To The Editor:
I really liked Peter Oliver’s essay. My grandmother would joyfully remind me that I was born just days after Eisenhower became president. My father’s mother wouldn’t even call Roosevelt by name. She would call him, “that man.” All of my Republican ancestors would be appalled by this present day set of Republican lunatics.
Oliver’s essay made me think of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. She said, ”The dividing line in America is not between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.” Gov. Sanders was Trump’s press secretary for two years. Normal or crazy?
But this is the reason that we need to teach critical race theory-based history in K to 12 schools. We need to remember that Henry Ford was anti-Semitic and sympathized with the Nazis. Pre WWII there was a healthy Nazi party in the U.S. After WWII there was such relief stopping fascism in Europe that the racists and anti-Semites couldn’t openly espouse that terrible plague. It’s always been there though and now it’s, once again, out in the open.
And this is the reason I liked Oliver’s essay. The MAGA Republicans are a pre-fascist wave. When we see this human-made virus, we must call it out for what it is: racist, chauvinist, and anti-democratic.
Robin Lehman
Warren
