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Editor:

I avoided writing about the immunity decision because it’s stitched together and hard to follow. There are lots of gaps. Now I have been pretty much challenged to write about it.

A layman just wrote the Hub and described the recent immunity decision from SCOTUS.  He was absolutely wrong! I assume he did not read it and listened to TV.

The president should and did have a huge number of necessary immunities including  all the examples the writer gave. In the past, however, if there was probable cause to believe he/she went well  beyond what was needed as President and committed a crime that was not needed to execute his responsibilities, the court could secretly review internal memos to see if they should be provided to a prosecutor. This turnover of materials first happened with Nixon in the early ’70s.

What we know now is that “core”  functions – those mentioned in the Constitution – are certainly and absolutely immune. That would include selling pardons. Trump says it includes classifying certain American newscasters as enemy combatants. His lawyers say killing American politicians. Additionally, he/she could, for example, give away or sell national secrets. (He can already kill foreign nationals and Americans fighting with an enemy in most situations.)

Then there are “official acts.” That is what the writer thought the immunity case was about. They are not yet fully defined but are presumed immune and can trump Congress’s laws.

And because the law now is that no communication regarding an intended crime with anyone in the executive branch can be used or can legally consider motive or intent, we have no guidelines about where official acts ends and where prosecutable “private acts”  start.

Are overheard private conversations “official acts”? Trump is arguing that about some evidence used to corroborate other evidence in his felony conviction.

We have never had a situation before where simply put “the King can do no wrong.” Indeed, VP Nominee Vance says this immunity actually includes ignoring Supreme Court decisions and orders.

Another matter in the letter was that Ukraine would not have been invaded due to Trump’s strong persona. I assume the writer did not listen to the master’s class in foreign policy Biden gave in his NATO presser. Rather than argue a huge topic I refer all to Wiki. (Insert “Name” and “Foreign Policy.”) Compare them. Personally I have not seen a President so expertly handle such extremely difficult situations since Bush 1 when the Soviet Union crumbled a country at a time.

To me these are not times for a bull in a china shop.

Additionally think about it, if Trump and Vance carry through on “switching sides” and chumming up to Russia  with its political, military, and economic alliances and treaties we, the US, by default end up squarely in bed with Iran, China, and North Korea. We give up leadership of the free world.

The truth is that Trump is no foreign policy expert.

The other matter of substance was a put down of my recent mention of similarities to the German Enabling Acts of 1933. The writer could not have looked them up as he got “official acts” wrong and ignored 2025 – all the more important as VP nominee Vance says he is fully committed to installing the “MAGA Agenda.”

To me the immunity, the commitment to the MAGA agenda, Trump’s post immunity threat to declare newscasters enemy combatants, and Vance’s  position on ignoring the Supreme Court all shout “Danger Will Robinson! Danger!”

From their statements it’s clear the Republicans have two proven flame throwers on their hands. When  Vance was a never Trumper in 2017 he pondered “if” Trump is “America’s Hitler.” But truthfully in these post attempted assassination days I hope we will see a return to decorum.

Regardless, SOTUS’s step away from historical  Constitutional Order certainly put the MAGA agenda one step closer.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

For some time now, I’ve read opinions on the Hub that have mischaracterized former President Donald Trump, misconstrued facts, and tried to present our ailing President as a well-meaning, moral figure that stands for the average American.

After the tragic event that occurred Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, where we were literally inches away from former (and likely future) President Trump’s gruesome assassination on live television, I thought it’d be an appropriate time to address some of the things that have been said here.

Firstly, the Supreme Court’s decision on absolute immunity was by no means some sort of radical decision that gives the President absolute immunity from all criminal misdeeds, as it was previously characterized in another opinion. The decision gives absolute immunity only to “official” acts taken by the President that may otherwise be considered criminal.

When President Obama approves a policy that leads to a fatal drone strike of a 16-year-old American citizen in Yemen, that is considered an “official” act taken by the President, and the President is therefore immune from prosecution. If a private citizen, such as you or I, were to order something similar that led to the death of someone else, we would be criminally liable because we’re in no such position to make that decision.

This type of immunity is essential for the President to have or there’d be prosecutions left and right for their actions while in office. The Supreme Court, however, does not extend that immunity to “unofficial” acts taken by the President.

When President Bill Clinton has an affair with Monica Lewinsky while in the White House, lies about it to Congress and the American people, and is held in contempt of court, this is not considered an official presidential act, and could potentially be punishable. This is the distinction – the President is absolutely immune from being prosecuted when it comes to official, legitimate actions taken while holding office.

The President is not immune from other, more private, personal actions that have nothing to do with the presidency itself. The reason that this decision was made was because we have yet to have a president be criminally prosecuted, let alone convicted, forcing the Supreme Court to make the distinction between acts that are immune and acts that are not.

Regardless, the notion that this decision allows whoever holds the title of President to do whatever they want without facing any consequences, a notion pushed in the dissenting opinion of the Supreme Court, is simply untrue and wildly misleading. Furthermore, comparing the court’s completely legitimate decision to the legislation that cemented Hitler’s dictatorship in Germany is absolutely absurd rhetoric that is damaging to both the political landscape of America and to the nation itself.

Secondly, we’re at a unique point in time where both individuals running for President have been President before. And in this case, it’s important to make the distinction between a “good person” and a “good president.” Whether you think Donald Trump is a good person or a bad person, I’d like to point out that when he was in office, the economy was strong, the Taliban didn’t rule Afghanistan, Ukraine wasn’t in an endless stalemate with Russia, and the Middle East wasn’t on fire.

For all the talk of how President Trump was a “Russian plant,” President Putin didn’t dare to invade Ukraine under his reign because President Trump’s reaction was not predictable and certainly would not be weak.

The problem for President Biden is that he’s neither a good person nor a good president. On top of his current incoherence and rapid decline in sentience, which we all witness on a daily basis, President Biden is and always has been a career politician that cares about no one except for himself and his immediate family. He is one of the only politicians in modern American history to somehow defy the meritocracy and fail upwards in his career.

He was a mediocre Senator whose only accomplishment was the disastrous 1994 Crime Bill, a man who failed to run for President numerous times, and a man who had to ride President Obama’s coattails to power.

No one likes Joe Biden. They just hate Donald Trump so much that they’d vote for anyone that opposes him, regardless of how incompetent and ineffective they are. Regardless of how foolish and weak they make our country look.

It appears we will have an election between two old men. But there is a huge difference between them. One old man can nearly get shot in the head, remain composed, pump his fist in the air in defiance of the attempt on his life, and be up early the next morning for a round of golf. The other old man cannot go a singular day reading off of a teleprompter without fumbling over himself and vomiting out unintelligible nonsense.

God Bless America.

Thomas J. Burgess Jr.

Medina

Editor:

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump is a Third World type tragedy. But no matter the particulars there is a lesson here.

This is a symptom  of our body politic and the normalization of threats to jail people, nonsense about misuse of the jury system, scapegoating and blaming innocent people, and the fiction there is a “deep state.” Stoking anger not peace.

This was wrong! Everyone ought to take a step back and remember this is the United States. We are the leader of the free world. We debate but are a free people with honest elections and use the rule of law to resolve differences.

We can not cannibalize our heritage but that is exactly what’s happening!

Normal people ought to remember simple decency is the keystone. It’s clearly getting lost and if we lose that we lose ourselves.

We must join together in condemnation and realize we are neighbors, not combatants!

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

Donald Trump gave a speech in 2022 saying  his former staff with the Heritage Foundation were working on his action plan for 2025. Now in 2024 when the plan was released he first said 1) he doesn’t know what 2025  proposes but 2) in the next sentence wished them luck.

I am not affected by provisions about birth control or IVF etc. but I am concerned about my Social Security, for example.

The Plan is equal opportunity. There’s something, somewhere, in this detailed blue print which will somehow bring hardship and misery to almost everybody except the very rich and powerful.

Of course, Donald never knows anything definite about anything until he does it. He seems he simply doesn’t want people to be freaked out if they read it and realize it’s radical and serious.

This makes me think that sometime I should write about how 2025 and the recent SOTUS absolute immunity decision overlap with the German Enabling Acts of 1933. They were behind Hitler’s stranglehold on Germany that led to WW II. (e.g. Above the law, consolidating  absolute control by installing tens of thousands of  followers in positions of power and being able to jail people by deciding they are enemy combatants.)

Or write about 2025 and how, while Biden hosted NATO, Trump countered by having Putin’s ally Viktor Orbán, prime minister of Hungary, over as a house guest. (In successive weeks Orbán visited both his “friends.”)

It appears we will have  an election between two old men.  But there is a huge difference them. One old man always brags, pounds the table about how terrible things are, and deflects and plays both sides – like not knowing about the Proud Boys and very similarly “2025.” The other old man you could have a pleasant time with drinking a beer.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Photo by Tom Rivers: Fireworks light up the sky and are reflected in Johnson Creek during the finale on July 4. The fireworks show was more than 40 minutes and capped off the 50th anniversary of the Lyndonville Lions Club’s Independence Day celebrations.

Editor:

The Lyndonville Lions Club held its 50th Annual Independence Day Celebration on Thursday, July 4th. Our fireworks display, which culminated the festivities, has become one of the largest shows in all of Western New York.

To commemorate this year’s milestone celebration, the Lions Club signed a contract with Young Explosives out of Rochester which was the largest in the company’s 75-year history!

The fireworks display is by far the greatest expense that the Lions Club incurs during these celebrations each year. It is only due to the response and support of area businesses, organizations and the general public that a show of this magnitude is possible. I would like to extend a sincere thank you to each of the over 50 businesses and organizations that made contributions toward this year’s show.

In addition, thanks to all those people who sent donations, who placed money in our Independence Day Firecracker Cans, who dropped money in the firecracker barrels being pulled along the parade route and who dropped money in the firecracker barrels on the school grounds. Once again, this year’s response for donations was awesome, in fact they were “over the top.”

To repeat, without the tremendous community-minded support of each and every one of you, a display such as this would not be possible. With your continued support in the years ahead, I trust that these displays may continue well into the future

Sincerely,

Wes Bradley

Lyndonville Lions Club

Fireworks Fundraising Chairman

Editor:

I would like to thank the following for being at and participating in the July 3rd Independence Day Celebration at Bullard Park: Keith Lutes and his bounce houses, KTJ Pony Rides, Karyn Papponetti, Steve with Jenna from Sun and Crow, Nola Concessions, DL Mugs, BK Kreations, Big Momma’s, Cool Rocks, Albion Masons, Eric Albro, Paeth Farms, Crystal Castle Bracelets, Wild Flour, Dan with the Balloon Animals, Last Call Cocktail, Air Raising Events, Rock Painting, Face Painting, Ace Hardware, Sav A Lot, GACRE Committee, Village of Albion Recreation Committee, Chicken barbecue cookers Tom, Dusty, Mark, Gary, Sacco Brothers, Trustee Tim, The Who Dats, Ryan and Company, Village Maintenance and anyone that may have participated that may have been forgotten.

We plan to have this as a yearly event every July 3rd. We would like to form a committee to raise funds for fireworks for the event. Anyone interested in chairing this is asked to email me at jgrillo3@hotmail.com. The community did a great job of supporting this event and making Albion proud.

Once again, thank you so much.

John J. Grillo

Village of Albion

Recreation Director

Editor:

Wow, what a week we just had here in our great county of Orleans. Multiple parades, fireworks galore, live music playing every night of the week and the list goes on and on.

Congratulations to all those clubs and organizations from all over the county that put forth that extra effort to entertain everyone. A special thank you also goes out to all the individuals that have been named in recent articles on the Hub about those activities. They have truly stepped up for their community. Locally, John Grillo for Rock the Park and Susan Oschmann for those amazing new basketball courts here in Albion are just a few of the many. How about all the folks helping this week with the Erie Canal cyclists, who happen to come from all over the world, awesome job!

There is so much more happening this summer in our lovely local county but you must pay attention. Look and ask around, then check out something new. 4-H Fair is coming in a few weeks too. The music continues to flow through the air waves every night somewhere in a town or village. Meet some old friends for an ice cream cone some night, check out a car cruise or be adventurous and go canoeing. Summer always goes by so quickly.

A thank you also goes out to those who donate their time and effort to organize those events to help the less fortunate, whether it is a medical need or disaster relief. It is amazing how many individuals step up when someone needs a hand.

Once again, a huge thank you to all of you who volunteer. You may not get the individual recognition but deep down within, you know that you helped someone and made a difference.

I love my town, my county and my country.

Jim Pratt

Albion

Editor:

I take this opportunity to publicly, personally and heartfeltly express my sincere thanks to every Republican who voted in Republican primary election. Whether you voted for me or not, thank you for exercising your right to vote and allowing the system to work and the people to decide!

Thank you to each of you who filled in the circle for me, indicating your confidence, belief and support for the job I’ve done for the past 34-plus years as coroner for Orleans County.  My heart is touched, and my spirit is renewed knowing that my fellow residents have the courage and intelligence to think for themselves and for recognizing the importance and necessity of experience and proper training.

Thank you to all my friends who took the time to help gather signatures for my petition to force a primary. This was a tough job requiring time and energy to obtain the 597 signatures needed. I was blessed with the combined efforts of so many people to have received 838 signatures.

I enjoyed the opportunity to visit with people who said, “Nobody has ever come to my door asking for a signature before.”  As I explained why I was not endorsed after 34 years, many eyes were opened and I hope the personal conversations encouraged many of the 1,993 people who voted for me, to go to the polls.

Thank you to all the unsung heroes who allowed me to place my election signs on their properties across the county. Thank you to all the committee men and women who, although not an officially endorsed candidate, still signed my petition and gave me their support.

Thank you to my friends and colleagues who wrote letters of endorsement for me, Judge James Punch, DA Joseph Cardone, Sheriff Christopher Bourke…your professional support will never be forgotten and has given me pause to give thanks for such great public servants and our personal friendships.

And finally, thank you to my dad, Bruce Schmidt. His constant support of my campaign, his undying efforts, (along with Lynne Williams,) going door to door to get signatures was never ending.

His encouragement to move forward, to keep going and to overcome the obstacles, is indicative of a consummate professional, a seasoned political operative, one who knows how to effectively campaign but, it is also indicative of a supportive and loving father…a title and position he has always held with his children.  I love you, Dad.

To all who helped with my campaign, I’m grateful and ask for your continued support in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

With heart-felt thanks,

Scott Schmidt, Orleans County Coroner

Medina

Editor:

To Mary Mager.  I had a Business Law professor at Cornell who stammered, stuttered and jumbled sentences that ran on and on.  I learned more from him than most because what eventually got out was valuable info. The content and relevance of what is said is what matters – not the presentation.

To Mr. Simon. You state that he peacefully gave up the reins of power? He never conceded defeat, he directly incited an assault on the nation’s capital to overthrow the orderly conduct of the governments business.

He tried to coerce a Georgia official to “magically find” 11,780 votes to artificially swing that state’s results. He has constantly invoked the “Big Lie” about a stolen election – to help keep our country divided and not thinking straight.

I’ll take a moral, honest man who has the fate of the American People at heart – even with some stumbling speech patterns – over a lying egomaniac, with empathy for only himself, any day!

Bruce Kirby

Albion

Editor:

Got back two weeks ago from Italy, my wife’s homeland, of which she previously, legally became a US citizen. No sooner here, our group decides to have a trivia contest, winner free meal at Red Lobster.

Well, in preparation, decided to watch “Jeopardy” for seven days, using Ken Jennings as my “coach.” I failed miserably! And with just cause. The international travel was 26 hours of uncomfortable “tourist seating.”

Caught a cold, (ten days to get an appointment with a doctor), felt Ken was overwhelming me with info on the categories on “US Borders”, “Foreign Policies”, “Inflation” (thank goodness “only temporarily”). I was over prepared and very tired.

My wife has defended me, “He’s the sharpest between 10 a.m. thru 4 p.m.” The dang contest was in the middle of the week at 9 p.m.!

Another conflict: I’m president of our local shuffleboard board. The talk is they want to get rid of me, I “shuffle” too much. And if I quit, the next in line for president is a woman who knows very little about my job. I am determined to hold my position at least till November.

As Walter Cronkite use to say “and that’s the way it is.”

Charles Woodworth

Englewood, Fla.

Mr. Woodworth is a former apple farmer in Lyndonville.

Editor:

After watching the debate the other night, I have been reading several letters to the editor saying Biden is the better candidate. My platform here is not to defend either candidate but to put forth the truth.

Biden’s cognitive decline has been obvious for awhile, and although the media has tried very hard  to camouflage this reality, there is no denying that the President’s missteps and paralyzed events are very alarming.

As we all know, Conservatives have said for months, Biden is unfit for the role of President.  However, after the debate debacle, many Democrats and independents are also seeing his fragility and incapacity. Panic is starting to set in.

It’s hard to imagine that behind closed doors, he emerges as a coherent and vibrant man. If that was the case, why would his son, Hunter, suddenly appear at his White House meetings? Only one answer: he wants to protect his father from more scrutiny and error.

I don’t see Biden getting out and aggressively winning over voters with enthusiasm and critical initiatives. Our border problems and economic instability are evident to most Americans.

The gut wrenching truth is he’s done.

Apparently Biden has been counseled by family and friends to continue his campaign. In fact Governor Gavin Newsom is heading East to meet with Biden. A governor whose failures in California include homelessness, early release of convicted felons, high gas prices, education failures (“According to statewide test scores released by the California Department of Education, two-thirds of students failed to meet the math standards, and more than half did not meet the English standards.”

Why would anyone engage with someone like that with a broken track record? They say “Birds of a feather flock together.”

It is never easy to steer a boat in a different direction, but to keep heading on the same path to disaster is nothing less than insanity.

Mary Mager

Fairport, and a former Albion resident

Editor:

Many Americans use the words “existential threat to democracy” when referring to former president Donald Trump’s actions on January 6th. Fine – for the sake of argument, let us accept that language.

Many Americans are using the words “existential threat to democracy” when referring to President Joe Biden’s incoherence during the June 27th debate. Shall we accept that language?

Perhaps there is a better question to be asked: Is President Biden able to fulfill his duties as commander-in-chief responsible for making truly existential decisions within 30 minutes to respond to a nuclear attack on America? I think not. With all due respect, let’s put it another way: Would you drive in a car with Joe Biden at the wheel?

Like Trump on January 6th, Biden is – at least for the moment – unwilling to do what is best for the country and resign.

Different circumstances between January 6th and June 27th? Sure. Granted.

Different outcomes resulting from January 6th and June 27th? Let’s hope not. For the good of our country, Donald Trump peacefully gave up the reins of power on January 20th, 2021. Will Joe Biden do the same?

President Biden should resign immediately, and Vice President Kamala Harris should be sworn in as president as soon as possible. Then let the November election chips fall where they may.

Jim Simon

Yates

Editor:

During the first presidential debate, President Biden enunciated numerous verifiable facts for those watching—and hopefully listening carefully to—the two candidates.  He may have been over-prepared.

Hardly any expert commentator has mentioned that—prior to the debate—Biden had been actively engaged in a grueling schedule carrying out the duties of the presidency.

As the analysts noted, however, Biden had an awfully weak debate performance. He lost his train of thought twice early on without successfully wrapping up two sentences. A bit later he said “Putin” when he meant to say “Trump.” That one got apologized for. Other gaffes were corrected.

But former president Trump had a horrible night as well. It was impressive that he adroitly avoided answering at least seven of the moderators’ questions. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash meekly tried—without success—to hold his feet to the fire. The former president’s success was amplified by dozens of misstatements dragged forth from the recesses of his mind.

What a shame that we get so caught up in the fault-finding that we miss the bigger picture.

Both parties have better candidates, but Biden is still the better choice in my view.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion

Editor:

During the debate, Donald Trump portrayed America as a nation terrorized by a wave of violent crimes committed by immigrants. Those statements are lies, period.

Official FBI data, which is collected from police departments all across the country, shows that we experienced a substantial rise in homicides in 2020, while Mr. Trump was President. Since Mr. Biden has been President, the homicide rate has leveled off and in the last two years has steeply decreased.

Furthermore, research from different institutions, has repeatedly shown that migrants commit far fewer crimes than U.S. born citizens. These are facts, they are public, and everyone can verify them.

Mr. Trump knows these facts and he outright lied to the American public. Granted, he lied with conviction and vigor, but he lied. I want to be totally clear, Mr. Trump did not just mis-state facts or statistics, he denied their existence; he lied.

It does not matter how often Mr. Trump, or his enablers repeat these lies they are still lies. Reality does not change because Mr. Trump and his enablers lie. Issues like crime, immigration, fair taxation, and economic policies are not going to be solved by lying.

Mr. Trump demonstrated he does not have command of fact-based reality. President Joe Biden, even with a cold and barely able to speak, demonstrated his command of fact-based reality. Mr. Biden has also demonstrated his dedication and resolve to making life better for the American people using fact-based reality, not fantasies.

Lying will not make America great.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

It was a shame Biden had a cold which made him look much older and talk way softer than Trump. On the other hand the fact checkers are going to have a field day with Trump. For example, the repeat nonsense about Pelosi and the Jan 6th film documentary was crazy as all anyone has to do is not fact check but instead watch it.

Of interest to me:

1) Trump did not deny he wants to impose across the board 10% tariffs which will raise the prices of what you and I buy at least that much. Then add extra profit margins and inflation and he did not try to explain away the economic disaster.

2) He did not deny he intends to withdraw from NATO.

3) He did not deny or explain why very few of his appointees will endorse him.

5) He did not deny the he and the Republican House want to cut Social Security 20% – to start with.

5) He did not deny he killed the bipartisan immigration bill.

6) He eventually admitted he would use his position to seek retribution.

7) He ducked women’s health and did not deny the current fiasco is on him.

8) He kept evading a simple yes or no about  accepting election results after all court challenges have been exhausted.

All in all true MAGA do not care about any of this even though he had plenty of time to address them but pivoted away.

On the other hand people with a sense of the history of American Democracy and concern about their economic and personal well being will care.

All in all a bad debate unless the viewer was very well read.

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion