Be responsible

Dear editor:

Charlottesville: another American tragedy, causing one death, several injuries and had crowds chanting anti-Semitic, neo-Nazi phrases. It reminded me of why I left the Republican Party in 1994/5. I found that: the KKK, neo-Nazis, etc., had jumped from the Democratic Party to the Republican one, a bully and liar, Rush Limbaugh was treated as a conquering hero by Republican representatives, another bully and name caller, Newt Gingrich, as speaker was going to transfer onehalf trillion dollars from Medicare to rich donors, and the party had switched from a conservative/moderate philosophy to a right-wing/reactionary version.

Worse, I discovered that Nixon and Reagan would not have won without the so-called — so-called because the scheme was as effective in Steger, Ill., as in the South — Southern strategy, using dog-whistles, backlash to the Civil Rights bill, cultural wars and good old scapegoating. The scapegoating has been the most damaging to America’s unity.

From the beginning of human time, tribes took to scapegoating to the point of human sacrifice. Jehovah of the Bible discouraged human sacrifice among the Jews: he commanded that once a year the head priest place all the sins of the community onto a goat and send the animal out into the wilderness — hence the term “scapegoat.” In the time of Jesus, Jewish misery was caused by the Roman occupation, the rule of several Herods, and political and religious corruption. But the Jews and Romans, according to Acts, killed unknown religious leaders as scapegoats. Jesus was one victim who transcended the human sacrifice.

After World War I, the misery of the German middle-class was caused by European and some American leaders. Why didn’t Hitler go after the real villains? One reason might be that German leaders were expecting the plutocracy in England, America and the Netherlands to go fascist (see the last airing of “Upstairs, Downstairs”). But Hitler chose Jews, gypsies, gays and some handicapped as scapegoats because they were weak and Germans had several centuries to become used to abusing many of them.

The scapegoats did zero harm to the German people, but Hitler caused tens of millions of people to be killed and a vast destruction of Germany. My German relatives were not Nazis, but they turned a blind eye to ethnic insults, setting the stage for the Holocaust.

In America, members of the right-wing plutocracy have been largely responsible for the economic decline of America: the Great Recession, outsourcing, offshoring and the destruction of unions and good wages. Yet they keep “winning” with their hand-picked Republican candidates being elected throughout the nation.

Before Trump, their scapegoats were the poor, minorities, liberals and unions, particularly the teachers unions, adding the cultural wars of guns, abortion and, like Hitler, lifestyles. Trump has doubled down on Mexicans, Muslims, the handicapped, some women, “fake” media and increased fear and hatred of all his enemies. His budget and policies are pro-death and will cause innocent people to die. It’s time for more responsible Republicans to quit the present GOP or seek reform.

Linda Woodbury Hot Springs