Thankful for checks and balances, but tyranny is still a threat

I agree with Alex Beam (“Our (un) imperiled democracy,’’ Opinion, Sept. 18) that many encouraging examples of our democracy and, more accurately, our system of checks and balances, have occurred since the 2016 election. Indeed, Beam failed to acknowledge the most important one, i.e., the triumph of the voice of working-class Americans who have witnessed the demise of their jobs, respect, and identity, and turned their anger into victory at the ballot box.

However, none of the examples of our system at work take away from the threat of tyranny posed by Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric as a candidate and his rhetoric and action as president.

Beam misses the point of Timothy Snyder’s book. “On Tyranny’’ is a reasoned look at the parallels between the rhetoric of Trump and that of the demagogues who brought about the rise of fascism, Nazism, and communism in Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the book presents concrete steps by which ordinary women and men can ward off tyranny before it is too late. It is a must-read for anyone who values the importance of truth, the freedoms we enjoy, and the institutions that help preserve those freedoms, e.g., the courts, the laws, and the press.

James M. McKinney

Wellesley

Democracies have failed, lest we forget

I wish I could be as confident as Alex Beam that democracy hasn’t become endangered since Donald Trump became president. What concerns many of us are totalitarian tendencies that Trump displays, such as dismissing the media, insulting people who disagree, inciting violence, cozying up to Vladimir Putin, denying Russian influence in our elections, attempting to control the judiciary, constantly lying, and denying scientific realities.

Beam gives a few examples of how our democratic institutions are working, but he should keep in mind that democracies have failed, and there are no guarantees. If, as has been said, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,’’ we would be wise to consider the views of “On Tyranny’’ author Timothy Snyder and others who are concerned about Trump’s blatant assaults on our system of government.

Marjorie Lee

Wayland