Letter to the Editor: Trump's response to the Nazis

To the Editor:

In reference to The Seattle Times article from 8-12-17 "Trump says many sides to blame for violent clashes in Virginia".

My grandmother grew up in Nazi Germany. She used to tell me of the times that led to the rise of the Nazi party. During the instability and economic chaos of the Weimar period fascists and communist supporters would clash in the streets, much like we are starting to see today in the U.S. The Nazi party successfully took advantage of the chaos they helped create by arguing that they would bring stability.

Trump is sowing chaos and racial discord. By refusing to quickly condemn the Nazi terrorist murder of a pro-Democracy activist at a Virginia rally this weekend he sent the message that the victims are equally to blame. In his own words he described the event as an "egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence that’s on many sides.”

This was about a Nazi murderer and a pro-democracy murder victim. That Trump refused to quickly condemn the Nazis shows which side he is on.

The lesson that I learned from my grandmother is this: Never let them get away with it. If they intimidate you into silence they will take advantage to secure their own power. That is their goal. They are not asking to be heard, or to have a dialogue. As they become more powerful they will intimidate you more and the consequences to you will be more severe. These are the times where we can still speak out and stop the rise of racists and fascists. Today that is our most patriotic American duty. It is a duty not left to protestors but to all of us.

Jesse Salomon
Shoreline