Roy S. Johnson’s commentary, “This is on all of us,” took me to the only logical place a critical thinker can go: No, it’s not. This “both sides” pretending does no one any good nor our nation. There is but one presidential candidate who has regularly espoused violence and spoken violent innuendos at his rallies. There is one candidate who rallied his supporters who then violently attacked other Americans and our Capitol. There is one candidate whose supporters threaten election workers’ lives.
It’s not on all of us when one side offers thoughts and prayers every time a school shooting happens, not meaningful gun legislation. One candidate in this race has spoken about migrants as subhuman, and members of his party are the ones treating librarians, teachers and those wanting in vitro fertilization as criminals.
One candidate’s Supreme Court appointees gave us the ruling denying women health care and effectively resigning some to death when they cannot carry a fetus to term. One candidate’s lies and dangerous rhetoric about COVID-19 cost many lives, not to mention the violent rhetoric that followed against health care workers for following science.
I’ve witnessed Sandy Hook and Uvalde. As the meme making its way on social media says, let’s try caring this much next time it’s a third-grade class.
— Shawn O’Donnell
Anchorage
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