Thank you for publishing Mr. Thatcher's opinion on Four Strikes Against The Press. While I don't agree on his position, it is important for various opinions to be heard.

I take issue with his four points on The Press' response to Trump’s tweet that media is "enemy of the people," as follows.

Point 1: We need to assume that the president of the United States meant what he wrote.

However, Mr. Thatcher says Trump using this phrase "does not correctly describe what he is trying to say." Thatcher further states that Trump's tweet was "not aimed at U.S. press/media as a whole" and "in my opinion...Mr Trump's comments were not aimed at the newspaper staffs who work hard on newspapers throughout the country" and to imply otherwise is "just utterly disingenuous."

If Mr Thatcher wants to spin Trump's words to fit his viewpoint, who is to stop the left from opining that Trump's comments meant something completely different? The way to stop these interpretive arguments is to assume that Trump, being an adult in addition to being the POTUS, said what he meant. Anything less insinuates that he is not capable of doing his job. Taking Trump at his word is not disingenuous, it is how adults communicate unless they have reason to believe a person is not trustworthy.

Classifying this comment as "marginally Leninist" is false. It is not only a direct quote from Lenin, this phrase has been used by many dictatorships throughout history, from Nero in ancient Rome, to the French Reign of Terror, to Stalin and then Lenin. Freedom of the press is required for democracy to survive.

Our Founding Fathers so valued a free press, that they made this the FIRST amendment. Trump's attack on the free press is a direct attack on our democracy.

2. Using DEFCON to describe this situation is hyperbole to underscore the seriousness of this issue.

3. Mr. Thatcher's ascertainment that "'mainstream press' carried the water for President Obama for the full eight years of his presidency" is false. Has Mr. Thatcher already forgotten the many attacks on Obama, often inspired by Trump himself, including the birther movement? Mr. Thatcher need only Google "negative press Obama 2008-2016" and he will find several mainstream press articles critical of Obama.

Also, who decides what is "mainstream press?" Does it include Bannon-controlled Breitbart, which today features a story titled "Only Crimes in Russia are from 'Obama Gang"? Or does it only include media that publish articles unfavorable to Trump?

It is the job of an informed electorate to be read multiple news sources and educate themselves so they can distinguish real news from fake news.

4. Just because Idaho is a Red State doesn't mean that the newspapers serving this area shouldn't post editorials that may be negative to Trump. An informed electorate needs to hear both sides of the story, as mentioned above.

Thank you.

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Pattie Strub is a resident of Coeur d'Alene.