Mash Notes, Hate Mail & Other Correspondence

To the Editor: Those of us who watched the invasion of our nation’s Capitol were horrified, but many commentators have reported it was shocking but not surprising. Many who watched Donald Trump campaign and “govern” didn’t have to be warned that something like this might happen. I have followed the growth of fascism in other countries since my pre-teen years. Political change doesn’t happen quickly. Authoritarians need to dehumanize their “enemies” first. I have seen this personally as many in my grandmother’s Jewish family were killed as a result of the work of authoritarian rulers. In New Hampshire, Dawn Johnson, a newly elected representative to …

Read more

To the Editor: The attack on the U.S. Capitol yesterday was a brazen attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential election results and to overthrow the will of the American people. It was an assault on far more than the U.S. House and Senate: it threatened the very foundation of our republic. We’re all shaken by this violent reminder of our broken politics and how urgently we need to find a way forward. Our problems have deep and complex roots that go far beyond electoral rules. But making our representative democracy work demands changing the incentives of how to get elected and stay in …

Read more

To the Editor: It is never right to celebrate war crimes. Regardless of the cause, it is wrong to justify the murder of civilians (men, women and children) in a war zone, just because the perpetrators are intimidated in a foreign environment that they voluntarily put themselves into. Pardoning someone who has committed such a crime, which under international law is a war crime, is an outrage and does great harm to the reputation of the United States worldwide including our military. But that is exactly what President Trump has done. He did this by deciding to pardon four Blackwater contractors, including Rochester native Evan …

Read more

Dear Editor: Film star George Clooney acts in and directed a made-for-Netflix movie not to miss. The Midnight Sky proceeds with a good cast of characters, and two settings: Antarctica and space. At the end the space sojourners, planning for return to Earth, must cancel. The view from their ship is not of a pretty blue and white orb. The view is orange and gray conflagration. Our lovely planet is in flames. Nuclear arsenals are a big mistake. We think pandemic is horrific—but our nuclear arsenals can deliver Armageddon on purpose or by accident any time. Fools we are, to let that continue. Grandmother here—I …

Read more

by Robert C. Koehler Our post-election hope couldn’t be more fragile. Does Joe Biden see his mission as merely reclaiming situation normal from Donald Trump? How aware is he of the big, beyond-our-lifetimes future and the crucial need to address climate change? Is he able to acknowledge that human “interests” go well beyond national borders? And if so, how much political traction would he have to have before he could begin turning vision into policy? A recent bit of news: The House just voted overwhelmingly in favor of the 2021 Pentagon budget: $740.5 billion. The vote was 335-78. More Democrats than Republicans gave it their …

Read more

[Note: A reader suggested that we reprint a column written by Art Buchwald circa October, 1972. The gist of it was that President Nixon had uncovered a massive plot to steal his Presidency; millions of people were expected to rise up against him on November 4th…. We were unable to locate that treasure, but found the following one in the Congressional Record. It seems equally relevant. – The Ed.] Mr. Blumenthal: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that [this] column be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: “Here Are Handy Excuses …

Read more