Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to Michael Welbourn’s diatribe (aka, Letter to the Editor) in the November 7 issue of this paper. Obviously, since he wrote his piece the day after the election, he couldn’t wait to gloat — or to begin the retribution that his cult leader has called for and promised.
It was predictable that Mr. Welbourn made heavy use of one of his cult leader’s most favorite techniques: projection. His accusation of “liberals” possessing a “haversack of lies, double talk and dribble” is what his cult leader and his followers see when they look in a mirror. And, since they can’t accept the truth about themselves, they project it onto others.
Unlike Mr. Welbourn’s cult leader, Vice President Kamala Harris offered us, in defeat, a model of what a true leader and decent person does, by doing something that her opponent has never done: she conceded defeat, and called to congratulate him. Because, out of the two candidates, she is the one who cherishes democracy and our country, there will be, for the first time in eight years, a peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another.
I watched both the former president’s victory speech and the Vice President’s concession speech. Of the two, it was Harris’ speech that was more full of joy, optimism, and promise — whereas the winner’s speech was a gloomy affair. If one didn’t know better, you might have thought that she was the one who had won the election.
But, back to Mr. Welbourn’s obvious vision for the future of our country. It appears that he doesn’t understand the historical nature of our democracy, in which people from differing viewpoints and political stances work together for the good of all. He doesn’t understand that, following an election, what is needed is for people of all persuasions to seek ways to work together, in spite of their differences. Instead, he has jumped on his cult leader’s bandwagon, and wants to deport anyone who dares to be different from the cult’s accepted notions of “purity”, i.e., primarily white, male, evangelical “christian”, and fascist.
Well, I have a reality check for Mr. Welbourn: those of us outside the cult aren’t going anywhere. In fact, we are already gearing up for the resistance — because both the history and the threats of Mr. Welbourn’s cult leader make it plain that it will be resistance that saves our country. And, since his cult leader likes big crowds, he will surely appreciate and enjoy the millions of democracy-loving people who will be turning out to save our country — from him.
Paul Guffin
Downieville