Today's Opinions: Our favorite letters to the editor from 2021

Plus: Don't dismiss Josh Hawley ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for this newsletter Read online Your morning dose of Post commentary and guest opinions.     Each year, the post receives tens of thousands of letters from readers, from which we publish about 60 each week. Here are some of my favorite letters from the past year.  In her letter, sports referee and high school student Celia Quinn Barabanov described how parent and coach anger lead her to dash off the field after each game. These readers helped mourn the loss of editorial page editor Fred Hiatt by revealing the ways he touched their lives. These writers discussed the bravery of several Olympics-aspiring gymnasts in testifying about the abuse they suffered while training under Larry Nasar.  These writers defended women's advancement in college attendance rates against Kathleen Parker's column suggesting a societal ill causing young men to reject higher education. In the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, the United States recorded more than 800,000 deaths from the virus. Harvey Solomon walked readers through a visit to a memorial on the National Mall honoring those people. UFOs were in the news over the summer, and Kenneth Gubin looked for positive aspects to a possible alien invasion — past or future. In his June 12 Free for All letter. Arthur J. Horowitz noted the death of former senator John R. Warner and mused on the lost art of statesmanship in American politics. Noah Bein took a policy issue — gentrification in D.C. — and made it personal. In responding to a Michael Gerson op-ed, reader Maryellen Donnellan calls for an honest assessment of the Republican Party after the Jan. 6 insurrection. These letter writers were reacting to the horror of the violent insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Their words displayed the agony at witnessing an attempted overthrow of democracy. — Jamie Riley, Letters editor    Today's Opinions Don't dismiss Josh Hawley His alternative vision of conservatism is fast gaining traction among Republicans. By Henry Olsen ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Most evangelical objections to vaccines have nothing to do with Christianity In direct opposition to the Golden Rule, those who refuse the coronavirus vaccination show not Christ's radical generosity, but profound selfishness. By Michael Gerson ●  Read more »   After a year like 2021, we all need something to believe in If carrying an amethyst helps keep us upright and moving forward, that's good enough for now. By Susanna Schrobsdorff ●  Read more »   Mitch McConnell's un-conservative plea to the Supreme Court This is not a normal legal argument. It's certainly not a conservative one. By Ruth Marcus ●  Read more »   The 10 worst things Biden did in 2021 Winnowing this list down to just 10 entries was extremely difficult. By Marc A. Thiessen ●  Read more »   The big winner of 2021: American workers We are recovering faster than anyone expected. By Jennifer Rubin ●  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   What strange things does 2022 have in store for us? Take this quiz and find out. Predicting the future is hard, whether it's about North Korea, space warfare or presidential politics. By David Ignatius ●  Read more »   Pandemic tears of joy Amid the pain and loss of the pandemic, there are also joys — small, everyday pleasures that make me weep. By Catherine Rampell ●  Read more »     Editorial Cartoons The best Ann Telnaes cartoons of 2021 Ann Telnaes drew her takes on all of 2021's biggest stories. Here are her favorites. By Ann Telnaes ●  Read more »   The best Michael de Adder cartoons of 2021 By Michael de Adder ●  Read more »   Cartoon by David Fitzsimmons A guest editorial cartoon by David Fitzsimmons. Read more »   Get breaking news alerts, offline reading lists and more. Download the app     The Post's View D.C.'s increasing homicides should serve as a call to action for leaders There were at least 227 homicides in the District in 2021. Behind the grim numbers are the lives needlessly lost. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Testing the limits of morality with Haitian deportees The hemisphere's richest nation is deepening the anguish of the hemisphere's poorest. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »   Flying blind is no way to survive the pandemic. We need a powerful virus radar. The United States needs a comprehensive, real-time national system of viral genomic surveillance. By the Editorial Board ●  Read more »     Global Opinions The world's forgotten crises all got worse in 2021 The West's self-absorption has led it to neglect urgent global problems. By Josh Rogin ●  Read more »   In India, calls for Muslim genocide grow louder. Modi's silence is an endorsement. What is happening in India, where calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing are a centerpiece of our political debates? By Rana Ayyub ●  Read more »   The French left is missing in action. That's not only bad for France. The case of the missing left could have dire consequences for the traditional understanding of democracy. By Robert Zaretsky ●  Read more »     Try our new daily mini meta crossword It's a week-long adventure that connects a daily 5x5 mini puzzle with a special reveal on Saturdays. Play game   We think you'll like this newsletter Check out Follow Henry Olsen for email alerts every time Henry publishes a new opinion column. Sign up »

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