Dear Editor,

Thank you Mark Cohen for your letter (January 26) about the state of our national politics and your suggestions about how to respond.  You obviously offended some with your vehement language, but I feel you were right on target. Nationally, it took a serious lack of judgement to elect a leader who is so juvenile, ignorant, self-centered and hateful.  The rest of the world is appalled.  Trump’s handlers have now consolidated their grip on our country, and his wrecking crew is busy dismantling our democracy.

Pushing back forcefully is our only hope of avoiding a descent into fascism - being polite won’t work. And as you say, we don’t need to hate – there’s already more than enough fear and hatred in this country. Rather, we need to actively oppose what is being done, especially to the most vulnerable among us, but also to bring kindness and compassion into this toxic mix.

Arden Buck

Nederland