Recently I watched on “Democracy Now” the speech of refusal given by Sacheen Littlefeather at the Academy Awards in 1972. She spoke on behalf of Marlon Brando, who won an Oscar for “The Godfather”.
As Ms. Littlefeather explained why she (and Brando) couldn’t accept the award because of the persistent mistreatment of Native Americans, some in the audience booed, including John Wayne, who had to be physically restrained, and Clint Eastwood, who later criticized her publicly.
Those two actors, well-known Republicans, gave us an early glimpse of the ugliness that suffuses that political party. Anyone who challenges the core Republican tenets of white male superiority and their God-given right to subdue and exploit others for profit is going to be attacked most vigorously.
Now, 50 years later, Republican hatred is in full bloom. It’s easy to discern what Tommy Tuberville means when he talks about “crime” as if it were synonymously a people whose epithet starts with “n”. Similarly, it’s easy for Mississippi to find money to help Brett Favre’s daughter’s volleyball career, but can’t find the resources to provide potable water for their majority-Black capital city.
How the Republican Party slipped from the lap of Abraham Lincoln into the arms of the Proud Boys is a puzzle for historians to solve, but my hunch is that it was helped along considerably by the power of corporate money. After all, who are the chief beneficiaries of human and global degradation that Republicans happily celebrate as “American Exceptionalism”?
JEFFREY HOBBS, Springfield, Ill.
Look, tell me what’s more logical and believable: the MAGA Christian parents who believe teaching “CRT” in schools makes White kids feel guilty about race relations and slavery, a part of American history that actually happened but in no way implicates their kidsd, as it shouldn’t, or, conversely, the same Christian parents who instill their religious beliefs in in their kids that tells them that they were born with original sin in their souls, a belief that directly implicates them as guilty for a part of their life that happened before they were even born and that they had nothing to do with.
You know, I’d sure like to hear one of the “Moms for LIberty” explain the difference.
One last thought: How many grade, middle and high schools actually teach CRT anyway? Or is it really just more of a looming threat to be thwarted by Republican MAGA Christians for political reasons because they don’t like its depiction of actual American history?
MIKE EKLUND, Mercer, Wis.
My curiosity has long been whetted by the political phenomenon embodied in Donald J. Trump. His hold over untold millions of educated and well-intentioned people is well-nigh mystifying.
Possibly nothing more than economic discontent or psychological fatigue has foisted Donald’s enduring prowess against the currents of media disdain. Perhaps nothing less than widespread exasperation with business as usual compels broad-based support.
Taxpayers’ eagerness for an alternative may induce a desperate enthusiasm — a flickering flame of hope amid those who feel abused and slighted. Fearful, irritated and frustrated folk are quick to seize an option.
WILLIAM DAUENHAUER, Willowick, Ohio
The most interesting aspect of the upcoming mid-term elections for me by far is the prospect of a Republican victory. And should the GOP prevail, how would the MAGA populists vote on popular issues like Social Security, unemployment benefits and workers’ rights in general, on Medicare, Medicaid, expanded healthcare for seniors, and expanded mental health care across the board, also, childcare for the unwed and unemployed. Will they vote with the people or with the mega-rich?
STEVEN ROSENZWEIG, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Every time you hear a Republican talk about lowering taxes, remember that the result will be less government services for you and your family and more ways for corporate America to reach into your pocket and take your money for themselves.
MURRAY SMART, Beardsley, Minn.
Three Top Secret documents were found in Donald trump’s desk drawer in Mar-a-Lago. They weren’t even stored in the unsecured storage rooms of Mar-a-Lago. Has the Former President, who was reported to own three passports, already spilled the beans? Has he already called people, possible foreign government officials, and told them what the documents said?
If anyone else had illegally stolen Top Secret documents and tried to cover it up, as trump and his employees have, wouldn’t the obvious conclusion be that this was the action of a spy engaging in espionage against our country? Wouldn’t we call such an ex-government employee: TRAITOR?
BRUCE JOFFE, Piedmont, Calif.
The recent epidemic of brutal, inhumane treatment of women that arose, triggered by the GOP-controlled Supreme Court’s striking down women’s right to abortion has put America back to the Dark Ages: GOP-led states now outlaw epileptic drugs for women over 14-years-old because they might induce abortion, leaving those patients to suffer with no concern; Idaho’s GOP has now discovered many ways to abuse their female citizens. We tut-tut Afghanistan for the way their women are treated, yet America now has “the log in its eye.” And those GOP-voters keep saying the Republican Party is the only one that protects them from abuse by Democrats—”I have a bridge you can buy on very reasonable terms.”
LEE KNOHL, Evanston Ill.
Re: “America’s response to the Holocaust: We can’t whitewash our tragically imperfect past,” by Dick Polman (10/15/22 TPP)
As we all know, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt designated Dec. 7, 1941, a “day of infamy” after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Another day of infamy, in my opinion, was June 6, 1939, when a committee of passengers aboard the MS St. Louis fleeing from Nazi Germany addressed a telegram to President Roosevelt asking for help to save the 907 Jewish passengers, “of which more than 400 are women and children.”
Our president never acknowledged that request, and when the vessel returned to Europe, the Nazis sent those Jews to their death camps. Hitler, of course, was ecstatic with the American president’s unwillingness to save 907 Jews. To him, it was proof positive that the US didn’t want the Jews any more than he did.
Most of today’s Christians won’t admit it, but at that time many believed (and perhaps some still do) that God sent Hitler to punish the Jews for not accepting Jesus as their Savior.
I’m not Jewish, but if I were, I’d be grateful that after two millennia, the learned cardinals of the Roman Council have graciously lifted their libel against the “killers of God.” How fortunate they are!
DAVID QUINTERO, Monrovia, Calif.
The “Methods of Beliefs” have evolved from inference, persuasion, coercion, to killing prior to the Crusades forward to date (2022), poisoning and politicizing of religiosity. The loss of morality within the sphere of religion is the resurgence of misogynistic racism and tribalism predicated on the demographic status and forthcoming minority status of Caucasians.
If all those who question the decision of our founders to determine via truth, facts and declare that our nation would be a secular nation whereby the “majority” of our citizenry would be the final arbiters of choice/preference in the decision-making process; and not the presumptive assumptions of religiously imbued belief unsupported without “factual reality”; but moreso suppositions unproven.
From our Puritans forward our nation/world has had characters that deviously utilized “religious beliefs” to manipulate the minds and behaviors of the naive, uninformed and gullible; from the likes of “societal scourges” such as Jim Jones, David Koresh and multiple others of similar repute, like the Alex Joneses of the world. Our cult reprobates of today’s world are more aligned with the growing numbers depicted in Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s book “Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present” are growing like “poisonous mushrooms” and are a danger to world civilization itself.
Throughout the annals of history, from our very first homo sapiens/modern man the imbued instincts and enhanced sophistication aligned with our survival instincts have proven throughout centuries of time that “our societal scourges” have defied, denied and outrightedly disregarded all that’s morally, ethical, respectful, fair, just and decent that are the attributes essential in a nation’s stability, security and cohesion in order to have faith in our future.
Males/men have been utilizing their creation of religion and their very first biblical precept Genesis “superior beings” B.S. to attain, retain, propagate and perpetuate his deemed dictates to hold “power and control” throughout every realm of societies worldwide; and to a growing segment of males/men has shown to be the substantiation in Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s book “Strongmen” as well as other authored verifications.
FRANK C. ROHRIG, Milford, Conn.
From The Progressive Populist, November 15, 2022
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