Letters to the Editor: These conditions put us dangerously close to civil war
To the editor: Columnist Nicholas Goldberg believes a civil war in the United States is not imminent. I think he is dead wrong.
We are already in what has been called a “cold civil war.” One only has to Google “list of militia groups in the United States” to see the large number of such groups at the national, state and local levels. The recent raids in Germany on a right-wing group allegedly intent on overthrowing that country’s government should be a wake-up call for us all.
A revolution happens when conditions are ripe for one — all that’s needed is a spark to set it off. There are several such ripe conditions in the U.S.:
- The failure of our federal government to meet the needs of its citizens.
- Divided government.
- Stark political polarization.
- The enormous number of guns in this country.
- The roughly 20% of Americans who think violence is justified to meet an important political objective.
- The huge role of money in our politics, turning elections into auctions.
- The large number of Republicans who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump.
These are risky times. Things are bad enough that I would not be surprised to see Canada build a wall to keep fleeing Americans out.
James Sullivan, Ventura
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To the editor: Goldberg outlines the dysfunction of the current Congress and its impact on the voting public.
Many Republicans holding office believe President Biden stole the 2020 election, abortion should be banned, LGBTQ+ Americans should be marginalized, individuals have a constitutional right to possess AR-15-type weapons and the list goes on. Most of these positions are opposed by a decisive majority of Americans
There is an agonizing, harrowing disconnect between Republican legislators and the American voting public. This will not change, and Congress will remain paralyzed until the voting public awakens to the fact that Republican legislators don’t hear them.
The solution is simple. Whatever you hear from a Republican running for office, don’t believe it and don’t vote for them. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said then-President Trump bore responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Later, he went to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to seek redemption, and he became a renewed Trumpist.
The simple truth is that Republicans cannot be trusted to serve the country.
Buz Wolf, Studio City
