Democrats of Today Periodically I’ll pick up an old edition of The New American magazine and read something that sparks some new feelings. The May 6, 2019 edition had an article headlined “‘Moderate’ Democrats Terrified of Party’s Hard-left Move.” It caused me to reflect on my childhood. My early childhood was during the Great Depression. Our neighborhood in a medium-size Connecticut town consisted of closely spaced tenement-style houses that were homes to primarily blue-collar workers, most of whom walked to work at one of several local manufacturing companies. For the most part, everyone not only got along but were friends and would do for each other without hesitation. Everyone attended some church on Sunday, and all were conservative-minded in the manner in which they lived their lives. There were political differences between neighbors, but at no time did that become adversarial. Other views were respected, and when someone was elected to office, there was respect for the office, even if the person occupying the office wasn’t the individual’s choice of candidates. What is particularly interesting about our cross-section of political humanity was that most of them voted Democrat, though I don’t recall anyone who would be considered liberal or progressive.  The Democratic Party of that period was touted and perceived as the “Working Man’s Party.” The attitude of doing for your country was strong. That atmosphere continued into the John F. Kennedy years, when he stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” How, when, and why did a change take place? The party that once sought unity now has leadership and constituents who have gone from a spirit of cooperation to a hostile, adversarial, often combative mass of freeloaders. It is disgraceful when the speaker of the house is seen tearing up the president’s State of the Union Address. It is appalling when the minority leader of the Senate makes threats against Supreme Court justices. It is disturbing when legislative politicians promote physical confrontations with any and all who oppose their views. The current atmosphere is not only disappointing, it is cause for concern.  Increasingly, there are old-school Democrats who are realizing that their once-perceived view of their party has vanished.  Bob Lagasse Bristol, Connecticut Deciding How the Law Should Be Applied I grew up having my paternal grandfather telling me about the greatness of the Constitution and Thomas Jefferson. I attended Catholic boarding school in the 1950s. The school was run by priests, many of whom had lived in Italy during and before World War II. These priests emphasized how great our country was because of the fact that we had received inalienable rights from our Creator. I went to college in the early ’60s and ended up flying in combat in Vietnam. The military paid for my medical degree. Later on, the V.A. educational benefits helped pay for my law degree. I consider myself a Thomas Jefferson-type guy, as far as politics is concerned. But if you ask the right questions in law school, you will find that Jefferson is pretty much despised by most law school professors.  If you really know our Founders well, you will understand why the “rule of law” is purposely left out of the Constitution. You will also understand that it is the role of the Sixth Amendment’s impartial jury to judge the law; it is not the judiciary’s job. If you do not understand those things, you really do not understand our founding! Dr. W. David Herbert Senior attorney of the state bar of Montana Billings, Montana Clownish Claims Leftists have been trying to brand President Trump as a racist for using the terms “Chinese Virus” and “Wuhan Virus” to reference COVID-19. Are they likewise objecting to the use of the name “German Measles”? Answer: no. David Hammer Bronx, New York