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TRUMP A DANGER It does not take a Mideast expert to discern the truth of what Gideon Rachman said two days ago in the Financial Times of London: “Assassination is not a foreign policy.” President Trump has taken the U.S. deeper into the nasty briar patch of the Middle East. After pulling the U.S. out of the Iran no-nuclear treaty he has sought by sanctions to crush Iran economically. This, he says is necessary, because Iran fights against us in this arena. Then suddenly the president orders the death of Iran’s most honored and beloved hero, General Soleimani. Certainly he has blood on his hands, as do we and most nations in that neighborhood. Yet his forces fought alongside our forces in defeating Isis.

The president said his action will save many American lives. To the contrary, his death will increase, not reduce, the risk to Americans there and perhaps around the world, possibly provoking war. In fact, he has placed a bull’s-eye on the back of Americans fighting there. Moreover, the assassination drives Iraq further into the arms of Iran as Iraq asks American forces to leave, allowing Isis to regain strength. This president is dangerous. Roy Wehrle Springfield

TRUMP MUST GO We have an unusual president. He tweets, talks and acts impulsively, incessantly. He has a public record of abusing truth, personal relationships and wealth. He now stands impeached for corrupting U.S. foreign policy and obstructing Congress.

His three years in office involve nonstop revolving doors at the National Security Council, the Departments of Defense and State, the White House and many other federal agencies.

He mocks historical allies, while expressing comfort with leaders of historical adversaries Russia and North Korea.

Last week, President Trump ordered the killing of Iran’s top general, equivalent to killing our Secretary of Defense. Also killed were an Iraqi host nation general and four others. He took this act of war without informing most congressional leaders.

This president will claim his three years of pressure point policies against Iran (without allied support) are working. The opposite is true.

Predictably, as a result of the president’s unilateral killings in Iraq, the Iraq Parliament voted to expel our troops. We may now leave 17 years of blood, treasure and effort behind in Iraq, with Iran the dominant influence there – a bad outcome.

Because our president is corrupt, impulsively reckless and for many other reasons, we must remove him from office, if not by Senate action, then in November. Joe McMenamin Springfield

GET A ROOM I couldn’t agree more with the editor’s note concerning pragmatic homeless solutions (Jan. 2). There are approximately five million hotel rooms in the United States, most of which are in urban areas. Vacancy rates average 40%, which means there are two million vacant rooms. That number is significantly larger than the number of homeless, currently estimated by some sources at 600,000 people. That’s more than three vacant rooms for each homeless person. If we could encourage public, private and charitable partnerships to provide vouchers for our homeless to rent unoccupied hotel rooms, it would seem to be a win/win for all concerned. It would also provide for a scattered site solution since many oppose a large and concentrated homeless center in their backyard. Don Keith Chatham