To the Editor:
In 1956, during the Hungarian revolution against the communist regime, my family escaped and went on to live in the U.S.A. and we all became naturalized citizens. I still recall what my mother used to say about the daily life under the authoritarian regime in Hungary. She said that it made her and many others extremely mad regarding the blatant propaganda and obvious lies that government officials and government-controlled newspapers repeatedly stated. She said that authorities would look directly at you and still make the most outrageous falsehoods, similar to someone standing in front of a white wall and claiming it was black, thereby totally insulting the intelligence of their citizens.
We all thought that in a democracy such as in the U.S. this could not happen. Well, I now believe that we were absolutely wrong. Watching the video shown on the first day of the 2020 Republican National Convention, in which they claimed that only the Democrats, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo and others, downplayed the dangers of the Covid-19 virus, while President Trump “immediately” took action to ensure that this pandemic would be quickly and successfully restricted, felt like a déja vu.
How ridiculous can it get, considering that already over 183,000 Americans have died, and the pandemic continues to rage uncontrolled in many States. That video would be a laughing stock if it weren’t dealing with such a sad episode.
I am fortunate that my family currently lives in a country where its federal government has actually shown true leadership in trying to handle the epidemic, and I can ensure everyone that it completely contrasts with the chaotic way Trump and his administration have mis-managed it in the U.S. Don’t just believe there was a black wall in the background of that video. Think for yourself, and then you probably will come to the conclusion that that wall was in fact white.
Dr. Imre Somssich
Cologne, Germany
Imre:
We can only imagine the horror Europeans of a certain age must feel as they watch events unfold over here.
The Editor