Sound Off: January 24, 2026
Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.
Appearances matter
Some people are comparing U.S. Border Control Cmdr. Greg Bovino’s government uniform to past authoritarian leaders. Why are people making authoritarian comparisons? The resemblance people notice isn’t about a single regime or ideology — it’s about a shared visual language of power that has appeared across: Fascist Italy; Nazi Germany; Francoist Spain; Soviet and Eastern Bloc internal security forces; Contemporary strongman regimes. Different politics, same aesthetics—because the goal was the same: intimidation, hierarchy, and unquestioned authority. Democratic institutions traditionally move the opposite direction: restrained uniforms, standardized insignia, minimal personalization, and an emphasis on service over spectacle. Why does a modern democratic enforcement agency feel the need to borrow from the visual grammar of authoritarian power at all? That question alone is enough to make people uneasy — no further conclusions required.
Coddling criminals
All of you bleeding-heart liberals who compare ICE to the Gestapo make me sick. They are arresting convicted murderers, rapists, child molesters and child traffickers. If your child was the victim who was raped, beaten, tortured and murdered, would you want that criminal coddled, or would you want justice? Think about the victims! I just can’t comprehend protecting these criminals, even for the paycheck. Don’t forget the saying about karma.
County in chaos
It’s hard not to deny our country is in chaos right now. And why is that? Every night, our President finds some way to create a new self-centered headline. Invade Greenland; put tariffs on NATO, sue Jamie Dimon and J.P. Morgan for 5 billion; Have ICE bust into homes without warrants, call a group of people garbage, use the country’s DOJ to go after political foes, try to halt government spending to states that didn’t vote for him; these are all headlines in just the last week or so. I don’t understand how people continue supporting such craziness. Trump complains about polls that only show 30-40% support; I don’t understand how he gets even that much.
Churches
Those concerned about protests in churches might check out the documented cases of ICE actions in and around churches.
We need a favor
Please, Canada, annex Minnesota as soon as possible. This state, like California, is such a drag on this country.
Their leaders
Incredible that the three most prominent leaders in the Democratic party, right now, are the failed presidential candidate, the VP candidate who has made an enormous mess in Minnesota, and the governor of California, which is a liberal Nirvana that residents are fleeing.
Sports corruption
Duke’s quarterback reneges on his 2-year, $8-million contract. Now, next year’s prospects for the team are in the courts. More than a dozen college basketball players are under investigation for fixing games. Money has corrupted sports, again. Who wants to root for crooked hired guns?
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