In reaction to President Trump’s failure to rebuke white nationalists for the Charlottesville violence, Kenneth C. Frazier, the black CEO of Merck pharmaceuticals, resigned from the president’s American Manufacturing Panel.
“America’s leaders must honor our fundamental views by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal,” Mr. Frazier posted in a tweet.
Never one to take the high road, Mr. Trump tweeted back, “Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to lower ripoff drug prices.”
It was only when other business leaders — the only people besides the military who can bend Mr. Trump’s ear — came to Mr. Frazier’s defense that Mr. Trump took stock of the inflammatory nature of his comments and finally condemned white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and members of the alt-right movement for inciting the violent demonstrations in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend.
In tragedies such as Charlottesville it’s the role of the president to set the tone for a national response.
For example, George W. Bush after the Sept. 9, 2001 attacks said: “America was targeted for attack because we’re the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.”
And again in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina: “To all who carry a burden of loss, I extend the deepest sympathy of our country. To every person who has served and sacrificed in this emergency, I offer the gratitude of our country.”
In 2012, President Barack Obama’s heartbreaking words of comfort came haltingly as he visibly struggled to understand why a gunman in Newtown, Conn., would choose an elementary school as target practice. At Sandy Hook elementary 20 first-graders and six teachers were gunned down.
In response, Mr. Obama said, “Each time I learn the news, I react not as a president, but as anybody else would: as a parent. … The majority of those who died today were children. Beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. … Among the fallen were also teachers, men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams. So our hearts are broken today.”
This is what we needed. Compassion in the case of Sandy Hook and Hurricane Katrina. Outrage in regards to 9/11.
And yes, Charlottesville calls for outrage.
Instead, Mr. Trump’s initial response was to say the violence was “very, very sad,” but then again, “There are so many great things happening in our country.”
Monday’s addendum  came across more as politically expedient than heart-felt. Yes, very sad.

— Susan Lynn

White supremacists — those who believe their pale skin engenders special privilege — incited riots over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va. Among the ranks in Friday night’s “Unite the Right” march were Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi members carrying torches, Confederate flags, swastikas, and chanting slogans such as “You cannot replace us,” “Jews will not replace us,” “Russia is our friend,” and “Blood and soil,” referring to the pro-Nazi ideology that by virtue of being born in the motherland one is inherently superior.
Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and scores others seriously injured Saturday morning when a car driven by James Fields, 20, of Ohio, plowed into a crowd of counterprotestors — religious leaders and other social justice activists.
In response to the violence President Donald Trump on Saturday placed the blame “on many sides.”
There are two things Mr. Trump cannot bring himself to condemn: Russian President Vladimir Putin and white supremacy. As to the first, it’s under investigation by a special counsel. As to being a racist, Mr. Trump built his brand by attacking the legitimacy of President Barack Obama’s U.S. citizenship, and by keeping alt-right nationalists such as Steve Bannon as advisers.
Mr. Trump has emboldened the alt-right to come out of the shadows.
It’s up to us to shine a light on their evil.

THE WHITE nationalists based their demonstration on the removal of two Civil War statues, referring to it as “white genocide.”
These kinds of people like to rewrite U.S. history. Let us remember Gen. Robert E. Lee’s battle for states’ rights was with the goal to overthrow the U.S. government in an effort to sustain slavery.
Memorializing such people is an affront to every person who dares to believe our U.S. Constitution was based on the premise that this is a country where people are created equal.
To say such statues and icons are necessary to remember our history is hogwash. Do you see statues of Hitler in Germany? Of course not. Because to do so would be a slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands who suffered by his hand. So no, we ought not to glorify those who fought to preserve the institution of slavery. We don’t hold rallies promoting white supremacy. And we don’t pretend we whites, somehow, are now being persecuted. As if we could even imagine.
What do we do?
We recognize that our history includes the ugly violence and dehumanization that is the system of slavery and Jim Crow, and we commit to doing and being better.
This is the power of the phrase, “never again.”

— Susan Lynn

Even if donations come pouring into the area’s animal shelter because of recent attention to its plight, they will not be enough to sustain it.
We know from history that periodic fundraisers are good for limited endeavors but cannot be an entity’s bread and butter.
That’s why Allen County commissioners need to adopt their namesake, the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility, into its budget alongside the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, the Allen County and Humboldt Historical Societies, Tri-Valley Developmental Services, the mental health and county health departments and many others.
From the get-go ACARF has been a money-losing venture. It costs more to vaccinate, treat and board animals than the center can feasibly charge those who either adopt the animals or drop them off.
ACARF is not here to make money, but to rescue abandoned dogs and cats — a commendable goal and what helps classify us as a progressive county, apart from those that turn a blind eye to their four-legged friends.
With a well-functioning shelter, we can help keep stray dogs and cats from roaming our streets and alleys, rural homes are no longer drop-off sites for unwanted litters, and with effective spaying and neutering services we can control our animal populations.
It wasn’t too long ago — 2010 to be exact — that the county’s city pounds were in charge of stray animals. Animals were given three days to be claimed. If not, they were euthanized.
Most of us regarded that as inhumane.

TODAY, the shelter is a fraction of what it could be because of budget cuts.
Commissioners should invite ACARF administrators to state their case and thoughtfully consider whether they deem it a county responsibility.
We’d venture yes.

— Susan Lynn

You know it’s an uphill battle for Moran’s market to survive when sales for Blue Apron, an online food delivery business, have increased 133 percent in one year’s time.
Blue Apron is the fastest growing retail business in the world today. Its premise is to deliver meals to your doorsteps — some assembly required.
Amazon has also entered the meal kit market, which some say has caused Blue Apron’s stock to drop.
The kits come with the ingredients to make a mouth-watering meal. Dinner for two ranges from $20 to $40.
The lure is that it saves time and energy.
Oh, us poor overworked people. We have so much on our minds that we can’t possibly think about what to make for dinner. We are so busy, so overwhelmed, that driving to market is simply too much.
We are so rich, that we don’t think about spending 10 times more than necessary for a meal.
We are so clueless, that we don’t consider that a business based in California is robbing that of an Iola, Moran or Humboldt merchant.

MORAN’S plight is the most desperate.
Faced with the imminent closing of Stub’s Market, locals are trying to raise funds to turn it into a cooperative owned by area investors.
This Marmaton Market Co-op would feature not only typical fare but also locally grown fruits and vegetables — an advantage over national chains like Walmart, for sure.
Most important, the cooperative would help ensure Moran, population 558, continues as a viable community.
As Moran resident Larry Manes opined, the three legs of every viable community are its school, post office and grocery store.
Membership for the Marmaton Market Cooperative are $100, but with a goal of raising $200,000 to purchase and outfit the grocery, organizers are hoping people will open their wallets a little wider.
Even if you never shop at the Marmaton Market, investing in it is an investment in Allen County.
Think of it as an early Christmas present.
For more information, you can email volunteers at themarmatonmarket@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page.
Oh, and dig out a cookbook.

— Susan Lynn