Dear Editor,
In his letter of October 21, Mr. John Reynolds seemed to take great offense at my assertion in an October 14 letter that the Democrat Party is leading America toward socialism/communism. While it was not my intention to give offense, and I apologize if I did so, I stand by what I wrote. Mr. Reynolds quite clearly dislikes Donald Trump, which is his absolute right, of course, but my letter was not an endorsement of President Trump. I never even mentioned President Trump or any other Republican candidate in my letter, even though Mr. Reynolds seems to think I hold Mr. Trump to be my “hero in the White House.” Rather, my letter was an indictment of the current Democrat Party as an instrument that is driving this country toward socialism, which I believe will ultimately prove fatal for this republic unless it is prevented. Mr. Reynolds may disagree, but he did not refute any of the points I made in this regard. Instead, he listed the many reasons he is opposed to the re-election of Donald Trump, which again, is clearly his right. While he may “deeply resent” what he sees as an implication in my letter that he and his fellow Democrats are trying to “establish communism in America,” Mr. Reynolds did not dispute any of the claims I made regarding the current tilt of the Democrat Party as a political establishment. If he feels I am in error in my assertions, I would humbly welcome hearing his specific evidence as to exactly why.
The parallels I drew in my letter between the Democrat Party of today and our progression toward socialism/communism were not drawn out of thin air or made as some sort of ad hominem attack on Democrats. The points I mentioned about Bernie Sanders, who was a leading contender for the Democrat nomination in both 2016 and 2020, were not made up. Neither were the parallels drawn between the Democrat Party and Communist Party USA. A perusal of their website shows that the CPUSA, which openly calls for the establishment of socialism/communism in the United States, fully endorses the Democrat candidates in every major election. Why do they do so? They are not running their own candidates, so perhaps it is because they see the Democrat agenda as a legitimate vehicle toward realizing their goals. If Mr. Reynolds feels this conclusion is in error, I ask that he please show me how. None of this should be taken to indicate that I hold the Republican Party as blameless, for in my opinion far too many times it has been complicit in the left-ward slide of this country, but it seems to me it is the Democrat Party that is running headlong toward the cliff of socialism, and they are asking us to jump on board. I read through the 2020 Democrat Party platform, nearly every aspect of which seems to me to involve enormously expanding the reach and scope of government and a host of economically unworkable programs that centralize power and undermine liberty. In my opinion, many of its proposals dovetail with the objectives and policy goals of the CPUSA. Mr. Reynolds is welcome to refute my conclusions.
Mr. Reynolds also claimed my letter spread “paranoia and misinformation” and then accused me of “demonizing” anyone who disagrees with my “interpretation of the Bible or how I think things should be in America.” I would ask him to explain how? Just as Mr. Reynolds is entitled to express his opinions regarding the fitness of Mr. Trump for the presidency, which he did quite colorfully, I am entitled to express my understanding of God as revealed in His word. If someone disagrees with my understanding of the Bible, that is their prerogative. The whole point of letters to the editor is that we can express our views on important issues of the day.
Mr. Reynolds ended his letter by stating that he sees a “conspiracy” to establish a Trump “dictatorship with absolute power,” but he did not substantiate the claim. Could that not be considered spreading paranoia and misinformation? He ends by stating perhaps that (a Trump dictatorship) is what ‘MY’ God wants. It seems to me that assertion, along with Mr. Reynolds’ suggestion that if someone wants “a bully, a liar, and a coward” as president, they should vote for Mr. Trump, could easily be taken as demonizing those with whom he disagrees.
David Robinette Jr.,
Patrick Springs