CONSERVATIVES ARE NOT FASCISTS

I read with interest William D. Bezdek’s Community Voices (“COMMUNITY VOICES: Tales from the past,” Jan. 18).

Linking the rise of “fascism” with the spawning of the conservative movement by William F. Buckley Jr. to the John Birch Society as two ideological peas in the pod is baloney. Buckley opposed this extremist group.

In 1962, Buckley, in his magazine, “National Review,” denounced John Birch Society founder Robert Welch as promoting conspiracy theories far removed from common sense. Sounds familiar, given the groundless mass election fraud theories being bandied about today. Buckley feared Welch’s controversial views would taint the entire conservative movement.

For Bezdek to use Barry Goldwater with the likes of Joseph McCarthy in the same sentence as some sort of extremist sameness is preposterous. Goldwater was one of a select group of Republican leaders to go the White House to meet with President Richard Nixon, urging him to resign. Nixon resigned.

Frankly, the Republican Party could use a dose of some of Goldwater’s conservatism now. He would have much to say about our current burgeoning federal deficit and national debt.

Buckley and Goldwater were American patriots who would have eschewed the mob that invaded our Capitol complex on Jan. 6. Some might not agree with some of their views, but they were an important part of the fabric of America. — Mark C. Salvaggio, Bakersfield