Readers Write: Trump assassination attempt, plain government language
We all have work to do to overcome the divide.
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In the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, I wanted to say the following: I have friends who hate Trump and friends who love him. I would ask my liberal friends to push back on those in their circles advocating for political violence against Trump or his supporters. If he wins the 2024 election, it will be fair and square. (Maybe use that as an opportunity to reflect on why people are choosing to vote for him.)
Conservatives: Please don’t assume that because one person tried to assassinate Trump that all liberals want to kill Trump. We have a complicated relationship with him. We see him as someone who encouraged political violence first, who attempted to undemocratically stay in office and who is rolling back rights we hold dear to our hearts. Many of us are quite terrified by this.
To everyone: We’re all people. Scared people, angry people, people who see the country they thought they knew slipping away. A country is its people. Try to have an open mind about where other people are coming from, and, despite everything, disagreements on beliefs should not translate to someone being killed.
Ariel Cordes, Minneapolis
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The president was called a perjurer, a usurper, a tyrant, a subverter of the Constitution who will destroy the liberties guaranteed by it. Some cried out in print, “A despot has his parasites and, liberty hath her avengers.”
A sign proclaimed, “Free ballots or free bullets. Crush the tyrant before he crushes you!”
An assassin listened intently to these words and other printed invectives. Then he pulled a trigger. His name was John Wilkes Booth, and the object of the hatred was Abraham Lincoln.
We should have learned a lesson from that moment. But we didn’t. Three more presidents were murdered. Failed attempts have been made on the lives of other presidents. Some have been shot while running for president.
Words have an impact, especially in political campaigns. Both sides are guilty of hyperbolic charges. But comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, suggesting that his election will end our democracy and metaphorically, I believe, saying that Trump needs to be kept in the bull’s-eye is beyond the pale.
Politicians should know and understand that words do matter and that there are those people who take all their words as gospel. Both sides need to dial down the rhetoric. We should talk about the issues and the state of our country. There is plenty there to decide our nation’s future without dangerous personal attacks.
History keeps repeating itself in this regard. At some point we have to learn from it.
Dean Urdahl, Acton Township, Minn.
The writer is a GOP state representative for District 16A and a former American history teacher.
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One of Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s first reactions to the assassination attempt was that it was aided by groups calling Trump “a threat.” Those groups simply want people to vote against Trump, that’s all. Politicians of all stripes are considered threats by the opposition. That label is so generic that in no way does it suggest violence as a solution.
Scott’s unsupported accusation was totally inappropriate, especially from someone who wanted to be a heartbeat away from becoming president.
We need leadership that calms people in this situation, not that tries to inflame people for personal political gain.
Jim Bartos, Maple Grove
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I’ve never needed Secret Service protection. My understanding, though, is that the men and women who take these jobs are willing to take a bullet on behalf of the person they’re assigned to protect. Not an easy job, as we saw Saturday evening. What puzzled and annoyed me in watching the footage was seeing Trump on the platform attempt to muscle his way around them to deliver some fist pumps. A few minutes later, the same thing: These agents were forming a human shield around Trump to try and protect him and get him inside the car, not knowing if there might be a second shooter. Again, he’s seen trying to push his way around so he can be seen pumping his fist and shouting. He’s making himself — and them — more of a target. Please, put your ego aside and let these people do their jobs.
Kate McCurry, St. Paul
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In this moment of trauma we are being asked to “tone down the rhetoric,” to try to lessen the political divide in the country. I find it very difficult to come closer to a former president, and his followers, who refuse to acknowledge a simple fact: He lost the election in 2020. There was no “steal.” Simple. And then acknowledge that the Jan. 6, 2021, invasion of the Capitol was violent and inappropriate. If he and his supporters would make those concessions, it would literally change the whole dynamic and bring us much closer together. How hard could that be at this point in time?
In my view, Trump is the main instigator of the divide we are experiencing, and he is the one who can reduce it the most. Mr. Trump, please take the initiative. This country needs this from you, and your convention is the perfect place to do it.
Gary Fifield, St. Paul
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Saturday’s unsuccessful assassination of Trump brought me to a startling realization: “I care about Donald Trump!” I watched with horror as Trump grabbed his bloody right ear, fell to the deck and sought shelter in the arms of his Secret Service team. I found myself fervently praying, “Don’t let him die, dear Lord. Don’t let him die!” It became clear to me, as it hadn’t before, that I care about Donald Trump … as a fellow human being, as a family man, as a child of God. I’m thankful he survived the shooting, and I wish him long life!
Nevertheless, I adamantly oppose Trump’s ambitions to be re-elected president of the United States. As I see it, Trump’s flagrant lies, his professed desire to become a dictator, his criminal record and his disdain for the Constitution disqualify him from the presidency. In short, Trump, though a child of God, is self-centered and narcissistic who dare not be trusted with the welfare of our country.
While I’m grateful he’s alive, Trump should not be re-elected.
Alan Bray, St. Peter, Minn.
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Heal the hate now. There is no place for this in our country. Add this assassination attempt to the Jan. 6 violence. I challenge each passionate Democrat to meet with a Republican and find three positive statements they can honestly make about Trump. I challenge each passionate Republican to meet with a Democrat and make three positive statements about President Joe Biden. It’s in our hands. We need to work to find the middle of common good for all of us. Our Supreme Court and Congress have lost their way. They are no longer operating for the common good for all. It’s up to us. Be informed. Vote!
Mary Macaulay, Bloomington
MEDICAL DEBT BILL
Key requirement: Plain English
In discussing the state’s helping hand for Minnesotans with medical debt, the Star Tribune Editorial Board misses one of the more notable outcomes of the Debt Fairness Act, which requires the attorney general to review and recommend plain-language improvements to wage-garnishment forms and notices. The attorney general must consult with the Center for Plain Language, a nonprofit organization that helps government agencies and businesses write clear and understandable communications.
The current forms are a horror show of legalese, with visual aesthetics that mock best practices in document design. Revising these forms into plain language will allow Minnesotans bereft of legal representation to read and understand their rights, and to act on them.
Ian Lewenstein, River Falls
The writer is a board member at the Center for Plain Language.
