I would like to here and now thank longtime letter writer Larry Benson for his sound benevolent advice (“Don’t unsubscribe because of ultraconservative letters,” published April 6). Noted. Yes, I agree: We need to be vigilant in order to repudiate the malignant disinformation and misinformation viruses found in social media, on FOX News and in some of the Courier-Herald’s columns and “Letters to the Editor.” We need more upstanders in America right now.

Many Republicans in Congress and conservatives are throwing themselves into organized lying. They lie about what is important. They reject factual truths. They have eyes but they refuse to see. Their motives are devoted to the preservation of their power regardless of the price. My fear is that we are now living in an America where the parasites, bullies, cheats and self-promoters and their enablers and sycophants (Ginni Thomas, Trump, McCarthy, Blackburn, Cruz, Hawley, Cotton, McConnell, Gaetz, Clyde, Boebet and Taylor-Green, to name a few) use pretzel logic in order to champion their warped agendas and to do anything to hold on to power by undermining the institutions that make democracy; while the responsible, good and decent elected officials, their nominees and their constituents (e.g. President Obama, Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, Dr. Fauci and Supreme Court Justice Kantaji Brown Jackson) seem to continue to receive short shrift and ungracious treatment.

The authors of these ultraconservative contradictory columns and letters here put other people down to make themselves feel important (e.g. Jon Buss) because they irrationally feel threatened. They don’t care what happens to America and to other Americans so long as they aren’t replaced.

Coincidentally, my Courier-Herald invoice to renew my subscription arrived in the mail. I will renew my subscription; I promise. Mr. Benson – upstander, you are the best. Press on.

Stanley McKie

Enumclaw