To the Editor:
Re “The Axe Is Sharp,” by Maureen Dowd (column, Nov. 19):
Whereas studying Ms. Dowd’s column on whether or not President Biden ought to run for a second time period, I used to be struck by a historic parallel. Like Mr. Biden, President Lyndon B. Johnson had served a deeply charismatic president and used his in depth senatorial expertise to seal that president’s imaginative and prescient with laws.
However going through well being issues and declining recognition due to the Vietnam Battle, in addition to surprisingly robust opposition by Robert F. Kennedy, Johnson determined that his second had handed.
As David Axelrod has famous, it’s time to think about permitting different Democratic leaders to step ahead. Mr. Biden has served the nation honorably for longer than most People have been alive, guiding the nation by darkish instances and leaving a transparent legislative mark.
For his swan track, he can attempt to maintain on to energy till he’s 86. Or he can select to information the nation peacefully by the turbulence of the approaching electoral storm — not from the marketing campaign path, however as a gentle presence within the Oval Workplace. I can consider no increased service.
Greer Brigham
New York
To the Editor:
I feel it’s too late for a change within the Democratic candidate for president in 2024. As an alternative, let’s get on with actual communications about President Biden’s accomplishments, and begin mounting a actual marketing campaign to win again among the misplaced constituencies that supported Mr. Biden in 2020. The place on the planet is the Democratic marketing campaign?
Michael T. Ferro
Endwell, N.Y.
To the Editor:
I used to be so disheartened to examine President Biden’s response to David Axelrod’s sage recommendation. As an alternative of calling Mr. Axelrod a nasty title, Mr. Biden ought to pay attention and withdraw from the presidential race to permit youthful Democrats to take a shot at it.
I feel that nearly any Democratic candidate has a greater likelihood than Mr. Biden of beating Donald Trump, who’s himself fairly unpopular. However, sadly, as with so many older politicians, ego has gotten in the way in which.
I feel Mr. Biden has achieved some good issues as president. However all indicators are pointing to a loss for him subsequent November. And never a loss to simply anybody — a loss to Mr. Trump, who has been promising an authoritarian regime.
Is that this how President Biden desires to be remembered — because the politician whose ego induced the demise of American democracy?
To the Editor:
Re “In October, Johnson Said U.S. Culture Is ‘Depraved’” (information article, Nov. 18):
Mike Johnson, the brand new Home speaker, publicly lamented final month that this nation’s tradition was “so darkish and wicked it virtually appears irredeemable,” casting blame for this largely on the L.G.B.T.Q. group.
Furthermore, Mr. Johnson then “choked up” as he led a name in prayer, beseeching, “We repent for our sins individually and collectively.”
Omit me and my proudly queer ilk out of your collective flagellations, thanks very a lot, Mr. Speaker!
Hate beneath the cloak of non secular piety can solely result in wicked violence, a far larger sin.
Ted Gallagher
New York
Skip the Drive-By way of, for the Sake of the Setting and Psychological Well being
To the Editor:
“When Americans Are Hungry, It’s Not for Human Interaction” (entrance web page, Nov. 8) discusses the quickly growing use of drive-throughs and the explanations for his or her recognition.
True sufficient. Nonetheless, the article barely touches upon a essential problem: Drive-throughs are answerable for a substantial amount of air pollution and global-warming emissions. I’ve seen drive-throughs with 20-plus vehicles, all idling for a lot of minutes. The cumulative impact of all these vehicles in all these drive-throughs is critical.
I dwell close to Minneapolis and wholeheartedly help its ban on new drive-throughs. For people who find themselves unable to get into the restaurant, lodging might be made, equivalent to a employees member bringing out the order. The remainder of us can flip off our vehicles, go into the restaurant and get an order to go.
Nic Baker
Roseville, Minn.
To the Editor:
I learn this text with a gnawing unease.
We’re experiencing a disaster of human connection. Charges of despair and nervousness proceed to rise. And the pandemic threw gasoline on an already simmering flame of loneliness about which our surgeon common has written so eloquently (“We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That,” Opinion visitor essay, April 30). Drive-through tradition will not be serving to.
Actually, a wealthy physique of proof means that the tiniest day by day interactions really do matter and might have a constructive impression on well being, well-being and a way of belonging. Actually, one clever study demonstrated that individuals who have even the smallest gestures of reference to their barista expertise a extra “constructive have an effect on.” These connections with strangers might be pleasant and ship among the most sudden joys.
So simply say hi there to somebody, maintain a door open, make eye contact, bear in mind the title of the server at your common espresso store, thank the child bagging your groceries.
Much less will not be extra relating to the necessity for human connection.
Reena L. Pande
Milton, Mass.
The author is a doctor and the previous chief medical officer at AbleTo, a digital psychological well being supplier.
The Risk to New Orleans Consuming Water
Whereas President Biden has granted assistance to briefly halt the disaster, that is only a Band-Help to shut a gaping wound. As a New Orleans native and an activist devoted to city renewal and fairness, I do know that we have to essentially deal with the difficulty of local weather change for our most susceptible communities.
We now have seen huge variations in environmental responses based mostly on the racial and revenue composition of residents of a given space. New Orleans isn’t any completely different. Local weather change affects people of lower socioeconomic status disproportionately, but they usually have larger boundaries to receiving assist.
Final yr america Environmental Safety Company opened its Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights to deal with a few of these challenges. Nonetheless, there is no legislation that mandates native jurisdictions to really implement applications that implement environmental justice rules. As well as, local weather change conversations in our extra marginalized communities are wanted however not taking place.
Fast fixes is not going to resolve the issue. We’d like coordinated motion throughout federal and state governments that additionally entails enter from group members. Our most susceptible residents shouldn’t bear the brunt of local weather change on this nation.
Monique Brown
New Orleans