The Kids Are Alright
Re “The Disrupters” by George Zornick [April 30/May 7]: This 75-year-old woman thinks these kids may be the way out of the mess this country is in. Moreover, those 17-year-olds can register, and the 18-year-olds can vote. Please, 18-year-olds, vote! Vote! Julia Nicholson frederick, md.
After Sandy Hook, I became a dues-paying member of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. I paid my membership for three years, but it all seemed to be futile, so I let my membership lapse. Now I have hope again. Jeff Fast minneapolis
The Lady Is a Champ
In “Stormy Weather” [April 30/May 7], Katha Pollitt, always thoughtful and timely, nails it again (pun intended).
Dallas Baird lincoln city, ore.
A History of Decency
As pastor of a church that has been preparing to open our doors to immigrants under threat of deportation and is supporting community through the Dane Sanctuary Coalition in Wisconsin, I celebrate the unique and groundbreaking coverage of Amanda Morales and her family in your April 9 issue [“209 Days Without Sunlight” by]. Thank you for sharing her story and connecting it to our lives. While I appreciate the mention of the 1980s sanctuary movement in the United States, that is far from when this practice originated. As described in Linda Rabben’s Sanctuary and Asylum: A Social and Political History, providing sanctuary to those in need has been part of almost every religious tradition for millennia, with cities of refuge and holy sites turned safe spaces described everywhere from the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament to American Indian and Native Hawaiian societies. We are continuing an ancient practice of struggling against brutal and violent tendencies for the good of life in the community.
Again, thank you to The Nation for joining that struggle.
Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets.
Now an undeclared, unauthorized, unpopular, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran has spread like wildfire through the region and into Europe. A new “forever war”—with an ever-increasing likelihood of American troops on the ground—may very well be upon us.
As we’ve seen over and over, this administration uses lies, misdirection, and attempts to flood the zone to justify its abuses of power at home and abroad. Just as Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth offer erratic and contradictory rationales for the attacks on Iran, the administration is also spreading the lie that the upcoming midterm elections are under threat from noncitizens on voter rolls. When these lies go unchecked, they become the basis for further authoritarian encroachment and war.
In these dark times, independent journalism is uniquely able to uncover the falsehoods that threaten our republic—and civilians around the world—and shine a bright light on the truth.
The Nation’s experienced team of writers, editors, and fact-checkers understands the scale of what we’re up against and the urgency with which we have to act. That’s why we’re publishing critical reporting and analysis of the war on Iran, ICE violence at home, new forms of voter suppression emerging in the courts, and much more.
But this journalism is possible only with your support.
This March, The Nation needs to raise $50,000 to ensure that we have the resources for reporting and analysis that sets the record straight and empowers people of conscience to organize. Will you donate today?
The Rev. Nick Utphall madison, wis.
Seeing Red, Feeling Blue
Late thanks to The Nation for publishing such careful research on the difficulties that Democrats, progressives, moderates, and others will face in the 2018 midterms [“The 7,383-Seat Strategy” by Joan Walsh, April 16]. By contrast, many liberal and legacy media are engaging in happy talk with their overly optimistic projections of a blue wave. Due to very effective redistricting and gerrymandering in Republican-controlled states, it will take a blue tsunami to regain control of the House, never mind the Senate.
Let’s have more stories on extreme gerrymandering and the 2018 election, and also on protecting our future elections from foreign interference. Even with a blue-wave federal election, it will take several years, if not generations, to overcome Republican control in the majority of our states.
Fiona McGregor san francisco
Our ReadersOur readers often submit letters to the editor that are worth publishing, in print and/or online.