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Letters to the editor

Trump’s affinity for authoritarianism

Marilyn Goldfarb Boalsburg Today’s autocratic leaders — in places like Russia, North Korea and China — don’t share the same ideology or politics, but they DO share the same thirst for power. Increasingly, the world’s autocrats are working together! “Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy, but by sophisticated networks…and technological experts who provide surveillance, propaganda and disinformation,” notes Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Anne Applebaum, in her book, “Autocracy, Inc: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World.” According to Applebaum, ...

Let history be your guide

Jack Strausser Elysburg One reason we study history is to understand how past decisions impact the world today. Leading up to WWII, one mistake we remember involved appeasement, a diplomatic strategy that involved making concessions to an aggressive foreign power to avoid war. At that time, Neville Chamberlain, prime minister of Britain, agreed to allow Hitler’s Germany to occupy the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia, in exchange for Hitler promising not to make any more territorial demands in Europe. But we know the policy of appeasement further emboldened ...

Never an autocrat in a democracy

Adrian A. Poynter Forest Lake, Minn. As a young observer of events in WWII, I was pondering how the 2024 presidential election would turn out if our forebears, known as the “greatest generation,” could vote. Do you suppose they would vote for a potential authoritarian after four plus years of sacrifices in WWII to defeat authoritarian regimes in Europe and Asia? And now I’m wondering — will our vote honor their sacrifices for us and preserve our democratic freedoms for the next generation? Consider: when you vote for a proven autocrat, you are voting to give up your voice ...

So what?

Richard London State College The recent court filing by Special Counsel Jack Smith reveals a very telling comment from Donald Trump. Informed that Mike Pence was under attack, with his life potentially in danger, DJT callously replied “So what?” At this point, Pence had already demonstrated his integrity and patriotism by refusing to follow Trump’s call to send various electoral vote certifications back to their state legislatures for “correction.” With Pence no longer of any value to Trump in pulling off his brazen election scheme, Pence’s personal safety was not ...

The legacy of lies

Gina Leon State College Lying has become so trendy these days that it feels as though we’ve been drawn into a muck of quicksand of all that is false. We fear we’ll never be able to pull ourselves out. Ever since MAGA Man descended down his glittering escalator and gave rise to the cult of Trump, we have witnessed one outrage after another. We become numb—discouraged and depressed, yes, but also numb. Year after year it becomes harder and harder to maintain the outrage. We dismiss his antics, countless lies, and despicable behavior with a shrug. “Well, that’s Trump, ya’ ...

Trump vs. Harris

Dennis H. Keller Altoona Sixty percent of Teamsters, most police organizations, the NRA and thousands of attendees at Trump rallies support Donald Trump for President. Trump will seal the border, strengthen our military, support Israel, restore our energy independence, save our steel industry and boost American manufacturing. Kamala Harris is an enemy of the First and Second Amendments — free speech and right to bear arms. She wants open borders, gun confiscation, electric cars, doubled taxes on capital gains, abortion up to 9 months, trans athletes’ participation in girls’ ...