November 27, 2020 at 4:41 p.m.
Knowledge is remedy for ignorance
Letter to the editor
Knowledge is remedy for ignorance
To the editor,
In the November issue of the Atlantic magazine, there were two articles that seem especially applicable to the fevered rantings of the lunatic in the Oval Office.
It needs to be understood these articles were published prior to election day.
The first article was headlined “Civil War Is Here Right Now (The president’s supporters on the militant right are bracing for conflict)” by Mike Giglio. The article, briefly, is about the leader of the Oath Keepers and its founder, Stewart Rhodes. I won’t regurgitate the particulars of the article, but you may find it (the article) on the Atlantic magazine website.
The second article is headlined “The Election That Could Break America,” by Barton Gellman. It is especially germane to the avalanche of lies and sheer perfidiousness of the Trump campaign’s assault on our democracy. This article may be accessed via the website as well.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s oft-cited quote, “You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts,” leaves me to offer both a historical as well as a contemporary view of both opinion and fact.
I am a student of history and something of a political “nerd” as well as an avid reader. I recommend four books that offer, as I said, a historical and a contemporary view of the body politic and how those views continue to be shaped.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but merely a reflection of what is on my bookshelf.
Book No. 1, “Break It Up” (Secession, Division and The Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union) by Richard Kreitner.
Book No. 2, “How Democracies Die,” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
Book No. 3, “Why We Are Polarized,” by Ezra Klein.
Book No. 4, “The Death of Truth,” by Michiko Kakutani.
And lastly, if you don’t do it already, support our local paper. The only way to overcome ignorance is to pursue a quest for knowledge.
Michael S. Kinser
Portland
In the November issue of the Atlantic magazine, there were two articles that seem especially applicable to the fevered rantings of the lunatic in the Oval Office.
It needs to be understood these articles were published prior to election day.
The first article was headlined “Civil War Is Here Right Now (The president’s supporters on the militant right are bracing for conflict)” by Mike Giglio. The article, briefly, is about the leader of the Oath Keepers and its founder, Stewart Rhodes. I won’t regurgitate the particulars of the article, but you may find it (the article) on the Atlantic magazine website.
The second article is headlined “The Election That Could Break America,” by Barton Gellman. It is especially germane to the avalanche of lies and sheer perfidiousness of the Trump campaign’s assault on our democracy. This article may be accessed via the website as well.
The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s oft-cited quote, “You are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts,” leaves me to offer both a historical as well as a contemporary view of both opinion and fact.
I am a student of history and something of a political “nerd” as well as an avid reader. I recommend four books that offer, as I said, a historical and a contemporary view of the body politic and how those views continue to be shaped.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but merely a reflection of what is on my bookshelf.
Book No. 1, “Break It Up” (Secession, Division and The Secret History of America’s Imperfect Union) by Richard Kreitner.
Book No. 2, “How Democracies Die,” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.
Book No. 3, “Why We Are Polarized,” by Ezra Klein.
Book No. 4, “The Death of Truth,” by Michiko Kakutani.
And lastly, if you don’t do it already, support our local paper. The only way to overcome ignorance is to pursue a quest for knowledge.
Michael S. Kinser
Portland
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