Trump’s fairy tale is everyone else’s nightmare
Opelika, Ala.: Leonard Greene (“Kennedy Center forever,” column, Jan. 4) said wicked could just as easily describe President Trump, who increasingly proves shameful and shameless. Trump placed his name above President John F. Kennedy’s on the facade. To his everlasting dismay, that’s the only way he can exceed Kennedy’s eminence.
Legally, it required congressional approval for Trump to plaster his name above Kennedy’s. No problem — Trump has transformed Congress into a scarecrow. Maria Shriver lambasted Trump’s effrontery, deeming it beyond wild. His excessive self-love has him modeling a male dog’s behavior, marking his territory. In a similar fashion, Trump affixes his name to watches, shoes, a fraudulent so-called university, buildings, etc. But forcing his name onto buildings doesn’t make Trump significant. Instead, it manifests his staggering insecurity.
Two literary characters provide insight into Trump. The first is Humpty Dumpty, who said in a rather scornful tone: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” That’s Trump and his euphemistically so-called alternative facts. The second character is found in Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The story revolves around a vain emperor — imagine that — conned by two swindlers who were making him beautiful clothes that only the wise could see. Not “losers,” the most dreaded word in Trump’s vocabulary. He goes everywhere naked, but the lackeys froth and fawn, telling the emperor his clothes are beautiful, terrified to displease him.
Alas, a child exposed the collective delusion and the emperor’s nakedness. Marc D. Greenwood
One branch
Scarsdale, N.Y.: “Daddy, what are checks and balances?” Well, son, it’s a system where Congress, the judiciary and the president all share power equally to make sure the country is being run properly. “Daddy, what’s Congress and the judiciary?” John Kern
Revolutionary inspiration
Brooklyn: It’s clear that Nicolás Maduro is a bad man. He was a wanted criminal, and catching him alive so he can be tried is the right thing. Unfortunately, Trump has not shown consistent behavior. He pardoned a convicted drug dealer who was the leader of a foreign country that backs Trump, as well as ignored other countries whose leaders are also accused of dealing in drugs. I hope this ends well for both America and the Venezuelan people. However, based on history and Trump’s rhetoric, it doesn’t look likely. Talking about taking the oil for American use brings back the image of the ugly American. This image helped Fidel Castro become the leader in Cuba, Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran and Mao Zedong in China. I hope Trump is aware of history and does not repeat the mistakes. Alan Podhaizer
In over their heads
Flushing: These idiots, with Trump (Old Bone Spurs) being top dog, can’t run this country. They are going to run another? Joseph Gross
Missing context
Yonkers: To Voicer John Sendlein: I’m awed by your unbelievable lack of common sense in your inane, ridiculous explanation of what Renee Good did, and what anyone else would have done assuming it was a carjacking. You failed to mention that Good entered into an ICE frozen location — clearly identified by the word “ICE” on numerous agents’ uniforms, with weapons in plain sight — and, in her ultra-liberal, anti-Trump sentiment, proceeded toward the ICE agent standing in front of her vehicle, unfortunately paying a horrible price for her actions. You also failed to mention that her wife videotaped the entire event, as evidenced by the wife yelling, “It’s my fault.” Now, why would that apparently planned stupidity be filmed? Ralph A. Manente
Hostile force
Austin, Texas: After watching numerous videos and conflicting accounts of Wednesday’s horrific tragedy in Minneapolis, where a woman (Renee Nicole Good) was shot and killed by an ICE agent, we must wonder: Are ICE agents deployed by Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to America’s streets analogous to stormtroopers? What happened last week is what happens in authoritarian societies, not the United States. When agents wear masks and refuse to disclose who they are, they strip people of the basic ability to understand who is detaining them, under what authority and for what reason. It is an intimidation tactic, and it creates the conditions for violence, abuse and wrongful arrests. Richard Cherwitz
Undisciplined brutes
Brooklyn: It is impossible to take Noem’s assessment of the Minneapolis situation seriously. If her agent was experienced and well-trained, he would have known better than to stand in front of a moving car driven by a frightened woman on an icy street where she could easily lose control — especially as this was the second time he had a vehicle-involved incident. Noem is right that this was an act of domestic terrorism. The terrorists are ICE employees, and they work for her. Cutting Minneapolis law enforcement out of the investigation proves she knows the truth and wants to hide it from the public. Sorry, we already saw the tapes. Ilsa Ruthen
Oppositional defiance
Howard Beach: To Voicer Jeffrey Van Pelt: If you’re going to talk facts, then talk facts! Trump had nothing to do with the shooting of Renee Good. Although it’s sad that she was killed, she wasn’t an innocent bystander. She was blocking the street where ICE agents were trying to pass. She was told to pull her vehicle to the side of the street so the ICE vehicle could pass. She decided to violate the law by refusing a federal agent’s request. Then she drove away from the agents in a possible attempt to run one over. Either way, she broke the law. The people to blame are the political party (the Democrats) telling people to ignore federal agents. The mayor and governor of Minnesota need to be investigated for causing chaos in the streets, disobeying federal laws and causing riots at the expense of a deceased person. Nick Di Pasquale
Big Ag’s influence
Manhattan: Ever since the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs 1977 Dietary Goals for Americans recommended reduced meat consumption, the meat and dairy lobbies have battled nutritionists and other health professionals for the dietary soul of the American people. In the just-issued Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the lobbies won, with the misguided support of Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. Since the 1977 report, scores of other scientific studies, involving thousands, have clearly established a strong association between consumption of meat and dairy products and elevated incidences of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and certain types of cancer. No credible study has claimed the contrary. Moreover, if Kennedy is concerned about processed foods, his touting of meat and dairy products is misplaced. These products are plant foods that have been highly processed by the digestive tracts of pigs and cows. Nico Young
Bully boys
Kew Gardens: In many states, our government prevents women from making decisions concerning their reproductive rights. Also, the government has recently frozen funding for child care subsidies and cash support for low-income families. Taken together, these two governmental decisions diminish the rights and freedoms of women and are the epitome of male chauvinistic decision-making. Glenn Hayes
Going it alone
Manhattan: It’s never easy at first, but one learns ways to cope with anything. It was Christmas day. A beautiful tree was in this lobby where I live. There’s another outside my building. This friend I know in a building close by also lives alone. There are many people like us in New York City who have families living far away. They can’t be here. Restaurants are usually closed, the others, hard to find. Few food stores are open. Friendship, someone else with similar circumstances, is how one copes with this. Without someone who is there for you, life is somewhat impossible. Reaching out to others is the best way to live. Alan Lehrer
