Right-wing terrorism on the rise, must be reported
In a headline today, your newspaper quoted Trump as saying Kenosha protests are “domestic terrorism” and it got me thinking so I searched the statistics and your archives on the treatment of
domestic terrorism, commonly defined as the “use or threat of force by non-state actors for political aims.”
In 2019 two-thirds of domestic terrorism was perpetrated by right-wing organizations and this has risen to 90% in the first half of 2020 as reported by the reputable Center for Strategic and
International Studies.
In regards to Kenosha specifically, the situation there has been dramatically inflamed with apparent murders by a Trumpist right-wing militia member – a clear example of a domestic terrorism
incident. It’s time to call out right-wing terrorism as a serious and quickly growing problem. Instead the media is obsessed with Antifa and anarchists although they comprise a small fraction of total domestic terrorism incidents. These movements get disproportionate coverage because they serve as useful distractions for Trump who amplifies this narrative through uncritical media.
In short, when you use the term “domestic terror,” you should report the actual state of affairs for your readers and not let any specific party redefine the term for you.
Mark Prat
Bozeman
We must be country of reason, governed by consensus
Dan Klusman’s recent letter is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. He accuses the mainstream media of liberal bias, yet he listens to Fox News, which has daily staff meetings to discuss how
their news reporting can most benefit the Republican Party. He listens to Rush Limbaugh who is free to bloviate and bluster solo for three hours without accountability.
My son-in-law listens to Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity and observes that they have a full hour to hold forth with their one-sided opinions without ever being questioned, challenged or held
accountable. He watches Fox News and finds its reporting extremely biased.
I trust the AP and Reuters wire services, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times along with NPR and PBS because these consist of top-notch professional
journalists who vet their stories before reporting them and mostly get it right. They are trained to ask the tough questions and think critically. True, they are highly critical of President Trump, but
the man needs to be held accountable for his destructive governance.
I also read “East Coast leftist columnists” such as David Brooks, Paul Krugman, and George F. Will because they are reasonable men with high moral standards who, like me, are exceedingly distressed with the current state of America.
Mr. Klusman is right about this: Rightwing capitalist conservatism has won over the American public, and we all lose if we fail to question this offensive ideology, especially its anti- environmentalism and its opposition to universal health care and to addressing climate change and transitioning to green technologies. This is not the America I want.
I want an America where reasonable Republicans and Democrats may disagree, but govern by consensus, respect rule of law, support liberal democracy and freedom, and craft sound policy.
Carl Esbjornson
Bozeman
With lawsuit, Trump looking to suppress vote
Let me get this straight. In the age of the coronavirus, mingling with strangers is dangerous, and few people want to volunteer as poll workers for the general election in November.
So Montana’s county clerks, Republicans and Democrats, made a formal request to Gov. Bullock that each county be allowed to opt for all-mail voting. He agreed to the request. Some counties
have chosen conventional elections at polling places, and others have chosen all-mail voting. Now the Trump campaign has sued Bullock for his decision, claiming it was an “illegal power grab.”
So we Montana taxpayers get to shell out to defend against this suit, while facing the prospect of being effectively disenfranchised, come November. This attempt to suppress the vote in Montana
stinks to high heaven. It should influence how we all cast our ballots – if we’re able to.
Gretchen Rupp
Bozeman
A true patriot sacrifices for others, greater good
I have been thinking about the patriotic sacrifices made by the home front Greatest Generation during World War II. In 1942, Bozeman architect Fred Willson wrote in his diary:
Feb. 1: Gov. requires registering with sheriff all fire arms
March 5: Radio states 22,000,000 cars are to be taken off of roads & highways & that people may have to turn their tires over to the government & block up the cars.
April 2: Radio reports sale of bicycles will be frozen at 11:59 p.m. too many being purchased for pleasure.
April 7: Washington states all construction work is to be frozen
April 22: U.S. coming up against rationing which will bring to people the idea that we are at war.
April 23: Motorists ordered not to drive over 40 mi per hour.
Then I think about those who refuse to wear masks to protect others from COVID, presently with more dead than the combat deaths in WWI, Korea, Vietnam, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
combined.
“The American cult of the individual denies not just community but the very idea of society. No one owes anything to anyone. All must be prepared to fight for everything: education, shelter, food,
medical care. What every prosperous and successful democracy deems to be fundamental rights – universal health care, equal access to quality public education, a social safety net for the weak, elderly, and infirmed – America dismisses as social indulgences, as if so many signs of weakness.” — The Unraveling of America by Wade Davis A true patriot cares about and sacrifices for the welfare of others, people he may never know, in order to serve a greater good.
Richard Brown
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letters to the Editor 9/13/20