To the Editor:
Re “The Case for Disqualifying Trump Is Strong,” by David French (column, Jan. 6):
Many constitutional students, including Prof. Laurence Tribe and Judge J. Michael Luttig, have argued convincingly that the literal which means of the textual content of the 14th Modification clearly disqualifies Donald Trump from being elected once more as president. No goal observer can doubt that Mr. Trump gave “help or consolation” to the insurrectionists.
Regardless of this I used to be ambivalent concerning the knowledge of the courts’ making use of the 14th Modification to forestall Mr. Trump from changing into president once more. It will be much less credible to be denied the presidency by way of the 14th Modification versus shedding it in a good election. There would even be larger chance of a violent backlash and even the potential of an tried coup.
Mr. French has satisfied me that permitting Mr. Trump to carry the 14th Modification hostage to this worry will not be smart. We solely want to look at his more and more erratic habits and hearken to his phrases to understand the various risks of one other Trump presidency. An tried coup would certainly fail, whereas if elected he might probably maintain on to energy indefinitely.
I consider that it’s unlikely for him to win the 2024 presidential election. It additionally appeared unlikely in 2016, however he gained. He’s clearly an existential menace to our freedom and democracy.
For my part, we should always not must take an opportunity. I solely hope the Supreme Courtroom justices heed Mr. French’s recommendation and summon the braveness to observe the Structure by invoking the 14th Modification.
Mark Davidow
San Francisco
To the Editor:
David French’s authorized evaluation is flawed. The 14th Modification doesn’t prohibit an individual from working for workplace; it prohibits sure individuals from holding workplace. The Supreme Courtroom of the USA ought to reverse the choice of the Supreme Courtroom of Colorado on that floor.
With this out of the best way, it may readily be seen that this complete controversy will not be constitutionally ripe for determination: If Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election, the difficulty by no means arises and doesn’t have to be determined. Provided that Mr. Trump wins the 2024 election does the difficulty develop into ripe for judicial determination.
At that time, and that time alone, the Supreme Courtroom would wish to determine whether or not the 14th Modification bars Mr. Trump from holding workplace.
Mark Wallace
Orange, Calif.
The author is a retired federal chapter decide.
To the Editor:
Re “If Trump Is Not an Insurrectionist, What Is He?,” by Jamelle Bouie (column, Jan. 7):
If, as Donald Trump claims, the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 had been patriots on a mission, and people patriots who’ve been caught, tried, sentenced and despatched to jail are considered hostages, what then does that make the Capitol Police?
Following Mr. Trump’s logic, the Capitol Police develop into the insurrectionists, stopping patriots, who’re combating like hell, to attain the mission assigned to them by Mr. Trump: to forestall the peaceable transition of presidential energy.
With a salute to George Orwell, in Trump world 2 + 2 = 5.
George E. Davidson
Portland, Ore.
To the Editor:
Re “The Election No One Seems to Want Is Coming” (The Dialog, Jan. 9):
Bret Stephens and Gail Collins appear to have missed a key provision of the 14th Modification. I count on that the court docket will help the exclusion of Donald Trump from the poll and depart the political determination to Congress. Congress can restore Mr. Trump’s proper to be on the poll by a two-thirds vote of every home.
The Supreme Courtroom thereby follows the regulation, and the political selections are made by the elected representatives of the folks.
A neater resolution than that may be exhausting to think about. And it’s proper there within the Structure.
Seth Bodner
Summit, N.J.
To the Editor:
Re “Which Toady Would Trump Pick as His No. 2?,” by Michelle Cottle (Opinion, Jan. 10):
Donald Trump is unlikely to pick his vice chairman from amongst his outstanding toadies, preferring to raise an obscurity. Mr. Trump is the present, however in a task that requires a sidekick, a Charlie McCarthy (the well-known dummy of the ventriloquist Edgar Bergen) will do.
All the alternatives described right here, together with Elise Stefanik, Kari Lake and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, have displayed ambition, some expertise, a style for independence and a few followers, all potential sources of friction. Extra seemingly is an unqualified nonentity.
Brian Kelly
Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Sharing Pleasure and Sorrow
To the Editor:
“‘Shared Sorrow Is Half Sorrow,’” by David French (column, Jan. 8), about his spouse’s breast most cancers analysis, introduced tears to my eyes.
By the point you attain your 70s, the incidence of extreme sickness and loss of life turns into a frequent, if not day by day, actuality.
My husband and I dwell in a seamless care retirement neighborhood in Southern California. One of many causes we moved there was to have the chance to work together with 600 different impartial seniors.
As Mr. French wrote so eloquently, with the ability to share each pleasure and sorrow with others is a vital side of life. Understanding you’re not alone makes the tough instances a little bit simpler to bear.
My ideas are with Mr. French and his spouse, Nancy, as they navigate this tough journey collectively. I’m glad they’ve household and pals with whom to share their sorrow.
Patricia Gagen
Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif.
Reversing Drug Overdoses
To the Editor:
Re “Overdose Antidote Gets Red Light at Some Nightclubs” (information article, Dec. 31):
After I labored in a few of New York Metropolis’s largest golf equipment within the early 2000s, I noticed the significance of retaining Narcan available. At venues the place we didn’t have it, individuals who overdosed had been usually sneaked out again doorways and left by dumpsters till a personal ambulance service arrived.
At extra proactive locations that stocked Narcan and needed workers to be educated on learn how to use it, overdoses had been reversed inside even earlier than paramedics arrived. It was the accountable factor to do.
In the present day, I’m a hurt discount employee at a corporation that distributes free Narcan and supplies coaching on learn how to acknowledge and reverse an overdose to hundreds of New Yorkers.
Because the Occasions article famous, greater than 3,000 folks died of drug overdoses within the metropolis in 2022, and seven p.c had been in public indoor areas. Lots of these deaths had been preventable.
The folks I prepare wish to carry their Narcan proudly, together with at nightclubs.
Via the work of community-based organizations like mine, public consciousness campaigns and the Food and Drug Administration’s approval to sell Narcan over-the-counter, entry to Narcan is rising. However it’s clear that stigma and misunderstanding surrounding hurt discount instruments persist.
Town’s integration of Narcan in nightlife venues have to be accompanied by public-private efforts to coach everybody that the treatment saves lives. Each New Yorker is on the entrance strains of the overdose disaster. Allow us to embrace our collective duty and prioritize the well-being of our neighborhood.
Ashley Lynch
New York
The author is an outreach coordinator at Alliance for Optimistic Change, LES Hurt Discount Heart.
