Letter to the Editor: Warning lights are indeed flashing

To the Editor:

The pseudo-intellectual diatribe by the author of the letter in the July 4, 2018 edition of The Standard underscores precisely what the author claims. It is noted that two unwritten rules in the political arena have been particularly important: “mutual tolerance - the understanding that competing political parties accept one another as legitimate rivals, and forbearance - the belief that politicians should exercise restraint in deploying their constitutional prerogatives.” The entire letter is exactly the opposite of both.

There is a lengthy discussion of how other democracies have failed in the 20th century, based on a study by two Harvard University professors suggesting that just because the leaders of those democracies were outside the political mainstream the democracies failed. There is no proof offered that this was actually the case. I actually lived in Venezuela and Peru and saw no evidence of what he claims. Democracy did not fail in Peru.

The author is quick to compare the rise of Hitler to the election of Donald Trump. The author claims that the electoral majority actually opposed Hitler, suggesting that the same thing happened in the election of President Trump. This is another great example of how the Progressives distort facts to fit their own narrative.

The argument is made that the Trump presidency 1) Rejected in words or deeds the democratic rules of the game (but offers no proof); 2) Denied the legitimacy of opponents - as in baselessly claiming that their rivals were criminals (did not Mrs. Clinton break the law with unauthorized use of a private computer followed by destroying evidence?); 3) Tolerated or encouraged violence - as in praising or refusing to condemn acts of political violence (Is Maxine Waters doing precisely that?); 4) Indicated willingness to curtail civil liberties of opponents, including the media - as in threatening legal action or other punitive actions against the media. (Where is the proof that the president is trying to curtail their liberties - he is only asking for truth in journalism).

This accusation is precisely what the country does not need at this time. What we really need is for people like the author to recognize that President Trump really did win the election. The author seems to be joining ranks with Hillary Clinton and her clique in claiming that we should do away with the Electoral College. They all need to learn that the founding fathers were a whole lot smarter than present-day “Progressives”.

The author makes another argument that the refusal of the U.S. Senate to allow President Obama to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Judge Antonin Scalia is an example of a violation of those norms.  He conveniently forgets that the Republican party only followed what the Democrat party said should be the precedent for this type of nomination.

This is the same type of double standard we see from the Progressives today who are complaining about the separation of families on the Mexican border when they did not complain about it when it happened during the Obama administration.

The author plays the same lame cards that all Progressives play, that is accuse the President of being a liar, that he is attacking the courts, the FBI and DOJ, calling the press “the enemy of the people” and privately enriching himself from the presidency. The FBI and DOJ have recently been shown to have a built-in bias toward the president and his administration and the author obviously does not know that the president does not receive a salary from the government.

The author also notes that the role of Fox News serving as the propaganda arm of the Trump administration should be an alarm for our democracy. He does not acknowledge that NBC, CNN MSNBC, ABC and CBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine, Des Moines Register and Cedar Rapids Gazette are all carrying the water for the Democrat Party. There is no semblance of real journalism from any of those organizations. That should really alarm the author and all Americans, especially those who think as he does, for therein lies the real threat to our democracy.

I would say to the author and his acolytes that President Trump did win the election. There is no evidence of collusion on the part of the Trump administration with the Russians. There is lots of evidence that the Obama administration committed serious breaches of the law in surveillance of members of the Trump campaign and trying to entrap some of those same individuals.

Most of all, I would say to the author to appeal to those who believe as he does to put aside the acrimony and hatred and try to work to bring the country together. The Trump administration is not trying to change the Constitution. They are not trying to destroy our Democratic Republic. They are working diligently to bring about needed reforms in the country to make things better for all Americans, not just supporters of President Trump.

Lowell Engle
Harpers Ferry