To the Editor:
Re “In Portland’s ‘War Zone,’ Troops Menace” (column, July 26):
Nicholas Kristof’s column is simultaneously illuminating and terrifying. President Trump’s “Wag the Dog” scenario isn’t about a president declaring a mythical election-year war on Albania, as portrayed in the iconic film. No, Mr. Trump’s scenario is to declare a real war on American cities in a feeble attempt to save his presidency.
Real American forces and real American munitions are being used in Portland, Ore. — and undoubtedly very soon in other Democratic-led cities — as unpaid and unwitting people are being used as props and extras in Trump campaign commercials. We’ve already seen a few such commercials in which somber and serious sounding voice-overs tell us that this is what we can expect in a Biden presidency.
Does no one perceive the irony and the deceitful hypocrisy? These scenes are being filmed right here, right now, in the midst of a Trump presidency.
America, wake up — finally!
Mike Schneider
Truckee, Calif.
To the Editor:
Re “Cities Are in Bind as Unrest Flares Over U.S. Actions” (front page, July 27):
If I could reach the protesters in Portland, I would say:
While I sympathize with your demands and complaints, including the removal of federal forces from your city streets, I worry very much that your actions are helpful to President Trump’s appeal to parts of the electorate. Your protests might be hurting your cause. I recommend that you go home and work more effectively by:
Supporting the John Lewis voting rights bill in Congress.
Supporting voter registration and absentee ballot registration.
Supporting the campaigns of Democrats at all levels of government in the upcoming November elections.
Katie Wittenberg
Arlington, Va.
To the Editor:
Re “Who Gets to Be a ‘Naked Athena?,’” by Mitchell S. Jackson (Sunday Review, July 26):
I live in Portland, Ore. When I saw the video of “Naked Athena,” a naked woman striding majestically out of the darkness and into the glaring spotlights of the federal goon squad, I felt that I was witnessing a magical reawakening of hope. There she stood, proudly and unflinchingly, staring back at the anonymous camouflage-clad men. She was unclad and they were heavily armed, yet she represented the stronger force.
To me she was Aphrodite rather than Athena. She represented purity and love, which must triumph over unreasoning brute force.
Carol Benson Knutson
Portland, Ore.
To the Editor:
Coming from a family with a history of military service, we display both a Black Lives Matter sign and an American flag in honor of those who defended our liberty. Both of these symbols represent to us the continued pride of America’s past struggles and the will to evolve and fix what needs changing.
That is why I’m confused about why I don’t see the American flag used in the protests, or if they are being used, maybe the images are not being published. Federal forces would be less likely to engage violently with a protester holding an American flag or a Black Lives Matter sign with an American flag incorporated into the design.
The image of federal forces attacking an American flag would be powerful. Adding the flag to the protests may help keep them peaceful.
Dan King
Rockport, Mass.
To the Editor:
Re “Lewis’s Funeral Procession Follows His Footsteps Across Bridge” (news article, July 27):
Is there any difference between what armed, federally employed violent thugs are doing in Portland, Ore., and what armed, state-employed violent thugs did in Selma, Ala., on the Edmund Pettus Bridge 55 years ago?
Thank you, John Lewis, for your courage and bravery, and for your moral integrity on that day. You led us by your example then, and by a lifetime of examples of what it means to be an American, keeping alive decency and mercy, and the dream of a country with liberty and justice for all.
Stephen Tessler
Davis, Calif.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
