Beyond the Trump era

As the American political landscape languishes in a state of turmoil, it is sadly evident we have failed to learn from our own history. Journalist Sydney J. Harris noted, “History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done.” McCarthyism, an extension of the 1920s Red Scare in our nation after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, was an intense vocal campaign which relied on sensationalism and the use of deceitful, unproven accusations against alleged communists in the U.S. government and other institutions carried out by Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s. By the end of 1954, the nation and McCarthy’s colleagues had had enough, prompting Joseph Welch to discredit him … “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

McCarthy was censored afterward by the Senate and stripped of his chairmanship. Arguably, a similar parallel could easily be drawn today. President Trump’s paranoia about the legality of state election voting practices, a 10th Amendment power granted to the states, and fraudulent post-election validity claims underscore this. In a statement made by the president recently at a Georgia Senate runoff rally he asserted that if Republican candidates were not reelected the, “socialists and communists will win.” Similarly, others point alarmingly to the president’s post-election political behavior. To illustrate their concern, an analysis by the Brookings Institute reported that besides changes in 15 executive cabinet positions, President Trump’s “A Team” turnover by early November was 91% and 39% of those departures had undergone serial turnovers. Further, since the fall election, the purge of cabinet and government bureaucrats continues, especially for anyone who seemingly fails to pass the political litmus test of filial piety.

Unquestionably, 2020 is one for the history and civics books with the economic, political and social challenges facing the next administration in the balance. My hopes for our nation in the coming days were echoed in Gerald Ford’s remarks in his oath of office after the resignation of Richard Nixon. “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule … let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate.”

Anthony Johnson

Baker City

Biden’s deserves to be called the ‘President-elect’

Mary Andersen wrote a letter to the editor a bit back shaming anyone choosing to believe that “President-elect” Joe Biden should be called, or was in actuality, our President-elect. I am guessing that she was buying into the fantasy world of our delusional President Donald Trump and his unfounded, unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud … with not one shred of credible evidence! I hate to disappoint you, Mary, but the minute “all” the votes of your fellow Americans were tallied and President-elect Joe Biden received 81,139,495 “legal and unfraudulent” votes compared to Donald Trump’s 74,223,755 “legal and unfraudulent” votes along with Joe Biden capturing 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232, Joe Biden indeed became your “President-elect.”

Mike Meyer

Baker City

New city councilors need to act responsibly

I believe we can all agree that the most important traits for a leading body of representatives are honesty, loyalty, and self-responsibility. We should be able to trust that our leaders are doing their best to protect our health and our daily lives. So, why does the incoming council refuse to abide by these characteristics?

We are in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, the likes of which haven’t been seen in over 100 years. Regardless of your political beliefs, the facts are there. Over 1,000 people a day are dying from COVID-19. We are nearly at 300,000 deaths nationwide, and we have over 16 million cases. Even with a vaccine rolling out, we can expect this type of loss to continue well into the new year.

There are measures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. The science backs the use of masks and social distancing. It is not a government conspiracy, it is not the plot of sheep. Yet, several of the councilors-elect who will join the city council in January outright refuse to believe this. They stalk online forums, throwing in misleading information or anti-mask comments, often becoming a storm of anger against anyone who dare believe the science behind preventative measures.

This type of behavior isn’t just childish, it’s downright dangerous and reckless. Our leaders should be competent enough to follow current public procedures, the very procedures founded on extreme vetting of research and data. We deserve a council that has our best interests at heart, and that includes supporting the widely-followed methods of masks and social distancing.

If the incoming city council cannot honestly make their decisions based on public facts and research, how can we trust them to make any decisions that impact our lives? How can we believe they are fit for the job? If they cannot show the correct decorum, then they must be replaced.

Boston Colton

Baker City