Wheaton

Why we need zoos

On intermittent and grievous occasions precious zoo and aquarium species are grievously killed as a result of human error and negligence. Rarely if ever are these intentional killings. Conversely, the same animals and marine species are mercilessly killed and slaughtered by vicious poachers, trophy hunters and marauders. Direly imperiled creatures including rhinos, gorillas, elephants, tigers, lions and marine mammals are butchered in their homelands for greed and vainglory. If we want to safeguard these priceless animals we need zoos, aquariums. and wildlife sanctuaries. Otherwise we can recklessly leave them in their perilous indigenous habitats that are increasingly becoming their deadly cemeteries.

Brien Comerford, Glenview