letter to the editor

Our star-crossed nation

Wed, 09/06/2017 - 10:45am

Dear Editor:

When the lights of justice and decency go out, four new stars in the form of a burning cross appear. Legends of the white identity movement, they are former governor George Wallace (extinct, but the light of his hate still reaches us), former sheriff Joe Arpaio, minority president Donald Trump, and soon-to-be-former governor Paul LePage.

Astrologers claim that events on Earth and human personality traits are influenced by the configuration of stars at given moments in history. Just when we thought the fight for civil rights was over and our Constitution had been vindicated, this baleful sign in the night heralds authoritarian hate mongering that is dividing our nation once again.

“The most influential loser” in presidential campaign history, Wallace vowed that he would “never be outniggered again” by racist opponents. “Sheriff Joe” oppressed Hispanic people for decades in his extra-judicial fiefdom in Arizona. Amnesty International, the ACLU, the American Jewish Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League reported these human-rights abuses. Convicted in U.S. District Court of contempt and about to be sentenced, he received a full and unconditional pardon from Donald Trump, his patron and fellow “birther,” who stated unequivocally that white supremacist marchers in Charlottesville included “many fine people.”

The north star of this malign constellation is LePage, the thin-skinned governor who is defensive when called out for racism — recall his deranged voicemail to a state legislator last year. His shameless lie, that minority groups commit most of the crime in Maine, was amplified by an outburst of bigotry so blatant that it made international news: "You’ve been in uniform? You shoot at the enemy. You try to identify the enemy and the enemy right now, the overwhelming majority of people coming in, are people of color or people of Hispanic origin.”

This astronomical observation was prompted by LePage’s recent historical revisionism, when he fabricated the “alternative fact” that 7,600 Maine volunteers had fought for the Confederacy, concerned about “their land and property.” Let’s hope that by the end of 2018, a new constellation of tolerant, honest leaders will light our way out this repressive, authoritarian night!

Bill Hammond

Trevett