Letter: It’s time to declare peace, repeal the Patriot Act

When our new president is sworn in this coming January, we will be nearing two decades of war — twice the time of the Greek siege of Troy.

It’s time to declare peace and repeal the Patriot Act which has created a police state.

It’s time for the federal government to stop the yard sale of military weapons to our police, dismantle private prisons, reinstitute the former DOJ police guidelines with federal funding to aid state, county and local agencies for a return to civilian rule. It’s time to remind those who speak of “outside agitators” that we are all citizens.

It’s time to reimpose post-civil war federal supervision of state elections to stamp out gerrymandering and voter suppression.

It’s time to mend fences with our neighbors by tearing down those walls.

Most importantly for us old folks, it’s time to concentrate on the road ahead and stop being hypnotized by the rearview mirror. That’s dangerous!

— Lawrence F. Lihosit,

Madera