Editor,

Recent letters have spurred me to send you the following platitudes:

• Displaying a political sign in your yard is not the same as “yelling fire in a crowded theater.”

• No one likes a boot licker.

• It’s best to walk away when a crazy person starts an argument.

• The First Amendment is vital because it allows people to hear and understand the greatest threats to our Republic for themselves.

• Apologizing is a sign of strength, not weakness.

• America was not founded as a Christian nation.

• Compassion is a virtue, not socialism.

• Optimism can be toxic.

• Social security numbers and political affiliations were never intended to become identification.

• Repeating a lie does not make it true.

• There is no inconvenience greater than a dead planet.

• If you wait for others to solve your problems, you will die dissatisfied.

• While it might not seem like it, there is no virtue in victimhood.

• Treat others as you wish to be treated.

• It’s a lot easier to assign blame to the weak than it is to the guilty.

• Taking more than your “fair share” is contemptible.

• We should encourage people to pursue as much education as possible.

• Teachers are as valuable as doctors.

• If you are expecting someone else to take away some of the burdens of raising children, then you’ve had too many children.

• No one can control how a person chooses to think about things.

• There is no guarantee of a happy ending.

• Humans are biological creatures and behave accordingly.

• There are lots of bad places to live; Los Alamos is not one of them, so let’s do our best to keep it that way.

James Rickman
Los Alamos