Semi-fascist? Try `full-fledged’ | Letters to the editor; Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022
Semi-fascist? No — full-fledged
How dare the president declare MAGA Republicans semi-fascist! MAGA Republicans support a free economy and a free economy is not fascist; therefore MAGA Republicans cannot be fascist.
Let’s be clear: Fascism is authoritarianism. Fascism is totalitarianism, dictatorship, despotism and autocracy. It invariably favors the corporate elite. It is intolerant of racial minorities. It embraces nationalism. It desires to oppress all ideas and ideologies that are not its own. Fascists are determined to eliminate political opponents.
While scholars may disagree on the particulars, all agree that fascism is opposed to democracy. By what reasoning, then, are MAGA Republicans not fascist? Yes, the president misspoke in declaring MAGA Republicans semi-fascist. The modifier was completely unnecessary.
Ray Miller, Turlock
Dems use sneaky tricks
The Democrats are applying a two-pronged, unethical strategy during this year’s campaign. The first step is to help MAGA Republicans win primaries. As reported by opensecrets.org, political groups and nonprofits aligned with the Democratic Party spent nearly $44 million on advertising campaigns for Republican primaries to boost the profile of far-right candidates. James Carville, Democratic campaign specialist, said, “The idea of a political campaign is to win; I don’t see any ethical or moral problem with doing this.” He is saying the ends justify the means. Such a belief allows for unethical actions to achieve a goal. The intent is to place on the ballot a candidate Democrats believe they can defeat. The second step is to attack Republicans as anti-democracy. An example is Biden’s speech accusing MAGA supporters of being semi-fascists whose goal is to destroy democracy and take away women’s rights.
Biden is not being truthful. His accusation stems from the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court decided the Constitution neither explicitly nor implicitly allows abortions. Consequently, the question of abortion has been left to each state.
We should compare each candidate’s policies instead of how they manipulate our feelings.
Richard Tassinari, Waterford
Is Trump a king?
The recent events at Mar-a-Lago, involving Donald Trump’s unlawful appropriation of classified government documents, have created quite a stir. There are those who condemn the FBI’s search and seizure as governmental overreach. There are also those who argue that a law was broken and there must be accountability.
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense: “For as in absolute governments the king is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king and there ought to be no other.” I was reminded of Paine’s argument when watching the Mar-a-Lago drama unfold. The disputes about classified papers have been long-winded and complex. There may be an indictment; there may not. One comment by Trump a few weeks ago caught my eye. It is a simple statement yet profound in its implications. He is reported to have said, when the boxes of documents were carried away, “It’s not theirs; it’s mine.”
When president, Donald Trump acted like a narcissistic autocrat. He was fond of saying, for example, “My attorney general,” “My secretary of state.” He publicly admired Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Is Trump a king, as he seems to believe? Or are we still a nation of laws?
Paul Neumann, Modesto
Just fooling himself
With regard to Donald Trump, the big lie, and why so many of his followers continue to believe him, the answer was recorded centuries ago in the words of the Greek, Demosthenes. In the 4th century BC, he wrote: “No thing is easier than self-deceit, for what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.”
Randall Brown, Turlock
Human life needs protecting
The fact that my faith teaches that abortion is wrong doesn’t necessarily make it a religious issue, or that I’m trying to impose my beliefs on others. My faith also teaches that stealing is wrong; it goes against the eighth commandment, however it is a matter of justice. It can also be a crime. If I say to someone, “Don’t steal,” I don’t think the person is going to respond, “I should have the freedom to steal. Don’t impose your religious beliefs on me.”
I am against abortion not simply because of my faith. That’s a factor, of course. But it’s also because of reason and science. Reason dictates that human life has dignity and needs protection. There is scientific data showing that “a month after conception, the DNA of the fetus is already there, and the organs are aligned. There is human life,” as Pope Francis noted.
It is a scientific fact that human life begins at the moment when the sperm fertilizes the egg. It is obvious that the fertilized egg is not yet a human being, but is in the process of becoming one. You and I are alive because our parents did not interrupt that process.
Father Misael Avila, Riverbank
Clarifying Modesto tax op-ed
Re “Look how much more we could do with a bump in Modesto’s sales tax” (Page 6A, Aug.31): In my Aug. 31 column I talked about the need for passing Measure H, our 1% sales tax. I stated that the state receives most of our current sales tax. If Measure H passes, 100% of the new tax stays in Modesto. None of the new tax will go to the state or the county. It will be used for major needs that we have in the city such as public safety, parks, trees, roads, and homeless issues. Measure H will keep us from having to cut more into city services.
David Wright, Councilmember, Modesto
Can’t swat ‘em fast enough
I belong to the communications app Nextdoor. Many of our neighborhoods have been posting about how bad the mosquitoes are. It is the worst I’ve ever seen and I’ve lived in Modesto for over 40 years. Not only are they biting at dusk and dawn but also in the daytime. They also seem to be immune to any type of spray such as OFF. People are getting bit up like crazy. The East Mosquito Abatement team can’t keep up with all our requests. With the diseases mosquitoes can cause, I’m really surprised that the state of California isn’t doing more to control this.
Mary Young, Modesto