EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Johnston is a 1972 graduate of Wayland High School. He is a retired history teacher from Kenowa Hill High School. He also is a Ben Franklin re-enactor.
To the editor:
Last night I said to my wife we are not going to watch the election results. We didn’t!
Just got up, I’d hoped I was wrong because I could not bring myself to do the same prediction I did in 2016. Came back from Europe where I discovered how the Europeans felt about the now elected ex-president. Played catch up. Saw stuff. Would not, could not, bring myself to say what I saw, like I predicted in 2016, not again!
As a historian this is devastating news for the Republic. The long range ramifications will be parsed now. The Electoral College failed U.S., first time in U.S. history! He who I will not dignify with a name is unlike anyone in U.S. history.
As a Ben Franklin re-enactor I will tell him directly! “I gave you a Republic if you can keep it,” he predicted. It is now in grave danger. We historians and most experts will be analyzing this election of a mad man who seized the presidency using fear and rage of “the others” to divide U.S. A former president, worse than Benedict Arnold, showed by his actions and words he was the most opposed to American traditions and values in U.S. history.
This election failed the U.S. How? I will not mince words. This is devastating news for the U.S. and the Republic in so many ways. Best foot forward, the U.S. was not ready to elect a woman again. 1.) Kamala Harris was not yet well known to most Americans, too little time. 2.) Covid had a more devastating effect on the American psyche than acknowledged. Mental illness is rampant and undiagnosed. 3.). Misogyny is still alive in this country. Women did not get the vote until 1920, but mostly I blame my profession as a high school history teacher. Too many used boring, dull text books, like religion to teach our past, our American values rather than use debates, trials, simulations to instill a passion for inquiry in youth and a thirst, hunger for real learning, real life lessons.
I saw it in those 16 schools I attended in seven states growing up. I AM DEVASTATED! We must now become more determined to fight the forces of anti-American democracy. More are now going to be oozing out from under the rocks. The next two years will test us like never before!!! In an article I read just before the election, Russian autocrat Putin told the interviewer he favored Trump! Pray for Ukraine and NATO.
I’m afraid Ukraine is done, which also means the rest of the region will also see aggression from Russia and its partner, North Korea. It will definitely be the start of the next world war with NATO countries trying to defend their freedoms from a dictator.
It’s funny in this little rag how Army Bob was such a strong supporter of Ukraine, but his defense has gone by the wayside, as I’m sure he voted to put Trump back in power. I try to be optimistic and I look forward to having all those promises he made at his campaign rallies to come true, so I’m expecting my electric bill to be 40 dollars my home heating bill around the same and my grocery bill about 50 bucks a week. But I’m not counting on it.
So yes, the next couple of years are going to be very, very, different because I don’t believe this man is going to have a mind left after we’ve witnessed numerous accounts of memory failure. So the country will be at the hands of the oligarchs and cronies he puts in his cabinet.
Curious what freedoms, or better, what liberties, have you lost in a Donald Trump presidency? How do you justify this election to be any different than when Biden won? There is no substance to your opinion article other than simply complaining about Trump winning and Kamala losing. No recognition is simply not true, she’s the Vice President of the US. And COVID, COVID was rampant for nearly 2 years when Biden was elected, were people crazy then too? And your comment about COVID indicates that rampant and undiagnosed metal illess is a direct result of the Biden/Harris administrations policies on COVID. Finally, to think that misogyny was the reason for Harris’s failure is grasping at straws. With the number of elected female officials in the US today it’s hard to believe enough people have such a hatred or disdain for women that they could not vote for one for president if they believe them to be the best candidate. I do agree that more debate in schools would be a good thing. Kids do not learn critical thinking skills by reading books, they do it by interacting with others and trying to solve real problems. Books are critical to this skill however, in that they can offer facts required for debate.
During COVID my neice was complaining to me about having to wear masks in public and at school. She said there is no way the government can force someone to wear a mask. I simply asked her if the government can force her to wear clothes out in public. Got her thinking a little more critically that day. So much fun when you can see kids learning in real time.