Letters to the Editor
You know the Border Crisis in America is really interesting. Every day, I hear Trump, DeSantis and other Republicans complaining about illegals crossing our borders and coming into our country and ruining it, but what I find most interesting and ironic, is that our country was actually founded by what North American natives considered illegals coming into their country to take it over. Do you think we ruined it for them?
Back in 1823, the United States Supreme Court sided with two 15th century Papal bulls regarding native American land rights. The first one, in 1455, sanctioned the defeat and enslavement of non-Christians as “enemies” of Christ and called for the theft of their possessions.The second one, in 1493, established the “Doctrine of Discovery,” stating that lands not inhabited by Christians are available to be “discovered” by Christian rulers and also called for “Barbarous” nations to be brought into the Christian faith. So, based upon the tenets of these papal bulls, our Supreme Court in 1823 upheld that ownership of land ini the United States was derived from the Europeans’ “Doctrine of Discovery” and that Native American claims to their lands were invalid, opening the door for our country to steal their lands and turn their people into non-entities. How Christian!
One last thought. If you’re going to teach and preach American history, teach and preach all of it. Don’t cherry pick your preferences for your own political benefit.
MIKE EKLUND, Mercer, Wis.
David Zirin’s comments about banning trans athletes (“Banning Trans Athletes is Just the Beginning,” 4/15/23 TPP) left out an aspect that has been bothering me.
The claimed aim to “protect women’s sports” allows for hormone testing and body type conspiracies — but only for women.
How come there are no caps on the amount of testosterone a male athlete can naturally produce? We know males come in many sizes and shapes yet the ones who, naturally, produce a larger amount of testosterone are not seen as problems. They are not seen as having an “unfair” advantage in sports.
Yet a female athlete who naturally produces a slightly larger amount of testosterone is required to take a hormone supplement. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If women are to have their hormones measured, let’s start measuring the men and decide at what point they are enjoying an unfair advantage or suffering testosterone poisoning.
KALI KALICHE, Williams, Ariz.
Only those who want to keep the illusion alive that “war” can exist as its own entity would have an “Institute for the Study of War,” as the US does in Washington, D.C.
That armed conflict originating from nothing more than boredom could be a “war,” where all parties involved, even the bored “war” starter, would have the freedom to kill within the “rules” … if they can get away with it.
The Institute for the Study of “War” legitimizes anything that is defined as a “war,” regardless of what’s it about or who started it. It’s a “war” for all involved. Those with the best “war” weapons really like this approach, it keeps the belief alive that “war” exists as its own entity.
Anything can give you a “war,” the only right or wrong part is “war” crimes — get it, this is “war” existing by itself. That you can access the freedom to “war,” which is the freedom to kill, from just avoiding “war” crimes.
How do superpower “war” aggressors, like the US in Iraq and Russia in Ukraine, acquire the right to defend themselves — when Iraqis and Ukrainians have the right to defend themselves? Just how does this work? The Institute for the Study of “War should explain, but all they’re concerned about is doing “war” itself the best way you can, regardless of reality.
The Institute for the Study of “War” is a form of cult worship of “war.” That “war” can be obtained from just doing the physical act of “war.” When you’re a “war” monger, life is easy when you can write off all your encroachment, invading, provoking, aggression as “war.”
People tell me the studying of “war” is necessary for security and self-defense. All I can say to this is, the Native Americans and Iraqis didn’t study hard enough. There is no “war” people, sorry folks, it is impossible to obtain.
FRANK ERICKSON, Minneapolis, Minn.
Some fundamentalist Christians believe that humanity is now in the Biblical Tribulation. I, though a confirmed Episcopalian, would say it’s hard to gainsay their frightful idea.
People are addled and adduced as seldom, if ever, before — our politicians, functionaries and theologians contradict each other. Most of us have probably found that material wealth doesn’t satisfy and the modern science of psychology doesn’t quell our restiveness.
We frantically run hither-thither, as the Book of Daniel predicted — neurosis and psychosis preclude contentment and sleep. Maybe we are fed false doctrines because we insist on being lied to; we inherently can’t quite accept that our cherished opinions don’t matter.
WILLIAM DAUENHAUER, Willowick, Ohio
The April 4 election results in Wisconsin and Chicago confirm a growing trend over the past several months that the voting public is thoroughly repulsed by Republican bellyaching, belligerence, and balderdash. The party that has sold its soul to Trump and the Pandora’s box of horrors that comes with him has been beaten down by nearly every electoral test, great and small, since their Federalist court jumped the shark on abortion.
With each reversal, though, Republicans resolutely refuse to read the room. As is their wont, they will never admit to being wrong about anything; consequently, they double down more fiercely than before. This is why they and their followers easily abandon the field of rational debate and acceptable conduct.
Because they are unable to accept being wrong, Republicans thereby divorce themselves from the yoke of the law. They see only one practical application of law—to reward their friends and punish their enemies. The evidence for this is abundant; every Trump tweet proclaims his victimhood despite mountains of evidence against him. Concurrently, he calls for indictments of his accusers. This sets the tone for Republican governors and legislators from Florida to Wisconsin, and from North Carolina to Idaho.
Republicans can exempt themselves from accountability to the voters and the law for only so long, until voters put an end to it.
JEFFREY HOBBS, Springfield, Ill.
In her 4/15/23 letter to the editor, “Read the whole Bible for the whole truth,” Cheryl Lovely asks: “How does a Man decide what is ‘myth’ or ‘truth?’” and “Can one really pick and choose what to believe or not?”
Well, insofar as it concerns the Bible, Thomas Jefferson took upon himself the task of deciding what is myth or truth. And in his reconstructed Bible I found a masterful work of separating the wheat from the chaff.
In “The Jefferson Bible” there are no myths or miracles, but only the moral lessons which Jesus gave to humanity as his legacy — which Jefferson left intact.
And shouldn’t we ask whether belief in the supernatural is essential to make one more virtuous? I’d like to know how I’d become a better man if I believed in myths such as the ones that a serpent spoke to a woman, that a virgin gave birth, that a man walked on water … ad infinitum.
“Question with boldness even the existence of God, because if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of blind faith.” (Jefferson to his nephew Peter Carr on Aug. 10, 1785)
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
It seems to me the 5/1/23 TPP issue presents a good example of class based systemic inequality. Dean Baker (p. 11) and Joel Joseph (p. 15) explain how we, the taxpayers, bailed out the Silicon Valley Banksters, thus saving big bucks for the baronial managers who took risks and lost. Sonali Kolhatkar (p. 13) quotes our Chief Justice’s explanation about how it would be unfair for we taxpayers to bail out indebted students on the other end of the class spectrum who took risks and probably lost. So it is OK for society to bail out the barons but not the students.
A further indication of the Chief Justice’s possible class bias is his assumption that a college grad will “make a lot more” than a lawn service operator. This makes me question if the Chief Justice was speculating or has data to support this statement. The evolutionary history of the corporation that does his lawn service might show this assumption to be in error.
I find it disturbing that someone with so much power over the rest of us seems blind to the way our society actually works. Our Chief Justice is comparing a single lawn operator to an entire demographic of student debtors which seems like apples and oranges.
If “The American Dream” is not dead, as some claim, at an earlier time the bankster may have been a student in debt, as Ms Kolhatkar tangentially suggests. Thus by rising into a “higher” class a single individual could be first victimized then later benefitted by institutionalized inequality. It will take an economic analyst to determine if this is good or bad for society’s general well being. Of course it is possible the Chief Justice has already worked this out and knows the answer.
LOU SILEO, Kingman Ariz.
The origin of the world’s turmoils and its counter movement for the increased number of autocratic, fascist, oligarchic thugs who’ve grown like poisonous mushrooms worldwide are depicted in Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s book, “Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present”; and our nation is no exception to these scurrilous characters with their “culture wars strategies of divide-and-conquer mentality.”
The promoters and “societal stupidifiers” are primarily and predominantly male and men’s lies and propaganda with their centuries of disproven presumptive propositions pertinent to this imbued, inculcated nonsense needs to be immediately and expeditiously challenged with a movement of women aligned with caring and compassionate males/men whose awareness of evolutional historical facts and exposes of statistical factors understand that gendered interests are attained with “collaborative participation and societal betterment.”
The old adage pertaining, “United we stand, divided we fall,” is applicable to caring and compassionate “men and women.” Those words were never more applicable than they are today.
FRANK C. ROHRIG, Milford, Conn.
The article, “Haass’s Ten Civic Obligations Need Facilities To Address Abses Of Power” by Ralph Nader [4/15/23 TPP] was a great sample of his powerful intellect on our sociopolitical issues facing this nation.
I have long admired Mr. Nader on his depth of perception and have often wondered why no president as ever appointed him a cabinet position.
Citizens like Nader are an asset that needs to milked for the survival of democracy.
LARRY GINTER, Rhodes, Iowa
From The Progressive Populist, May 15, 2023
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