Letters to the Editor: Trump’s attempted coup is a racist effort to throw out Black votes

To the editor: It’s sad when racism threatens our democracy. President Trump is basically saying that votes from Black citizens should be tossed out and he should be declared the winner of the 2020 election. Many of his followers believe and accept this. (“Trump tactics to overturn election could have staying power,” Dec. 6)

The people voted and he lost, but he wants to declare the election invalid and himself the ruler. This is not democracy; it is dictatorship.

It is as egregious as slavery, ending Reconstruction, instituting Jim Crow laws, disenfranchising Black Americans for more than 100 years and demonizing Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement.

It’s ironic that this confederacy of hatred is being led by someone from the north. Hopefully, our union can be saved by white and Black Southerners working together. We cannot let racism topple our democracy as we work toward a more perfect union.

Paulette Mashaka, Carson

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To the editor: I am of two minds regarding the presidential election.

One the one hand, I am greatly relieved that voting went well and that there was no violence, as many of us had feared. The system worked.

On the other hand, I am horrified that millions of Americans, including elected officials, buy into the belief that the election was fraudulent, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

I fear that in the future, someone who is smarter and more organized than Trump will use the lessons of this election to perpetrate an actual fraudulent takeover of the government.

We must remain vigilant.

Gisela Meier, Orange

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To the editor: I am 65 years old and cannot remember once when a losing presidential candidate tried to overturn an election.

Those in Congress who are enabling this charade are complicit and are spitting on the Constitution of the United States. I applaud the many judges who have dismissed all of the unsubstantiated and frivolous lawsuits.

The inability of the Republican Party to accept that Joe Biden will be president is really hurting the American people. Let Biden and his team do their jobs so our country can move forward, especially with the coronavirus pandemic.

Christopher Palas, Whittier

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To the editor: Trump’s tactics, and indeed his whole presidency, have lowered our ethical standards.

Not only is he challenging our democracy for his own benefit, but his followers are incorporating the same ideas into their lives — and with often tragic results. The reason coronavirus deaths are so high in this country is people are trying to get away with as many unsafe behaviors as possible.

Trump’s attitude toward others and our legal system has been corrosive to this country in unimaginable ways.

Barbara Snider, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that the president cannot burn down the White House. According to Trump, Article II of the Constitution gives him the right to do whatever he wants.

So it comes about that he burns down the White House. Trump’s lawyers say there was no fire, and the fact that the White House can no longer be seen is due to an optical illusion created by Hugo Chavez and George Soros.

The lawyers go on to explain: If there had been a fire, it would not have been all that serious. Forests are often set ablaze for the health of the forest. The White House was in dire need of renovation. Donald Trump has been sent by God.

Eric Wilson, Santa Monica