To the Editor:
Re “In Blistering Speech, President Condemns Trump as Dire Threat” (news article, Jan. 6):
President Biden’s speech near Valley Forge on Friday, in which he took direct aim at Donald Trump with rhetoric that was hard-hitting and convincing in tone and substance, was his best enumeration yet of the misdeeds that clearly disqualify Mr. Trump from being president.
Finally breaking his reticence, Mr. Biden gave Americans many compelling reasons why a restoration of the deeply flawed and authoritarian Mr. Trump to the presidency would be disastrous and perhaps fatal for the cause of democracy. Clearly, the president and his team must be relentless in transmitting this message to the American people between now and November.
But to regain the trust and confidence that propelled his victory over Mr. Trump in 2020, Mr. Biden will need to do more now than dwell on the perils that would face democracy should the former president prevail, vitally important as that is. He also needs to energize and reassure all voter groups with a positive view of where he plans to take the country to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Personally engaging soon on immigration and the border would be a good place to start.
Roger Hirschberg
South Burlington, Vt.
To the Editor:
President Biden’s speech brings to mind the words of Thomas Paine. Shortly after America declared its independence from Britain, when morale in Washington’s army was at a low point, Paine, author of “Common Sense” and “The American Crisis,” wrote, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”
More than just a rallying cry for soldiers to stay the course, it was an appeal to dispirited Americans in a very dark hour to remain steadfast in the pursuit of self-rule. With democracy under siege nearly 250 years later, America is in desperate need of another dose of common sense to address the unrelenting assault on the rule of law by Donald Trump and the MAGA minions.
While the media and political pundits obsess over every post Mr. Trump writes, Mr. Biden goes about the business of being head of state, rising above the noise to do the work of “We the People.”
More than just an introduction, the preamble to the Constitution is an affirmation that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens, not the interests of a particular political party or those of a single individual.
Jim Paladino
Tampa, Fla.
To the Editor:
The New York Times’s unbalanced coverage of President Biden and his likely opponent is part of the problem in the 2024 presidential race. On Friday President Biden gave his first major campaign speech of the year. The story was on page A11 of Saturday’s paper. An article about his likely opponent was on Page A1 — with a photo. On Sunday the lead article on the front page was about the likely opponent.
Similarly, TV news shows are obsessed with the likely opponent. They mention President Biden only briefly when he says something about his likely opponent.
Is it any wonder that polls show that the likely opponent is likely our next president? Mr. Biden will hopefully then be noticed with a front-page story in The Times for a job well done, with words of puzzlement about what went wrong.
Irwin Sandler
Phoenix
To the Editor:
President Biden’s speech on the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection led by the former president could be summed up as this plea to Americans: Do not elect dictatorship; preserve democracy and your personal liberties.
Tragically, given a spectacularly divided Democratic base, third-party candidates and the cultlike control that Donald Trump exerts over the Republican Party, barring a deus ex machina, signs currently point to the re-election of the former president, who has vowed to overturn the Constitution.
The message for reasonable people of good will of every political persuasion must be: There are no other issues until Mr. Trump and Trumpism are defeated.
If Mr. Trump assumes power again, climate change action, reproductive rights, civil rights, L.G.B.T.Q. rights and immigration reform are all at risk. An American dictatorship is no longer an abstraction.
Mr. Biden may be too old and deeply unpopular, but he is the only person who can stop Mr. Trump. To apply Liz Cheney’s apt phrase, we are “sleepwalking” into a dictatorship and must awaken.
Eric Radack
Santa Fe, N.M.
After a Plane Crash: Learning From the Japanese
To the Editor:
Re “Order Prevailed Aboard Jetliner Bathed in Fire” (front page, Jan. 4):
Your report on the plane crash in Japan vividly described the excellent work of the crew in getting all 367 passengers off safely. Having lived in Tokyo for two years, we can also testify to the efficient behavior of Japanese passengers themselves.
On a flight from Haneda Airport in Tokyo, we were astonished to see more than 400 people board a 747 and settle into their seats in 15 minutes. This was a major contrast to flights in the U.S., where passengers often engage in free-for-alls in trying to get to their seats, stow their oversized carry-ons in the overhead bins, etc.
Japan’s group-oriented culture can be a challenge for Americans, but its priority on order and cooperation is a marvel to behold in boarding an airplane.
Lawrence Bruser
Susan Bruser
Chevy Chase, Md.
To the Editor:
In regard to the successful evacuation of crew and passengers from the Japan Airlines flight that crashed in Tokyo on Jan. 2, some of this achievement might be due to the realistic and straightforward safety video that JAL uses on its flights.
On the JAL flight I was on last month, the safety video used animation to clearly depict the consequences of passengers clogging the aisle when they try to escape the plane with their luggage. It plainly showed the best way to use the emergency exit slides and encouraged passengers to assist others in making a safe exit. And it depicted the importance of getting away from the plane as soon as passengers are on the ground.
The video’s messages are to stay calm, help others and be expeditious. By contrast, the safety videos I have seen on other airlines are not explicit about the dangers of a chaotic exit, so passengers are likely to take them less seriously.
Jim Welsh
Madison, Wis.
How ‘Munich’ Resonates Today
To the Editor:
Re “The Best Movie About Israel Right Now Is 18 Years Old,” by Lisa Schwarzbaum (Opinion guest essay, Dec. 24):
I have been thinking about “Munich” since the horrific Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s decimation of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of too many innocents, especially children.
I have always thought that it is one of Steven Spielberg’s finest films — a moral exercise that questions the endless cycle of violence and vengeance. A cycle that has never really resolved anything — in the Middle East or elsewhere. Yet, history continues to repeat itself.
I have seen “Munich” several times. I appreciated Ms. Schwarzbaum’s essay, which makes me want to watch it again.
Leslie J. Yerman
Stamford, Conn.