This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016

Too little, too late

So Republican state Rep. Allen Peake of Macon says that Donald Trump as the nominee “makes me incredibly fearful for the future of our party” (Telegraph, Aug. 23). Which raises the obvious question, “Where have you been all this time, Mr. Peake?” There was a long period when, if enough responsible Republicans had spoken up, Trump and the concomitant disaster for the Republican Party could have been turned back. Now that time is obviously long past.

I thought that maybe Rep. Peake had sounded the alarm before now and I missed it. But a search of The Telegraph’s online archive and of Google turned up nothing. It appears that, throughout Trump’s long ascendancy as an insurgent candidate, then through the crucial period around the decisive primaries in Florida and Indiana, then through the long period when he was “the presumptive nominee” but probably still could have been stopped, then through the convention and then for about a month after the convention, Mr. Peake chose to remain silent. Now, at this late date, he has discovered scruples.

Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard and staunch conservative, has repeatedly accused Republican officials of being cowardly for refusing to stand up to Trump. (Fortunately there have been a few noteworthy exceptions, such as Mitt Romney and Sen. Lindsey Graham.) And “cowardly” may be the word that history ultimately decides on as the best shorthand description of the Republican Party of 2016. At least Mr. Peake has spoken up, even if much too late, so he is not quite the spineless jellyfish that are most of his fellow Republican officeholders. But he is certainly complacent, and for anyone to regard him as courageous is ridiculous.

Now Peake says that “If I do vote for Trump it will only be because of the Supreme Court nominations.” Sorry, Allen, but if Hillary is elected and fills the court with justices who chart a liberal course for our nation for decades to come, it will be largely because of complacent Republicans like you, who failed to resist the Trump threat.

I believe that decades from now, in somewhat the same way the French for many years following World War II were judged according to whether they supported the Resistance or collaborated with the Vichy regime (or remained neutral), the Republican officeholders of 2016 will be looked back upon as either Trump collaborationists or courageous resisters. Peake appears to want to walk both sides of that street. But his late-breaking epiphany will not absolve him of the judgment of history. He wasn’t there when it counted.

Time to sign up

Oh boy, can anyone deny it is an election year? My advice to the voting citizens is to always remember this part of earth making up the territories of the United States of America does not belong to the U.S. government, visiting citizens of foreign soils, be they vacationers, visa workforce nor illegals living here. Territories covered and governed by the U.S. Constitution, belong to U.S. citizens who voted for and established the Constitution to provide justice, domestic tranquility, common defense, general welfare and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Therefore, since U.S. citizens are the only legal and authorized people to vote, we must fight to keep her. Voters need to choose wise leaders that will fight on behalf of our country, not party or any other entity.

My advice to the citizens of other countries given permanent resident in the U.S. by our government, also gave the gift of citizenship to your U.S. born children. If you have not applied for citizenship, you owe it to your children to become a U.S. citizen and give voice to your vote for the goodwill of your family.

Americans are loving, generous people sharing our country with those who visit her shores and those who need her help, but make no mistake, we must fight together to keep her from any and all who attempt to give her away or destroy her sovereignty.

Poorly built housing

I own a home in Bonaire which is structurally unsound. The building code in Houston County has a history of resulting in poor quality. I would recommend The Telegraph launch an investigation into the building quality. In addition to my home, several homes in the street have been poorly built. This us a story worth telling.

Another candidate for president

It would be a service to the public if you would begin to include Evan McMullin in your coverage of presidential candidates before early voting begins. He is a mainstream conservative who defends the Constitution and shows compassion for fellow human beings.

In just three weeks McMullin has entered the race and become an important player. He has experience in U.S. intelligence, business and working with Congress, and has lived in other countries such as Brazil and Jordan. His background shows that he is truly patriotic, religious, and a public servant.

McMullin is on the ballot already in several states. He is a serious candidate because of petitions, filling independent party slots, legal challenges, and utilizing write-ins where necessary, he can get enough votes to prevent the major candidates from receiving 270 electoral-college votes and be in contention to be our next president.

The website is EvanMcMullin.com and his Twitter feed, with links to many interviews, is @evan_mcmullin.

Take my chances

There has been some discussion about stopping your car using either the left or right foot. There is a little thing called the clutch. Now what? The left foot must be used for the clutch and the right foot for braking. I know, I know, no one has a stick shift anymore except maybe some hot rodders like me. Also, don't forget the sporty crowd. I'd take my chances (age 77) against the kids with phones in there ears no matter what foot they are using, if any.

This story was originally published August 29, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016."