Opinion: Thanks to Alabama’s women, African Americans and decent people for defeating Roy Moore

To the editor: Dear Alabama:

A heartfelt thank you!

Respectfully,

A grateful nation

Wilma Tracy Nadeau, Los Angeles

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To the editor: To the African Americans who turned out in high numbers for the election in Alabama, thank you.

Democratic Sen.-elect Doug Jones brought you justice for the church bombing that killed four little girls in 1963, many years after the fact. You paid him back by helping elect him, the decent candidate, to the United States Senate.

To African Americans throughout the nation, look what you can do, and be proud.

Patricia LoVerme, South Pasadena

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To the editor: I went to graduate school in the South (Louisiana) in the 1960s and was involved in various civil rights activities. While the entire South was a civil rights nightmare, Alabama was the worst.

We used to say that the “New South” would begin to emerge once the Alabama state troopers stopped wearing the Confederate flag on their uniforms. The rejection of Republican Roy Moore and, by implication, our narcissistic and demagogic president provides some evidence the “New South” is beginning to emerge.

Hey, it only took some 40-plus years, but better late than never. Welcome to the rest of the country, Alabama.

Glenn A. Goodwin, Claremont

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To the editor: As fantastic as Moore’s defeat is, and as potentially game-changing the Democratic victory in deep-red Alabama is, I am left wondering how the election could have been so close.

Moore was so clearly a terrible candidate, especially but not exclusively because of the accusations of sexual assault made by several credible women. In a rational world, every eligible voter would have turned out and voted for Jones.

Of course, this is not a rational world; the Trump presidency makes that clear enough. So, I’m thankful for at least this victory.

Mike Greene, Tustin

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To the editor: Colin Kaepernick, who never registered to vote before protesting before NFL games by taking a knee during the national anthem, could learn a lesson from the African Americans in Georgia who came out in record numbers and voted to keep Moore out of the Senate.

While kneeling during the national anthem at football games has garnered widespread attention, it has done nothing to forward the Black Lives Matter movement, which seeks to address racial injustice in America.

In the 2016 election, African American voter turnout dropped by seven percentage points from 2012. Jones’ election is a good example of how influential the African American vote can be.

Shari O’Connell, Santa Monica

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To the editor: A great Republican president is said to have spoken about fooling all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but not being able to fool all of the people all of the time.

With the world watching and the country concerned, the red state of Alabama voted its conscience. It signaled not partisanship but a retreat to human values.

Rejecting our president’s lies was an act of courage. Bless the bravery of Alabamians who were among the first to put decency over politics.

Arthur Kraus, Venice

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