200,000 ‘nobodies’ have died on President Trump’s watch

Today I learned of the impending death of a good friend and wife of a high school classmate who is afflicted with COVID-19. She raised five children to be successful adults, providing the nurturing while supporting her husband as he devoted 30 years to building the character and talent of several generations by teaching and coaching at the high school level.

Despite what President Donald Trump said in Dayton last week, while “elderly” and afflicted with a heart condition, she was not a nobody!

I mourn for the 200,000 nobodies who have died on Trump’s watch and I mourn for Sally. While he may not feel responsible for any of them, at least he could show some empathy.

Martin Jenkins, Worthington

Americans can change the script on a season full of cliffhangers

I saw a post on Facebook this morning that asked: “What do you think the season finale of 2020 will be?” It’s been a rough year but fasten your seat belts, it is going to get worse.

It might well be the end of the “great American experiment.” President Donald Trump has said he will be fighting to throw out ballots. When asked whether he will support a peaceful transfer of power, he said “we will see.” It is obvious the only result he will take is him winning a second term, no matter what the votes say.

And while he is saying this, Republicans for the most part are staying silent. The core of the great American experiment is that there is an election and all the people support the results. The Age of Trump has cast a huge shadow over that. I don’t think any other president has talked like this. But, always remember, we had plenty of warning.

Sadly, 2020’s season finale will most likely shake the very foundation of America. Hopefully the writers of the finale can change the script. We need a good old 1950s season finale, where good prevails.

American voters need to send Trump packing and all Americans need to stand up for the integrity of the country and not give into baseless conspiracy theories.

Charles Summers, Pataskala

Trump’s playbook borrows from authoritarians of the past

As the child of Holocaust survivors and whose grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins perished at Auschwitz, I have always been sensitive to the perils of creeping fascism. The alarm is sounding loudly as Donald Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should Joe Biden win the election while Trump’s campaign looks for ways to circumvent the election results.

With Attorney General William Barr as a willing co-conspirator, having protected Trump multiple times, the attempt to retain power regardless of the popular will is a real possibility.

Trump has been following the fascist playbook for years by attacking the credibility of the press and making truth interchangeable with “alternative facts.” His supporters have been exposed as provocateurs who’ve instigated some of the violence Trump blamed on social justice protesters. He has encouraged heavily armed right wing militias to take action if there is an attempt to remove him from office.

Until recently, the notion that a losing candidate would refuse to accept the will of the people was unthinkable. It remains to be seen if the American people, especially his fellow Republicans, allow that to happen.

Chuck Ardo, Lancaster

Too many variables threaten a healthy return to school

There are some challenges of bringing children back to school in person on an all-in basis. One, in many cases, the classrooms are not large enough to allow students to conform to the social distancing guideline of 6 feet as specified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and public health officials. In some schools, children will be only 3 feet apart, if that.

But even the 6-foot standard assumes that the COVID-19 virus is spread in large droplets expelled by children when they breathe, talk, sneeze and cough and that the droplets fall to the ground quickly. However, small droplets carrying the virus are also released and they can spread farther than 6 feet and, especially if there is poor ventilation, remain in the air for some time.

Two, masks that children and teachers are mandated to wear, if worn properly, will help to keep the virus from entering the air. Once the virus is in the air, however, the protection offered by masks diminishes.

Three, children are not tested by the schools before they enter them. Therefore, the all-in system of school attendance puts the burden on parents’ ability to check and determine whether their child has one or more of a long list of symptoms identified by public health officials and to keep them home if the child has any one of them.

Four, there are children who are infected by the virus but who show no symptoms.

Five, if only one child is found to be affected in a crowded classroom, it might require that the entire class be quarantined.

When faced with such challenges, it might be better to stay with the virtual and/or hybrid approaches.

Bob Sheak, Gahanna

Leaders should take Just Recovery pledge to get our nation on track

Since March 2020, more than 200,000 people in the United States have died from the COVID-19 pandemic, millions have become unemployed, climate-fueled disasters have destroyed lives and racial injustice has continued to compound the impacts of these crises on Black, indigenous, communities of color, the elderly and working people. Our government has failed to respond adequately to these dire crises.

And now more than ever, we need to know that the politicians who represent us will do everything in their power to ensure communities can recover from the devastating and compounding impacts of the climate crisis, a struggling economy, systemic racism and COVID-19.

Our local leaders must integrate the following principles in their response to the current health, economic, climate and racial injustice crises:

• Protect all workers and provide Medicare for all.

• Provide relief directly to people, regardless of immigration status.

• Protect our democracy.

• Prioritize community-led recovery in hardest hit communities.

• Stop fossil fuel extraction.

• Invest in a Green New Deal.

• Hold President Trump and politicians accountable.

To do right by our community and generations to come, we cannot afford to stop short of a full “Just Recovery.” The Just Recovery pledge is a project led by 350 Action, along with a coalition of partners. We call on our mayor, Congress members and state officials to join us in reimagining how we build back better by demanding our leaders put people over profit at all levels.

Lily Cheng, Dayton

Machiavelli had insight into our president’s tendencies

I was doing some research on the word “faith” for a men’s Bible study when I came across a couple of quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), a resident of Florence, Italy.

His handbook for politicians, “The Prince,” on the use of ruthless, selfserving cunning, states: “A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so would be against his interests.” Another quote of his is: “Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.”

Don’t these quotes explain the character of our president?

C. Dean Marolf, Columbus