Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Bullying is defined as the use of force or coercion on others who have no protections nor means of retaliation—a major modern example is the closing down of government by Mr. Trump. While the reason provided is that we need a border wall, the government workers on which he places the financial burden of the shutdown have no control over the wall.

Note that none of those that do are affected: Mr. Trump still receives his full salary and all the perks of office, as those do in Congress. I believe that Mr. Trump sees it as a monument to himself, akin to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore—the Trump Wall. In reality, it’s the Berlin Wall in reverse. To paraphrase President Reagan: Mr. Trump, tear down that wall.

John Sweeney

Cobbs Creek, Va. ...