To the Editor:
Re “The Destruction of the American Ideal,” by Bret Stephens (column, April 9):
What is so remarkable about Mr. Stephens’s column is that it describes everything I was raised to believe about America — beliefs so widely shared that they were unremarkable. Everyone I knew believed that we were in this together; there was no us versus them. In the America I knew we believed that we truly were exceptional and that our immigrant population was a huge component of our ability to succeed.
For many of us, the realization that people in power, regardless of political party, would belittle, name-call and seek retribution has been a shock. There is nothing about this perversion that represents “real” Americans — only a profound sense of shame that we have come to this.
Carol Burton
Anacortes, Wash.
To the Editor:
Bret Stephens notes that he has “bent over backward” to give President Trump the “benefit of the doubt.” But giving Mr. Trump the benefit of the doubt is how we got into this sickening mess.
Mr. Trump has been telling us for years exactly who he is and what he wants to do — including deporting vast swaths of the population with no due process. Many millions of Americans voted for him multiple times because they think that is a good idea, too. Or at least they were willing to look past a horrifying idea because they support Mr. Trump for other reasons. In other words, they gave him the benefit of the doubt.
It’s happening now as Mr. Trump promised it would. None of this should surprise us. The fact that Mr. Stephens is surprised by the chilling case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — who was arrested, deported and sent without due process to a Salvadoran prison — is the only thing that surprises me.
Kate Aufses
New York
To the Editor:
When Republicans complain of American culture in decline, they often extol the moral virtues of our nation’s Judeo-Christian tradition. Republicans expound on brilliance of the United States Constitution, our Republic and our nation’s founders. They honor those who bravely serve our nation, both in the military abroad and in law enforcement at home. They proclaim that they believe in patriotism, duty and faith. Yet they unflinchingly support a man who lacks decency and honor.
These same Republicans continually make excuses for a man who relishes degrading, bullying and depriving others, and one who now is attacking bedrock values of our democracy, such as freedom of speech and due process. They say they appreciate this man because he is a fighter.
But what or whom is he fighting for? Not for decency. Not for honor. He is fighting to scapegoat immigrants and degrade the rule of law to acquire more power. He is fighting to satisfy his own petty grievances, not to uphold the sacred principles of our democracy.
Bruce Kirby
Rockville, Md.
To the Editor:
I’m writing to thank you for your piece, Mr. Stephens. Like you, I have been thrown by the paralyzing story of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia and what it says about us as a people. A real person, of course, Mr. Abrego Garcia has, as you write, become an “emblem” of our inhumanity, much like the young girl in the red coat in the crowd of Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List,” which never fails to bring that horror home.
While I may not agree with all of your politics, I so value your willingness to think through difficult subjects and shape your thoughts in a way that encourages readers to go deep as well. I have sent “The Destruction of the American Ideal” to my children and grandchildren, sent it to a friend who, in his own activism, is trying to give voice to his beliefs, and pasted it on my fridge for my own benefit, a preamble to the morning.
Michelle McKenna
Princeton, N.J.
To the Editor:
As a member of the “coastal elite,” I may not hold Bret Stephens’s political views, but I do share his reverence for core American values and his devotion to a “certain idea of America.”
Like Mr. Stephens, I prize the courage of Sojourner Truth, the humility of Lou Gehrig, the steadfast principles of John McCain — and, I might add, of Liz Cheney — and the virtues of restraint and self-respect.
Like him, I recognize the profound Americanness of immigrants like my grandparents. Like him, I reject the view that my education and location make my love of country less genuine than the patriotism of voters who endorse flagrant lies, gross corruption, indefensible ignorance and crude arrogance.
Mr. Stephens suggests that America’s habits of freedom will survive the Trump administration. As the saying goes, from his mouth to God’s ear. Right now, I’m just horrified and heartbroken.
Shelley Wagers
Los Angeles
