Readers write
Trump’s use of National Guard is disturbing
One constitutional purpose of a state’s National Guard is to protect the citizens from an ill-intended federal invasion.
While President Donald Trump cites questionable justification for his intention to invade Chicago (a “hellhole” of crime), he must first get permission from the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker. Otherwise, he is blatantly acting illegally, as a judge recently indicated he did when he “took over” Los Angeles.
These actions appear to be practice runs to test Trump’s disturbing encroachment into the military, which he seemingly views as his own personal army. Our country is, in reality, not functioning as a democratic republic anymore.
FRANK BRENNAN, ACWORTH
Ideology is problem for Democrats
Bill Torpy (“Note to Democrats: Messaging matters,” Sept. 4) discusses the recent push to have Dems stop using haughty, woke language, such as “cisgender,” “privilege,” “birthing persons” and “intersectionality.” If only the Dems faced just a language problem. The far bigger issue is the ideology behind the language, which has people fleeing the Democratic Party in droves.
At the core of the Democratic belief system today is oppressor-oppressed ideology, where every identity group is either good (oppressed) or bad (oppressor). People are sick and tired of being put into groups and then judged by their skin color and gender, or by what their distant ancestors did. Throw in the recent surge of socialism in the Democratic Party — see Mamdani, AOC, etc. — and you have a truly toxic stew of ideas.
The bottom line is that the Democrats’ language challenges reflect a much deeper problem — ideology.
DANA R. HERMANSON, MARIETTA
Messaging not the cause of democratic decay
I completely agree with Bill Torpy (“Note to Democrats: Messaging matters,” AJC Sept. 4). But to lay the blame on words like “pregnant people” for the chaos we find ourselves under the Trump regime is a bit over-the-top, isn’t it? Have you conceded all common sense to the dustbin?
There is something fundamentally wrong with our (former?) democratic society, and the degradation has been happening for decades. Let’s start with trickle-down economics and tax cuts for the rich that gutted opportunity for the common man. We were told the tax cuts would pay for themselves. They never have and never will.
How about the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that says, “corporations are people too?” Nonsense. The documentary “Vigilantes Inc.” highlights the organized voter suppression made possible by the Georgia governor and state legislation that is reminiscent of the Jim Crow days. If you win, it is fair, but if you lose, it is rigged? Is there no sense of decency left?
JOHN DUKE, COLLEGE PARK
