Letters From the May 3/10, 2021, Issue

Letters From the May 3/10, 2021, Issue

Letters From the May 3/10, 2021, Issue

Disability access… Where is the joy?… Calexit vs. the filibuster… Black sci-fi worldmaking…

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Disability Access

Re “Abolish Guardianship and Preserve the Rights of Disabled People,” by Sara Luterman [March 22/29]: I can speak to being in a school for the blind and visually impaired, having attended one for many years in Baton Rouge. Disability service systems are never designed to support persons with disabilities, but are about managing access to scarce resources.
David Faucheux
lafayette, la.

Where Is the Joy?

Re “The Lavish Pleasures of Natalie Wynn,” by Liza Featherstone [March 8/15]: Ms. Wynn is one of the few public figures who talk about cancel culture in a way that matters to me. I don’t care about Celebrity X or Pundit Y not getting a movie or book deal. I care about leftists going after other leftists, about activist circles getting ripped apart because we confuse our own painful dramas for attacks.

Vice President Kamala Harris gave a big tell that she wasn’t super far left in her acceptance speech when she said of the democratic struggle, “But there is joy in it.” I haven’t felt real joy from politics in a long time. I just want the left to work together for a better world and maybe for it to be fun in some parts.

James Jones

Calexit vs. the Filibuster

Nathan Newman makes a compelling argument in “The Case for Blue-State Secession,” but then he dismisses it as a “second-best solution” [Feb. 22/March 1]. Actually, his preferred solution of abolishing the Electoral College hardly has any chance for success, not to mention the adoption of a parliamentary system, whose superiority is demonstrated in Alexis Grenell’s column [“46 and Done,” Feb. 22/March 1].

The most realistic means for peaceful separation and avoiding another civil war is by a constitutional amendment. Convincing state legislatures or conventions to support this amendment is the best solution.

Walter L. Williams, PhD
California Independence Movement
palm springs, calif.

My own solution would be to abolish the Senate. Our system was poorly designed even for its times, but we are not going to become a parliamentary democracy, either. Filibuster reform is probably the most doable path.
Vince Slupski

Black Sci-Fi Worldmaking

Stephen Kearse does an exceptional job of placing N.K. Jemisin within the history of African American writers of science fiction and fantasy, even acknowledging both pioneers and current luminaries [“The Empire Is the World,” Feb. 8/15]. I was also pleased to see Christopher Priest included as part of that pantheon. Black creators who work almost exclusively on comic books or animated TV series, such as Priest and Dwayne McDuffie, are often left off lists of influential sci-fi and fantasy writers. Given that Jemisin herself now writes regularly for DC Comics, it makes sense for those names to be added to that conversation.
Dennis Doyle
st. louis

Support independent journalism that does not fall in line

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?

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