She gets my vote

Jan. 6 takeaways: White House in chaos, unmovable Trump | July 22

I have been a registered Democrat for over 40 years, and I disagree with many if not most of Rep. Liz Cheney’s positions on policy. However, based on her resolute leadership on the Jan. 6 committee, I would have no reservations whatsoever voting for Ms. Cheney should she ever run for president. Cheney has shown herself to be a rare profile in courage in American politics, willing to sacrifice her own political future to speak truth to power, uphold the rule of law and defend the Constitution. In a Republican Party full of complicit Trump sycophants, Cheney has demonstrated enormous strength of character and personal integrity. Despite our differences on policy, I would vote for Cheney simply because she has shown herself be is a true patriot who will always be truthful with the American people and put the interests of the nation ahead of those of her party.

Doug Robison, St. Petersburg

Time for hysteria?

AP-NORC poll: Majority want Congress to keep abortion legal | July 21

No surprise about the recent Associated Press-NORC poll which found that over half (60%) of Americans want Congress to keep abortion legal. Years of polling have consistently shown a majority of Americans want abortion to be legal and accessible. It is blatantly undemocratic for five Supreme Court justices, four of whom are cisgender men and will never to worry about obtaining an abortion, to overturn the will of the people.

This is the reality we live in, a reality that reproductive rights advocates have been warning of for years, only to be dismissed as overreacting. I will never forget Sen. Ben Sasse complaining that protesters during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings were hysterical. Logophiles know the word “hysteria” derives from the Greek word for uterus. People with uteruses are told again and again that we are not fit to control our own bodies, that we are overly emotional, misguided or unintelligent. Sixty percent of Americans disagree, and now it’s up to every single one of us to act. This is not the time for complacency. We should all be hysterical now.

Alanna Felton, Tampa