On the February issue:

Left-Wing Violence

To the Editor:
Noah Rothman’s article does an excellent job of showing the historical and ideological background of how we got where we are today (“A Clockwork Blue,” February). I think it is also important to stress how the embrace of violence extends far beyond the usual collection of academics, journalists, and politicians. Auden’s rationalization of the “necessary murder” has now come to upper-middle-class professionals in a suburb near you. I personally know at least six such people—all highly affluent and credentialed—who expressed disappointment that the assassination attempts on Donald Trump this summer failed. I heard similar calls for the murder of George W. Bush during his presidency, lest we think this occurred simply because Trump was a uniquely polarizing figure.

I have been involved in conservative politics since the 1960s and have never heard such demands for political murder from our side. There is no moral equivalence, notwithstanding Mr. Rothman’s otherwise laudable desire to be fair and even-handed.
Dwight Sutherland Jr.
Mission Hills, Kansas

To the Editor:
Noah Rothman gives us a masterful retelling of leftist political violence spanning the period from the late 1960s to today. Each incident leads to the next escalation, connected by the same repeated left-wing themes used to excuse the violent acts. 

This piece should be required reading for students and the millions of miseducated adults in our constitutional republic.
Michael D. Carey
Cumming, Georgia

To the Editor:
I applaud Noah Rothman’s thoroughness in documenting the embrace of violence by the establishment of the Democratic Party. I would add, however, that, the Democrats being a leftist party, this was most likely inevitable. Since the birth of the modern left, in the Terror of the French Revolution, political violence has been their go-to tactic. We must be ever vigilant to keep them from acting out again.
William King
Lindale, Georgia

Labour and the Grooming Scandal

To the Editor:
Stephen Pollard’s “Britain’s Rape Scandal Returns to the Front Pages” (February) is a very good article, but there is a point worth adding. All of the local councils that were involved in this cover-up and suppression were Labour-dominated. In some cases, they were made up of 100 percent Labour politicians.
Richard Bassett
Ascot, Berkshire, England

On ‘Imagine’

To the Editor:
Reading Meir Y. Soloveichik’s column is always a highlight of my month, and his piece on “Imagine” did not fail to provoke strong reflections (“Unimaginable,” February). My faith in God gives me purpose and hope. Without that faith, I’d feel lost.

The song “Imagine” sounds pretty until you listen to what is actually being sung. Stalin and Mao both shared the worldview of “Imagine,” and it led to millions being murdered by their governments. Too bad President Carter did not make the connection. I also agree with Rabbi Soloveichik that the existence of Israel today is evidence that God exists and that the Bible is true.
Representative Don Bacon,
Nebraska’s Second District

To the Editor:
Meir Y. Soloveichik’s column reminded me of when I first heard “Imagine.” I was nine or 10 years old, listening to WABC on my Westinghouse transistor radio before getting ready for school in the morning. Even then, I was a little put off by the “no religion too” line. And also at that early age, I found “Imagine” dull. The “Working Class Hero” peacenik who lived in the Dakota was a fraud. Bishop Barron is right. Thank you for your article pointing it out.
Steve O’Connor
Amston, Connecticut

Legacy Media’s Long Goodbye

To the Editor:
Regarding John Podhoretz’s “Media Don’t Matter” (February), the media battle in Vietnam was won by the visual image. Power shifted to those who controlled the universally horrific imagery selected to quickly trump slower-moving, written arguments and to change political policy. Today, whoever controls the access to the public’s shortened attention spans wins the political debate. Legacy media have lost to TikTok, which is not journalism. Perhaps tomorrow, control will be in the hands of AI?  The power of words, reason, and truth is sliding overboard like the proverbial chairs on a tilted deck.
Marty Lindemann
Boston, Massachusetts

To the Editor:
Podhoretz’s column is spot-on. Legacy media are dying a slow death, and they seem to be incapable of acknowledging the truth. Journalists are awkward in their attempts to evolve along with the new media paradigm. Things are moving forward too rapidly for them to keep up. This is evident in the scrambling of media management and leadership and the protests of the rank and file. Extinction appears inevitable for most.
Howard Snelling
Fort Mill, South Carolina

Exceptionally American

To the Editor:
While I share Matthew Continetti’s reverence for the U.S. Constitution, his column on American exceptionalism glosses over a couple of important things (“The American Exception,” February). 

Yes, the 2024 election results were tabulated quickly, and the vote was certified by Congress. If Donald Trump had not been the winner, however, it is not at all clear this smooth transition would have occurred. There is no reason to imagine that the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, would not have felt entitled to act in a similar fashion this time—particularly given Trump’s explicit statements that he would pardon many of the convicted rioters. 

Continetti also declares that frequent elections mean that politicians never really take for granted their continued membership in Congress. If that were true, would we have the incredible number of members in their 70s and 80s who have been firmly entrenched for decades, even after their cognitive and physical abilities are obviously in decline?
Ronna McNamara
Bernardsville, New Jersey