We must stand up now or we will bow down later

Donald Trump is striving to be the authoritarian dictator of a fascistic America contrary to many principles of the Constitution. He extols a “great” America that systematically excludes the rights of races other than white, religions other than Christianity and genders other than male. Authoritarian leaders like Trump, Orban and Putin rely on the fear-induced passivity of the citizenry, corporations and institutions, except for a group of rabid loyalists who ignore the obvious corruption of their fearless leader.

That’s why we must all stand up now or bow down later! It’s very easy to feel afraid of the oppressive ways of the Trump regime and his politicization of normally non-partisan institutions. Or to feel overwhelmed and confused by the blizzard of executive orders from a president who doesn’t know anything about how to get legislation passed in Congress. Huge tariffs today, gone or reduced tomorrow, reinstated in “two weeks.” These are the tactics of an authoritarian dictator, not an elected president of the U.S.

So, to those who feel intimidated to publicly express your disdain of the Trump regime or fearful of joining the millions who are actively demonstrating their opposition to an America where voting rights are suppressed, women’s rights are deprived, medical coverage is decimated, LGBTQ rights are eliminated, lawful, hard-working immigrants are illegally kidnapped and sent to other countries, scientists and researchers are heedlessly fired by a shadowy DOGE, and people are impoverished to further enrich billionaires, I encourage you to do something! You’ll find power and courage when you see you’re not alone. The enthusiasm and energy of demonstrators is contagious — see for yourself! Write to your Congress people, donate to democracy-defending organizations, join Indivisible, and talk to each other. We must not acquiesce to a wannabe dictator-king! That’s not what the USA is about.

— Kenneth Nova, Boulder

Hamas is not interested in semantics of antisemitism

Many recent letters have been discussing the conflation of the terms antisemitism and anti-Zionism, yet they are ignoring the reality of the definition of genocide. When throwing accusations against Israel, they ignore the fact that Hamas is actually voicing their desire to commit genocide against the Jews of Israel. That is exactly what the popular cry, “From the River to the Sea,” is about, to kill all the Jewish residents of the state of Israel inside the area surrounded by the invading Arab controlled lands. Over thousands of years, the Jews have lived within the State of Israel (created in 1948) but also in their historic land of Judea, which is literally from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. That is genocide, killing them just because they exist, on land where Jews always have lived.

As for the conflation of the terms in the politics of many atrocities, like the Oct. 7 attack on civilians within the State of Israel, most people are not actually differentiating and are using hate in the antisemitic form. The Jewish members of our community who were walking on June 1 on Pearl Street in support of the hostages taken on Oct. 7 were not Israeli, they were simply Jewish residents of the Boulder area and what they want is the release of those hostages. They were not intending to harm any Palestinians. On the other hand, this attacker wanted to harm them, just because they were Jewish and an available target in a public place, just as Hamas murdered so many on Oct. 7. They were “available” and they were Jewish. They were not interested in a lesson in semantics. In both cases, they wanted dead Jews. That is the ultimate antisemitism.

— Sara Mitton, Boulder

Join the Daily Camera’s Community Editorial Board

The Camera has several positions open on the Community Editorial Board and is inviting local writers to apply. The CEB members are volunteers who write every other week on topics of local interest that are selected by the Camera Editorial Board.

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