To the Editor:
The Democrat Party has a long anti-democratic history; now it’s fielding Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) candidates who want to replace the American Constitution that protects our rights, and implement policies that will make American life more dangerous, less free, and much poorer.
Democrats use government to violate our rights or allow them to be violated. E.g., FDR refused to criminalize lynchings (Trump did in 2018), Democrats established poll taxes and tests to prevent blacks from voting, the KKK went unchecked, Democrat gun laws prevented blacks from being able to defend themselves, and Biden opened our border letting about 15 million illegal aliens flood our country despite the harm to millions of (mostly poorer) Americans and costing tax-payers about $150,000,000,000 annually.
Understanding that election integrity is needed to ensure majority (i.e., democratic) rule, 70-80 percent of Americans support requiring Voter IDs and proof of citizenship to vote. Nevertheless, Congressional Democrats oppose requiring the evidence needed to ensure election integrity. Apparently Democrat politicians don’t care about Democracy, only about winning even if that means cheating.
DSA supporters provide the energy in the Democrat Party; they defeated some, and threaten other Democrats to support their radical policies.
DSA candidates want to totally destroy our Constitutional Government. DSA Co-Chair Megan Romer and others identify DSA plans (https://tinyurl.com/4mfwuch4): eliminate the Senate and Presidency; defund: the police, ICE, Department of War, and prisons; open the borders; give amnesty and citizenship to all illegal aliens; and pack the Supreme Court (to change our Constitution and eliminate the Constitutional protections for our Freedoms, without the American people’s approval).
Democrat leadership supports and funds radical, anti-democratic DSA candidates.
If you vote for Democrats, you’ll lose our “Democracy,” and you’ll need to worry about losing your freedoms, prosperity, and becoming crime victims.
Vote Republican!
Don Ewing
Meredith, N.H.
Don:
Welcome back, we suppose. Presumably any wounds you may have incurred in your last visit have now healed. You do seem a bit rattled, though; your various gripes seem untethered to the passage of time.
You attempt to insult the memory of FDR, one of our greatest Presidents, by bringing up his strategic refusal to back an anti-lynching measure promoted by his wife, Eleanor. It’s true, he did not support the bill. He knew that if he did, Southern Democrats—outright white supremacists, most of them—would desert him, thus killing his New Deal.
Oh, dear! Did we just call a bunch of Democrats racists? Indeed we did, because they were. Welcome to history. Over time, of course, those charming good ol’ boys changed their registration from Democratic to Republican as the latter Party became increasingly reactionary under Goldwater and Reagan. It was Governor Reagan, by the way, who ended carry of loaded weapons in California by signing the Mulford Bill in 1967. He did it because he was scared spitless by the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
You claim that “70-80 percent of Americans support requiring Voter IDs and proof of citizenship to vote.” That is what the White House says, but have you bought any $Trump coins lately? An Economist/YouGov poll in March found that only 59 percent supported requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Voters’ concern over election integrity is the product of a decades-long propaganda campaign funded by oligarchs. The so-called “remedies” to this non-existent problem are essential components of their strategy. They bullshit the gullible into voting against their own interests, and suppress those voters who don’t fall for it.
Believe it or not, we also have concerns about the Party whose name you insist on misspelling. They’re just not the same ones. You claim that “Democrat leadership supports and funds radical, anti-democratic DSA candidates.” If only! Democratic leadership barely supports Democrats!
Democratic leadership is terrified of insurgent left-leaning candidates, and is trying to smother them with “consultants from a wide array of losing campaigns, from Dan Goldman in New York to Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow in Michigan and Colin Allred in Texas,” according to a September 25th piece at DropSite News.
You needn’t go far for evidence; it’s happening right next door: “After [Graham] Platner ran fiercely against AIPAC and Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the [Troy] Jackson consultants have brought in Impact Research, one of AIPAC’s top pollsters, to run polling for the campaign.”
You keep on being you, though, Don. How else will we know we’re going in the right—i.e., the other—direction?
The Editor
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Where is Shame Now That We Need It?
To the editor;
It has been my privilege to have voted in many elections over several years. During this time, I have voted for Republicans, Democrats and Independents depending on the candidate’s policies and character. This November, however, I will not vote for a Republican candidate. The reason is straightforward—the Republican Party has become a cult. Once, it could claim to be the Party of Lincoln; now, it is the Party of Trump. Before Trump, Republicans stood for a set of conservative principles that included fiscal responsibility, laissez-faire economics, free markets, strong defense, and an internationalist foreign policy. Republicans respected Constitutional institutions and norms and practiced bipartisan civility. After Trump, however, few of these values are evident. They have been replaced with blind loyalty to Trump and unquestioning support for whatever policy whim he may espouse, no matter how destructive it may be.
The slavish devotion to Trump might be forgiven if he were a leader that embodied competence and dedication to the common good. He is not. He is possessed by a toxic ego that elevates himself to the center of the universe so that he is constantly seeking personal gratification and glorification. Trump is an inveterate liar, twisting or contriving facts to his benefit. His foundational lie is that the 2020 election was stolen from him, a contention that any rational person rejects. Acquiescence to the lie has become a litmus test for any Republican wishing to gain good standing with the Party. Any Republican candidate must either embrace the lie or be shunned by Trump supporters.
Trump’s toxic ego has driven him to adopt foreign policies that an intelligent policymaker would avoid. Here are some examples: He has started a war with Iran that is unnecessary and lacks strategic vision. It has turned into an intractable quagmire, costing billions of dollars while wreaking havoc on global energy prices. Trump’s tariff policy is shambolic. Tariffs seem to be randomly assigned to friend and foe alike with the claim that they will make America rich. The fact is that tariffs are paid by Americans either as a tax on American consumers or importers. They will contribute to an already problematic inflation rate. To achieve geopolitical goals, Trump browbeats and threatens allies, alienating the very countries that we need to maintain prosperity and a strong defense. His ridiculous trade war with Canada is an example.
Trump’s domestic policies are equally damaging. He persistently attacks institutions and norms protected by the Constitution. He has assumed authoritarian power over federal agencies, treating them as his personal fiefs even in the face of judicial rulings against his actions. Based on his lie about election fraud, he has co-opted states’ rights in the attempt to gain control over the election process. All these actions threaten Constitutional institutions and democratic processes. Meanwhile, he has accumulated a personal four-billion-dollar fortune through grift and self-dealing taking advantage of his office.
Trump’s deranged actions have been primarily driven by his overwhelming ego. Yet, he could not have pursued such damaging actions without the support of Congressional Republicans who have either actively abetted or simply ignored his aberrations. Republicans in Congress have abandoned their oath “To preserve and defend the Constitution,” and sacrificed their moral responsibility to all citizens, to assuage the ego-driven whims of an authoritarian cult leader. They do not deserve re-election. Republican candidates that owe their fealty to Trump either lack the intelligence or the moral character to hold office.
Robert D. Russell, PhD
Harrisburg, Pa.
Robert:
More than a century ago, Vice President Thomas R. Marshall famously remarked, “What this country needs is a really good five cent cigar.” What we need now is a Hall of Shame, and we know just the place for it: the White House Ballroom.
We’re almost serious about this. Most Americans with any sense are so thoroughly sick of this Bozo that they never want to hear his name or see his face again. When we say, “We get that,” we’re employing industrial-grade understatement.
’Twould be bliss to be shut of his pumpkin-shaded face, his fishy-looking lips, and his Fiberglass™ toupee, but we’d give up that bliss for some preventive measures to safeguard our future, should we somehow survive this administration.
Resuscitating the concept of shame would be a step in that direction.
The Editor
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Correcting the Sordid Record
Dear Editor,
I hate to quibble, but two serious errors occur in the letters in your September 18th issue:
1) Rich DiPentima argues that the current war with Iran began 45 years ago. Actually, the real history of the conflict traces back to 1921 when an Iranian (then Persian) army officer named Reza Khan overthrew the hereditary monarch in a military coup d’etat, eventually having himself declared Shah, though he had about as much royal blood in him as I do. However, he was inordinately fond of Adolph Hitler, so in 1940 the Brits replaced him (with tacit U.S. approval) with his much more malleable son, Reza Pahlavi, the very same fellow the U.S. stuck with to the bitter end as he became ever more tyrannical and repressive until the ayatollahs finally overthrew him in 1979. In any case, thinking that this story begins in 1953 misses the true origin by about 32 years.
2) Meanwhile, David Snell refers to “this once principled and prosperous nation.” While I certainly applaud the bravery and decency of Major Jason Watson, I must point out that much of the prosperity of this nation was built on the labor of slaves and immigrants like eastern Europeans, Mexicans and Chinese, the latter of which were not even allowed to become citizens until the middle of World War II.
As for “principled,” Mr. Snell seems to be forgetting or is unaware of this country’s long history of unprovoked violence and broken treaties with native societies, the theft of half of Mexico under fabricated circumstances, the conquest of the Philippines by duplicity and false promises, the practice of “slavery by another name,” the Palmer Raids, the mislabeled McCarthy Era, the Nicaraguan Contras that Reagan called the equivalent of our Founding Fathers, the… oh, goodness, Principled?! This nation? How much space have you got? I’m just getting warmed up.
Bill Ehrhart
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Bill:
It’s a funny paradox, at least for those of us whose sense of humor is perhaps overly robust. Those most likely to take offense at the small selection of irrefutable facts you put before us are least likely to know any of them, but probably the loudest in their declarations of fidelity. Meanwhile, those who are aware of its frequently sordid record may be doing more than their noisy neighbors to improve it.
We would only add that this latter category includes both Messrs. DiPentima and Snell; they are, like yourself, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Editor
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Rights and Responsibilities
To the Editor:
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump emphasized freedom and U.S. sovereignty while dismissing the threat posed by climate change.
The principle of equal liberty calls on us to maximize our own freedom without interfering with the freedom of others. Human-induced climate change is causing sea-level rise by warming the oceans and melting land ice. Consider that millions of Bangladeshis are farming on land that is within a meter of high tide. Their freedoms should be meaningful as well.
Have we forgotten the horrific flooding in Nepal, where climate change has eroded glaciers and melted mountain permafrost, triggering a catastrophic collapse? These rapidly melting Himalayan glaciers feed rivers that sustain two billion people, many of whom live in India, Pakistan and China, which are nuclear powers.
How might President Trump’s view on climate change be different if he was the head of a small island nation, whose survival is threatened by climate change, even though it has contributed very little to global carbon dioxide emissions? What about the sovereignty of Fiji and the Marshall Islands?
Climate change helps create the very refugees Trump condemned in his U.N. speech. His militarized immigration policies have turned the United States into what investigative journalist and author Christian Parenti calls an “armed lifeboat.” Instead of cooperating globally or addressing the root causes of climate change, rich countries protect their own resources while shutting out the rest of the world.
Although liberty is a fundamental right, the flip side of every right is a responsibility. Indian scientist and activist Vandana Shiva points out that the “separation of rights and responsibilities is the beginning of any destructive enterprise.”
America has extraordinary power to shape the world, and the U.S. should embrace that responsibility through climate action.
Terry Hansen
Grafton, Wisconsin
Terry:
The American people, we have little doubt, would by and large agree with the moral policies you propose. The difficulty lies in getting our representatives in government to carry out the will of the people.
The compromises necessary to acquire political power seem, far more often than not, to ultimately require that those who have attained it serve instead the interests of the owners of the industries that are doing all the damage.
The Editor
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Incompetence 101
To the Editor:
The Navy’s 5th fleet patrols the Persian Gulf. Its home port is in Bahrain. The naval base there was home to 8,000 personnel and 1,300 family members. Then Donald Trump and Israel’s prime minister decided to start a war with Iran. Iran responded by attacking our military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones.
Today, there are only 100 personnel and no family members at the base in Bahrain. The 5th fleet has no port to use in the region. It is the reason the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was stuck at sea for nine months. It is likely that the naval base will never be used again because Iran can attack it at will.
President Trump calls the war small potatoes. Is it small potatoes when a country with no navy or air force can drive us out of our bases in the region and stop the flow of oil and natural gas from the region? Is it small potatoes that a president desperate to end the war can’t because Iran won’t let him?
Trump started this war claiming he was smarter than presidents Obama and Biden. He has proved the opposite and the country and the world are paying the price.
Walter Hamilton
Portsmouth, N.H.
Walter:
Dwight D. Eisenhower died on March 28, 1969, officially of congestive heart failure. Maybe so. Or maybe a time traveler went back and told him Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and Bibi Netanyahu had started a war with Iran.
Seriously—how has this man not been impeached?
The Editor
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Scratch This Guy
Dear Editor:
At a meeting with the Portsmouth Rotary club, Republican candidate for Congress Anthony DiLorenzo faced some tough questions regarding his thoughts on Mr.Trump’s policies and behavior. Considering that Mr. Trump has a 67 percent disapproval rating in New Hampshire, it was not surprising to hear Mr. DiLorenzo distance himself from Trump on issues such as tariffs and Canada. He is not the only Republican facing tight races to conveniently disagree with Trump on some issues, because they know doing otherwise will cost them votes. For example, even in the deep red state of Florida, the Republican candidate for Governor has removed all references to Trump from his campaign website.
Of course, we all know that politicians can say one thing during a campaign and act very differently once elected to office. While Mr. DiLorenzo may be sincere, the problem with electing a Republican to Congress has other major consequences. Having a Republican win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire could allow Republicans to retain control of the House and keep Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House. With that, we will continue to have a Congress that accomplishes nothing to help the American people, will continue to prevent any oversight and accountability of the Executive Branch and allow Trump to continue destroying our country and our relations with our former allies.
We must also remember that Mr. DiLorenzo was endorsed by Mr. Trump and, as such, has some allegiance to him. While Mr. DiLorenzo says he does not like everything Trump has done, when push comes to shove when it comes to tough votes, he will most likely support Trump to maintain his favour and support for his reelection in two years. Considering the damage Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have inflicted on America and the world, we cannot afford to allow them to maintain total control of our government.
Rich DiPentima
Portsmouth, N.H.
Rich:
By our reckoning, New Hampshire hasn’t had an automobile dealer worthy of public office since Hugh Gallen died in harness more than forty years ago.
The Editor
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Where is Beshear on Guns?
Dear Editor:
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, before a crowded audience in Gibson’s Bookstore, downtown Concord, N.H., elevated often flagging spirits. Ongoing false claims and Constitutional violations by Pres. Trump are such downers. Gov. Beshear was introduced by former N.H. Gov. John Lynch, who’d read Beshear’s debut book, Go and Do Likewise, its title being a quote from the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan: “Treat others with kindness,” rather than using government power for cruel acts. Gov. Lynch’s questions let Gov. Beshear relate personal stories from the book, then the audience asked more questions.
A surprising uplift for me came with an answer naming other Democratic governors who are, “as a team,” preparing for our 2028 election, so crucial for our nation’s success. The best of minds can resurrect the U.S.’s reputation abroad, and practice humanity here. Our tax dollars could be directed, as now they are not, to good uses.
I never got to ask my question, so I will here. An early question was about farmers and our food supply, facing barriers created by DJT. When I taught at a Massachusetts Community College, my student Michelle C., from Boston’s inner-city, told our class that, “where I live it’s easier to buy a gun than a good, crisp apple.” I would have asked Gov. Beshear about the plague of guns in this country, and the unnecessary gun deaths. He’d told of violent shooting deaths at Old National Bank in Louisville, and lives lost there, including of a personal friend. His book also discusses Charlie Kirk’s shooting death, saying it was part of “the price we pay” for our Constitution’s Second Amendment.
Where does he stand on the tough question of gun availability?
Lynn Rudmin Chong
Sanbornton, N.H.
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God Forbid They Act Like Christians
To the Editor:
Muslim Americans are our neighbors, coworkers and fellow citizens. They are entitled to the same full place in our national community as every other American.
Yet Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisc.) has said that Islam “does not comport with modern Western thought,” and that, when practiced as written, it is “a violent religion.”
That rhetoric isn’t limited to one person or one incident. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) wrote on X that “Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a trojan horse and a threat to national security and the republic.” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) also posted that “Muslims don’t belong in American society.” And Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) went even further, writing: “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he spoke with the members about their “tone and message,” but he declined to publicly condemn their statements.
These remarks do more than criticize particular ideas or policies. They portray an entire religious community—including families, students and public servants—as inherently suspect and outside the national “we.” That is precisely the danger Holocaust survivor Herbert C. Kelman warned against in his essay, “Dignity and Dehumanization.” Kelman wrote: “The central lesson that I have learned from the Holocaust is that we must never allow any people, any human group, to be excluded from our moral community.” For Kelman, a moral community is one in which people recognize obligations to one another.
Public officials should reject language that casts millions of Americans as threats because of their faith, and instead affirm the equal dignity and safety of Muslim Americans.
Terry Hansen
Grafton, Wisconsin
Terry:
We can’t say it’s true of all Republicans, but asking one in the MAGA cult to treat Muslims with the respect all human beings deserve would be asking a lot.
For one thing, you’d be asking them to put what most of them claim to be their deeply held religious faith above their political party. Not likely to happen, given their propensity for violating various Commandments.
As if that weren’t enough, you’d also be asking them to forego the pleasure of bullying someone who, in all liklihood, is in an inferior socio-economic position. You spoilsport.
The Editor
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“The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth.”
– President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877 – 1881), Diary entry, December 12, 1890.