Publisher’s Note: We receive hundreds of comments and can only select a few to publish in our Tuesday and Thursday “Reader Comments” section. Every article we post has social media links to start a conversation online and a “Comment” button to send a comment to our editors.

Re: Oh SNAP — More Judicial Diktats

“The current SNAP discussions remind me of something I witnessed several years ago. I was in the checkout line of a grocery store, and there were two women in front of me. They were buying quite a few pounds of ground beef and quite a few packages of hot dogs. They were talking about the cookout they were going to have. They paid for it all with food stamps. So much for needy people.” —South Carolina

“Thomas Sowell said, ‘Helping those who have been struck by unforeseeable misfortunes is fundamentally different from making dependency a way of life.’ I can agree. I needed SNAP once in my life. I was laid off, got in an accident, and then got diagnosed with cancer. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and I have never been against SNAP and other charities that help people in need. It is the professional leeches that game the system. They have learned that when you apply for help in one program, you are forced to apply for help in all programs. No way around it. So, people have learned like a rat in a cage. Push the right buttons and you will get fed. They learned how to push the right buttons to get SNAP, SSDI/SSI, Section 8, etc.” —Illinois

Re: The Courage to Stand Alone

“We tend to laugh at men being celebrated as ‘women’ on the covers of women’s magazines, but anyone who objects should speak loudly and clearly as Rowling did. Of course, for those in the UK who do not have her clout, they would be rounded up and arrested. Astounding what is happening in the UK.” —Washington

“When I was a child, my father told me, ‘Always stand, even if it means at times you may be standing alone.’ I never forgot that, and at times in my life, taking a stand has been costly. But I was never ashamed by the person in the mirror. We need to be mirrors for those who do not stand for truth!” —Oregon

“This was a great reminder that there are Democrats and left-leaning high-profile authors and celebrities who are not afraid to stand their ground.” —California

“Prescient and impactful political statements tend to come from the ranks of presidents and statesmen, but as unlikely as the source might seem, J.K. Rowling’s quote deserves an honored place beside the best of them: ‘If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you’re illiberal. If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you’re a fundamentalist. If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you’re a totalitarian. If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you’re a terrorist.’” —Georgia

Re: ‘Stand Your Ground’ Under Attack

“I have a concealed carry license, but I only carry when I know there is the potential for something bad to happen. I live in a suburb 50 miles from Chicago, but if I am not going anywhere near the city, I generally don’t carry. However, don’t take my not carrying 24/7 as me not watching my surroundings. I am not putting myself in positions where I might need my weapon. But if I do need it, I’m not afraid to use it. I know the law just about as good as a cop would, and if I have to pull the trigger, it will be justified and the recipient will be going down — I don’t miss.” —Illinois

“The SYG laws are a direct result of increasing violence against innocents coupled with lenient courts that promote violent criminals’ freedom to terrorize the public at large. As for the WSJ, I was a longtime subscriber until about a year ago, when the non-editorial stories it began printing were just as biased as those generated by the NYT, NPR, CNN, LAT, etc. I canceled my subscription and ignore the WSJ just like I do the NYT. Thankfully, biased yellow journalism is dying of self-inflicted wounds.” —California

Re: Trump Takes on ‘60 Minutes’

“I was so disgusted with the way ‘60 Minutes’ usually slants things that I did not bother to watch. Maybe they learned that Trump would record the interview again so they could be lampooned (again) for lying and editing answers. I have not heard what they left out in cutting the interview, but no doubt they cut as many of Trump’s responses as they could.” —California

Re: Debating Who Gets Deported

“We have to keep reminding people of the law against illegal immigration, and why we have it. Removing illegal aliens who commit other crimes should be the highest priority, followed by those who have become public charges, but to encourage self-deportation, we should deport other illegal aliens wherever we find them. A firm and steady policy of illegal alien removal will mitigate the low-cost housing shortage, reduce the cost of government, and make more entry-level jobs available.” —Minnesota

Re: Bill Gates’s Climate Epiphany

“I think the only reason he changed his opinion on climate is because AI will require massive amounts of electricity. These needs cannot possibly be reached with solar panels and windmills. So all of a sudden, he’s found the light. He’s a hypocrite — always has been and always will be. And from what I’ve heard, he was also good buddies with Jeffrey Epstein. Take that for what you will.” —Missouri

Re: Dick Cheney: Rest in Peace

“Douglas Andrews gives a balanced view of Dick Cheney, an honorable American statesman of integrity, even if many disagree with his Iraq war stance. Andrews notes Cheney’s antipathy for Trump but overlooks that Trump publicly ridiculed Cheney with unnecessary personal attacks (one of Trump’s worst traits is juvenile ad hominem attack and childish name-calling). That naturally led gentleman Cheney to view Trump with contempt and caused Liz, loyal to her father, to visceral TDS. For all his good instincts and worthwhile policies, Trump is his own worst enemy and cultivates unnecessary personal hatred of himself by many who otherwise might only disagree with his politics. Cheney’s style helped American civil discourse more than Trump’s.” —Minnesota