Gov. Kemp is using COVID-19 for political gain
Two stories in the Sept. 17 AJC offered stark contrasts about attitudes toward vaccinations. In the first one, Gov. Kemp tries to re-establish the right-wing credentials that he lost because he performed his constitutional duty in the recent elections. In the story, Kemp says “people are going to revolt” and “mutiny” against vaccine mandates.
The second article says that Afghan refugees housed at military bases are being inoculated with the measles vaccine due to an outbreak. I have not heard any of them refusing the vaccine or demanding to return to Afghanistan.
Vaccines are everyday miracles that have been used for generations to eradicate or nearly eradicate many deadly or dangerous diseases.
The governor and his ilk are just trying to use COVID-19 for political gain. It is time to “stop the steal” of lives and to follow the advice of public health professionals.
ROBERT ABRAHAM, MARIETTA
History knowledge often based on ‘whitewashed’ lessons
The letter to the editor, “Attacking people of the past is a hallmark of Marxism” (Readers Write, Sept. 17), really hit a nerve. The writer states: “To be fair, one must judge people of the past based on the community and social standards of that day.” Based on that, we should not view as barbaric or racist what happened to Mary Turner near Valdosta in 1918. A racist mob lynched her, hanging her by her feet, setting her on fire, and slicing open her belly, allowing her near-term baby to drop to the ground. By the standards of any day, that racist, murderous act was wrong. But it was based on the community standards of that day. One must know American history to destroy or alter it. As a 72-year-old white guy born and raised in Georgia, I can attest that the history we were taught was never the truth. It was whitewashed in every sense of the word.
BRUCE GARNER, ATLANTA
