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Woke trees
Oregon official Mike Shaw was put on administrative leave for allegedly looking “beyond gender and identity in hiring, seeking only candidates most qualified for the job” (“Imagine, ousted for prioritizing merit!” Oct. 15).
The department’s former DEI strategy officer — who accused Shaw — most likely knew that she wouldn’t have gotten her own job based on her own qualifications and competence.
It’s a sad state of affairs when a hiring official is suspended for choosing a candidate who has the best skillsets and abilities to successfully perform all of the fundamentals required of a particular position.
One can only hope that the Oregon Department of Forestry’s methods of finding the right person for the job isn’t adopted by others when hiring the likes of a brain surgeon or airline pilot.
Judy Petillo-Eggert, Long Branch, NJ
Border exodus
US Border Patrol agents are threatening to resign from the federal agency should Vice President Kamala Harris win the presidential election (“Patroller ‘exodus’ if Kam’s new boss,” Oct. 16).
“I’m not doing this s - - t again. Four more years of hell,” said one fed-up agent. Another said, “Lots of guys who can retire will go. If Trump wins, they’ll stay.”
Imagine how demoralized these employees must be to reach this breaking point. This is a coveted job that after a few years of employment can earn one a six-figure salary with enviable benefits, yet these guys can’t make it to the mandatory 20-year retirement benchmark.
This is a national-security issue. The voters need to know that if Harris wins, the dangerous open-border situation will become even more dire because of lack of experienced manpower.
Luana Dunn, Medford
Gangland, Colo.
Thank you for the excellent article (“Media’s Tren downplay is ‘slap in face,’ ” Oct. 16).
ABC News host Martha Raddatz’s attempt to trivialize the violent takeover of apartment complexes in Aurora, Colo. by Venezuelan gang members by claiming it was “limited to a handful of apartment complexes” is beyond ignorant and offensive.
It’s like President Biden’s early 2022 claims that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be okay if it were only a “minor incursion.” We all know how that turned out. Raddatz should spend a week at one of those complexes and do some real journalism.
Charles T. Compton, The Bronx
Kid death tragedy
Unfortunately, drugs for psychological states all have side effects, and many worsen the underlying causes (“Husband of Boston nurse Lindsay Clancy insists he ‘wasn’t married to a monster,’ ” Oct. 15).
This can begin a cascading journey of more and more meds. The doctors who failed to properly diagnose this woman — who murdered her three children — are also to blame.
Eunice Farmilant, Arrey, NM
Protect police
The Post’s Police Bureau Chief Tina Moore wrote an excellent article (“Assaults on NYPD officers soar to ‘unprecedented levels,’ ” Oct. 12).
One problem is the district attorney’s office. It rarely indicts for assaults on an officer unless the officer is stabbed or shot. If the habitual criminal knows assaulting an officer results in prison time, the word will spread to other opportunist criminals as well. Our officers deserve our full support.
Billy Rath, Brick, NJ
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