Letters to the Editor: Don’t compare 1960s radicals to reckless House Republicans

To the editor: Jonah Goldberg’s column comparing the Republicans threatening a government shutdown to 1960s radicals rubbed me the wrong way.

The analogy ignores the fact that the two groups are significantly different in their goals. While these far-right Republicans cling to made-up conspiracy theories, in the 1960s young men were resisting being drafted into a human meat grinder of a war in the jungles of Vietnam without having a say (18-year-olds could not vote then).

We were literally fighting to live. I have no idea what these Republicans are fighting for.

Dave Wilson, Murrieta

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To the editor: Goldberg’s column is an homage to false equivalency.

Demonstrators of the 1960s actually believed in their stated cause, which was ending a pointless conflict that even the government leaders prosecuting it knew could not be won.

The Republicans demanding spending cuts now have never actually supported them, as demonstrated by the terms of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Their real purpose is just to obstruct a Democratic administration, no matter the harm inflicted on U.S. voters.

If these efforts are successful and a Republican takes the White House in 2024, it will be off to the races once again with no concern whatsoever regarding deficits.

Eric Carey, Arlington, Va.