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To the Editor:
Jessica Bennett’s compelling essay “The Audacity of E. Jean Carroll” (Opinion, Feb. 4) vividly captures the events in that New York courtroom last month.
It is truly astonishing to me, even in the wake of the verdict, that the former president continues to command a substantial base of support, especially among women of all ages. I find it perplexing how women of integrity can seemingly compartmentalize his abhorrent behavior and still cast their ballots for a notorious womanizer.
What’s even more disturbing is his public trashing, maligning and dehumanizing of anyone who dares to hold him accountable. Remarkably, the women who support him believe his lies, many asserting that his policies trump his behavior.
Additionally, the numerous indictments and upcoming trials seem to, unbelievably, only bolster his popularity. The prospect of his re-election as president of the United States is not just disconcerting; it’s also a chilling reminder of the challenges we face as a divided nation.
God help us all!
(Rabbi) Reuven H. Taff
Sacramento
To the Editor:
Like E. Jean Carroll, I’m a writer. I was also sexually assaulted. Not once, but twice.
Like E. Jean, I kept silent for years. Fifty to be exact.
I’m a member of the silent generation. I spent my career writing nonfiction and historical fiction, most recently “Sisters at War,” about brave women who fought back against the rape and brutality of the SS in wartime Paris.
Writing my book inspired me to come forward about my own story. The perpetrators who assaulted me still haunt me. The first was an unknown assailant in Italy; the second was date rape and kidnapping in graduate school.
I will soon celebrate 55 years since I graduated from the university. I’m on a committee to recreate the college experience in the 1960s. When I told the event coordinator my story, she suggested that I educate incoming students about date rape and what happened to me.
I can’t bring the men who hurt me to justice like E. Jean, but I can talk about it. After half a century, I can say the word “rape” and move on. Educate a new generation of young women.
And that is my win.
Jina Bacarr
Irvine, Calif.
To the Editor:
Re “Trump’s Libel Case Exposes the Law’s Limits,” by RonNell Andersen Jones (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 30):
It’s true that even the $83.3 million in damages awarded against Donald Trump may not deter him from defaming E. Jean Carroll again. As Ms. Jones notes, “the incentives to serve up lies for politics or profit” may now be so strong that damages awards no longer suffice to deter repeat offenders.
But Ms. Jones overlooks an additional remedy that could be far more effective in stopping persistent defamers: an injunction against continued defamation. Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, the Georgia election workers who won a $148 million award against Rudolph Giuliani, have sought just this type of remedy.
If Mr. Giuliani repeated his defamatory statements after the issuance of such an injunction, he would face the risk of a contempt order and some time in prison. That would give him a powerful incentive to think long and hard before he defames them again.
Stuart Altschuler
New York
The writer is a lawyer.
The U.S., Iran and the Risks of War
To the Editor:
Re “As U.S. Acts, Biden Deems Iran Unlikely to Shoot Back,” by David E. Sanger and Farnaz Fassihi (news analysis, Feb. 4):
Mr. Sanger and Ms. Fassihi offer a very nuanced and thorough prognosis for what may ensue as a result of the American airstrikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria and Iraq.
They write that the expectation in Washington and among its allies is that the Iranians will not respond, in order to avoid a wider war. In my mind, this raises a critical question: When does military action intended to deter aggression become a tripwire for all-out war?
I am especially concerned that this is taking place in an election year, as the article notes.
For Western minds to try to project how countries in the Middle East will respond is a gamble that could result in all-out war, and not just in the Middle East. Tensions are rising between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, while the war between Ukraine and Russia still has unpredictable results.
John A. Viteritti
Laurel, N.Y.
Alternatives to Biden
To the Editor:
“The Democratic Party Is Having an ‘Identity Crisis,’” by Ezra Klein (column, Feb. 4):
Yes, the Democratic Party has an image of being the party of the working class, but is now finding its voters more college-educated and split between those wanting progressive change and those wanting the status quo.
But if President Biden seems too old to run for re-election, as many Democrats feel, the question remains, who better in the party to be nominated? Not Vice President Kamala Harris, many also feel. Perhaps the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer? Perhaps a Democratic senator from the Midwest?
While there are many able Democrats, both progressive and centrist, there are no obvious choices to run for president with national appeal. Why is this so? Because the Democratic leadership has failed to train up its next generation of leaders.
James Berkman
Boston
Fighting Back at Penn
To the Editor:
Re “At Penn, President’s Exit Fails to Quell Turmoil” (news article, Jan. 30):
I am extremely happy to see that professors at the University of Pennsylvania have reacted strongly to a document sent by the billionaire Marc Rowan to, in essence, create a more conservative campus.
With the recent Republican attacks on the presidents of Harvard, M.I.T. and Penn, the hostile government takeover of New College of Florida, the banning of D.E.I. initiatives, the elimination of sociology as a core course in Florida’s public universities, and so on, it’s about time that professors are beginning to fight back.
Moreover, as professors, we should not let university donors or politicians dictate to us about our profession. We are certainly capable of running our universities free of interference from wealthy individuals and biased politicians who pander to their base.
To my colleagues at Penn, I say: Together we stand, divided we fall, and keep up the good fight.
Michael Hadjiargyrou
Centerport, N.Y.
The writer is a professor of biological and chemical sciences at the New York Institute of Technology.
Pets in Cold Weather
To the Editor:
Re “How to Protect Pets From Cold Weather” (Here to Help, Jan. 27):
Thank you for sharing information about protecting animal companions during cold weather.
I hope that readers will also look out for dogs whose owners have left them chained or penned outside. These animals are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures than humans are, and they commonly suffer from frostbite and hypothermia. Some die from exposure.
Good Samaritans who see dogs kept outside for long periods without adequate shelter from the elements (at least a sturdy doghouse insulated with dry straw that has a covered entrance to block the wind) should note the animal’s exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.
If officers don’t respond, they should call PETA. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may face criminal charges.
Kristin Rickman
Norfolk, Va.
The writer is the director of the emergency response team at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
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