We are losing our democracy and dignity
This may have been the saddest 4th of July I can recall. Ironically, on a day we celebrated how our ancestors declared independence, choosing democracy over monarchy, we are living through a national nightmare and may be on the verge of losing the freedoms for which our ancestors gave their lives.
The Supreme Court of the United States has taken away the right of women to choose and crowned the president as king. These as well as other rulings make clear that the well-accepted doctrine of precedent may no longer govern legal decision making.
In addition, we continue to experience and suffer from the residual but significant consequences of the Trump presidency: Our government institutions are not viewed as legitimate, the concepts of truth, rationality and civility no longer guide political discourse, and public officials repeatedly escape accountability for their words and deeds.
Put simply, we may be allowing our democracy and dignity to slip away—and the great experiment seems in serious jeopardy. My wish is that in November we remember the true significance of July 4.
Given several landmark decisions by the Republican-controlled Supreme Court, as well as recent poll data following President Biden’s poor performance in the debate suggesting the increased likelihood that Trump will be elected in November, American citizens need to come to their senses and prevent our democratic republic from being destroyed and replaced with an autocratic dictatorship.
Unfortunately, the courts will not save us. Time is running out and we will have only ourselves to blame for acquiescence and inaction.
Richard Cherwitz, of Camas, Washington, Ernest A. Sharpe Centennial professor emeritus, Moody College of Communication
Imagining a Trump presidency
It was sad to watch Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and should come as no surprise that some Democrats are now discussing replacing him at the top of the ticket.
What should be more surprising is that Republicans aren’t asking the same question of their nominee. They’re embarrassingly endorsing a man who is completely untethered to facts or the truth, and who is arguably the most corrupt president in American history. No previous Oval Office occupant has been impeached twice, faced four criminal indictments, been convicted of 34 felonies, and found civilly liable for sexual assault by juries of his peers. A man who stole government secrets and obstructed their lawful return, tried to overturn an election, and incited the first attack on our capital since the War of 1812. A man who clearly has no respect for the rule of law.
And now the Supreme Court, a third of which is comprised of jurists given lifetime appointments by this same former president, has just created new legal protections for “official acts” performed while in office, i.e., presidential immunity. A concept found nowhere in the Constitution, and which flies in the face of the concept that no one is above the law.
Imagine what a second Trump presidency would look like. This is a man who promises to be a “dictator on day one,” and weaponize his department of justice to seek revenge on his perceived enemies, and has now been given “complete immunity” for past and future “official” acts. God help us.
Scott MacDonald, Higganum
