Dear editor,
Christmas in July indeed! In many more ways than one. Jim Durand has an interesting perspective – he admits that Trump is a liar and science denier, but so are Biden and Democrats? I do agree that my letter and Mr. Harp’s piece were beautifully timed. I would also add that in the same paper there was a great piece by Ron Kern spelling out in wonderful detail some great government programs for farmers.
My goal here isn’t to convince Mr. Durand or others whose opinions are set. What I can do is provide my opinion, supported by facts, for others to read and do what they want with.
Fact: on Friday, July 26, Trump stated at the Turning Point Actions Believers Summit “Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.” Dictator words? You decide.
Fact: Republican and Democratic Senators worked together to create a strong comprehensive immigration bill – Senator Lankford led the Republican side of negotiations. This bill was supported by both Republicans and Democrats until Trump opposed the bill. The reality is that no bill is going to have everything both parties want – legislating is about finding common ground and compromise, not bullying.
Fact: The 2020 election was a secure and fraud-free election. There were 61 lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign – 60 were lost by Trump (one was an administrative issue). Chris Krebs, director of cybersecurity for the Trump administration, made a public statement about the security of the election, then was fired for contradicting Trump (dictatorial behavior).
When I was 15, I read a book called 1984 (this would have been back in 1971). At that time it seemed like classic science fiction – a good read, but nothing else. Who could imagine a world where people were monitored, history was changed to match the “reality” the leader wanted everyone to believe, and dissidents were punished – even killed. And yet, here we are.
I’ve reread 1984 a few times since, and it now seems to be much more of a warning to me. It was written in 1949 by George Orwell following World War II. The rise of Hitler was not an overnight thing – it took a few years and he won people over. There were warning signs that were ignored.
We now have a distinct contrast in this upcoming election – joy vs. anger, facts vs. lies, the future vs. the past. I didn’t think we would see a choice (or a contrast) like this in my lifetime. Put on your seatbelts – the next 11 weeks are going to be a wild ride!
-Linda Pottinger, Oregon
