To the editor:
The genteel civility of anti-Trump partisans and their gracious attitude toward fellow Americans who disagree with them is reflected nicely in the letters of Oct. 25.
Trump supporters are accused of supporting a “dictator” who “likes war,” who “threatens the whole world,” and has “disdain for democracy.” They are “clueless,” “childish,” “churlish,” support “barbarism” and “anarchy” and are compared to “termites.” We know what is to be done with termites. What precise policies would lead to these outcomes is not explained.
I wish to reassure the anxious and ill-informed that Trump, despite his vulgarity, bears no resemblance to real dictators. Unlike Hitler, who invaded 12 nations and was responsible for over 50 million dead, Trump invaded no country and never killed anyone.
I personally knew people who lived under Hitler and the Marxian socialist dictatorships of Russia and Eastern Europe. I worked with people in Central America, central Asia, and Europe who wanted democracy. Trump’s critics do not know what a dictator really is. I saw the blood-stained backpacks of students killed by Romania’s socialist dictator.
Personally, I will try to respect people who hold different views than mine because that is the American way and none of us are infallible. I suggest that Trump’s critics weigh the difference between what a person says and what he or she actually does.
John Locke and Montesquieu both believed that tyranny exists when the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are controlled by one man, or as it may be, one woman.
Rick Sirvint
Rindge