The worst criminal in American political history  

I cannot believe that the most popular U.S. presidential candidate is Donald Trump, the worst criminal in American political history. In 2016 he received most of the votes from "Born Again Christians," Roman Catholics and other ignorant people. He is not "Pro Life" nor a Republican that I know.  I read and hear that he is praising Vladimir Putin, Kim Jung Un and other dictators. Where are the real political and religious leaders? I have a tee shirt with Jesus' sad picture that says: Jesus is coming and He looks PISSED!!! 

Mike Jaros – Duluth, Minnesota

There is a big difference

I’m having trouble understanding the letter “Contradicting reality” (Dec. 21 Reader). The writer proffers that there’s no difference between the front-running candidates of the major U.S. political parties. I wonder if he fails to see the difference because he is white, and perhaps he is also mainstream Christian. While I, on the other hand, can see a difference that may mean life and death for me. I am a woman from an immigrant Jewish family. I am one of the “vermin” Trump has quoted as ruining this country; he got it from Adolph Hitler, that’s true, but then Hitler got it from Henry Ford, who put anti-Semitic literature on the front seat of every car sold initially by the Ford Motor company.

Trump has said he will dismantle the justice system; Biden has not. This is no trivial difference. Trump has said on his first day in office he will use the military to repress any dissent in this country; Biden has neither said it nor done it. Trump argues that there is lying, cheating and stealing of elections in this country; Biden does not. And, I may add demurely, there is no data, that is zero, nada evidence that Trump did not lose the last election fairly and squarely.

And this is a BIG PROBLEM. He repeats and repeats unsubstantiated claims, which, as a cult leader, his followers accept as true. The key word is “unsubstantiated.” Repeating that there is evidence for his lies and never providing it is a dangerous trait. Inciting violence is another dangerous trait exhibited by Trump, not Biden. Promoting violence to overturn a typically fair and honorable election in this country is more of how he repeats and repeats unsubstantiated claims in order to foment and normalize violence. The perpetrators of violence in the U.S. Capitol, contrary to what Trump says, are not patriots; they are criminals and the fact that many are in jail is proof of the efficacy of the current judicial system.

No, I disagree heartily with the author of that letter, who said “It matters little (if at all) which of the oligarch-funded ‘choice’ we are given by the duopoly parties we vote for.”  Democracy is at stake in the next election and I hope that readers will educate themselves and make sure they understand the current critical differences between the major parties. 

Jan Karon – Duluth, Minnesota    

Do you want to know a secret about the supposed culture wars that Trumpers constantly scream about? Well, other than a general disagreement about how free our financial markets should be, and agreements with 45s version of the "facts, the secret is that (the culture wars do not really exist)! The vast majority of them were constructed by Republican Trump activists seeking to villainize Democrats and discredit Democratic leaders.   Have you heard about CRT (Critical Race Theory)--a scholarly examination of how racism shapes and defines the way our institutions and businesses have historically operated--which is usually taught in college or at the Graduate School level--well guess what?--no K-12 schools teach it, and few primary school teachers even know what it means. Yet the right has created a myth that big bad public education is out to hurt their children's sense of self worth by portraying the entire white race as the source of derogatory attitudes against African American citizens-- as spread by liberals who want to make their children hate themselves? But 0% of teachers are seeking to make primary school children hate themselves by simply explaining the causes and origins of the Civil War, or by recalling the many ugly decades of the Jim Crow south. However, neither those children's parents, or even their grandparents, created the institutions that work and function with inherent racism. They may have bought the idea that black people are inferior or largely criminals, but they didn't start the ball rolling--therefore how can those parents' children hate themselves for attitudes that did not even start with their own parents?   How about statues of Confederate war heroes? No doubt many confederate soldiers thought they were fighting for a righteous and noble cause. However, despite Nikki Hallie's initial claims that the real cause of the Civil war was to test State and individual freedoms, slavery was clearly the primary cause of the civil war, one which was hidden behind the issue of State's rights and personal freedoms when South Carolina attempted to secede from the union by using this bogus argument. Many plantation owner considered their slaves personal property that they could torture, kill and work without pay at will. However, several contemporary Republican state legislatures agreed to remove the statues of civil war leaders, and the US Congress passed a bipartisan bill that also removed such statues.  

What is the real issue? i.e. imagine yourself a Jewish Holocaust survivor in Germany--how would you feel if you walked past statues of Adolf Hitler or any of his evil inner circle, displayed as heroes at government locations? Would that be OK? Many ordinary Germans became cruel and dedicated followers of Hitler who believed that their cause was just, as well!  

And the criteria for appointing special counselors include;   "That the special counsel “shall be a lawyer, not in the government, with a reputation for integrity and impartial decision making, and with appropriate experience to ensure both that the investigation will be conducted ably, expeditiously and thoroughly, and...will be supported by an informed understanding of the criminal law and Department of Justice policies.”

Yet Trump now accuses his special counselor of working against him and he openly vilifies him? How about the notion that liberals have tried to remove God from the classrooms--yet another lie! Any student is free to say a private prayer at any location in their schools--what is prohibited is any attempt to force or require all students to say public prayers against theirs or their parent's wills. Students also have the freedom to form prayer groups composed of those with similar inclinations. They just cannot force others to attend!  

Please rely on common sense and realize that not one gay or one Transgender person is scheming to turn all other children into gays or transgenders. That’s really the last thing they want to do!--they just want the freedom to enjoy their own mental identification with the opposite sex, despite being male or female at birth! Most Trumpers insist on condemning radical left liberals for defending them, although the last thing any transgender, (or gay person want’s) is the power to dictate anyone's personal freedoms according to a biased yardstick of their own!  

Peter W. Johnson – Superior Wisconsin