A dark day
The final days of Donald Trump’s presidential tenure are turning out to be the most disgraceful. ‘By the people, of the people, for the people’ very nearly became ‘demonstrations by Trump, for Trump and of Trump’. His raging and near incitement of an insurrection is unpardonable action.
Generally, in the U.S., one observes discipline whether it concerns change, handling natural calamities, obeying the rules, cleanliness and courtesy. But to have its President unable to handle failure in the key election and then proceed to engage in shabby behaviour and hate policies are most condemnable.
A.J. Rangarajan,
Chennai
There have always been doubts over whether Mr. Trump would end his presidency with dignity. But nobody expected the manner in which his supporters stormed Capitol Hill, an act which will be remembered in history as one of the worst moments in America’s democracy. With this, the U.S. has lost all moral authority to preach to other nations. One can almost visualise nations like China and Iran enjoying the discomfiture of America. Single-handedly, Mr. Trump has destroyed the edifice on which America has been painstakingly built.
Anthony Henriques,
Mumbai
The shock has still not dissipated. It is hard to describe this as anything short of an attempted coup. That such scenes should play out in the world’s most powerful democracy spells bad news for democracies everywhere. And it will substantially damage Washington’s position to speak on democratic deficit in the rest of the world. It also shows the deep fissures within the Republican party.
All those who dismissed Mr. Trump as being merely idiosyncratic rather than as a danger to democracy itself clearly underestimated his destructive instincts. He must be held accountable.
N. Sadhasiva Reddy,
Bengaluru
Mr. Trump is an incompetent leader who wrested power by stoking long smarting divisions in the American body politic. But what I cannot understand is why the media is praising Mr. Biden now without experiencing his governence. Public disillusionment with this very same establishment is what paved the way for someone like Mr. Trump to emerge. I fear that if the media commits the same mistake of treating Mr. Biden as some kind of a messiah, it would only lead to further division and mistrust, ending in someone far cunning and worse than Mr. Trump gaining ascendancy.
Deepak Denny,
Thiruvananthapuram
Who would have imagined that the frontrunners of democratic values would end up with a battered image. This is a representation of a highly polarised world and growing intolerance. And that it affected a pillar of democracy is what sends a chill down the spine.
Madhusree Guha,
Kolkata
Avian flu
Bird flu has raised its head in Kerala again and the media is full of questions. The key issue concerns the safety of the person who is cooking poultry dishes. It is the same about eggs too. A high level of personal hygiene and observance of precautions while handling poultry products are a must.
Dr. Titus John,
Eraviperoor, Thiruvalla, Kerala
