To the editor:
As someone who has always been center-right going back to my days as a college activist back in the late ‘60s and ‘early 70s, I am thinking our country is more out of order today than it ever was back when I was 20-something. I find it difficult to understand this growing desire to turn to violence when met with opposition political points of view.
These recent acts of violence seem to be without end. Another violent clash out does the previous hateful act. The killing of Charlie Kirk during a college rally in Utah is or should be unthinkable. So too the hateful responses on social media cheering his killing.
As I read a page one story on recent death threats made toward U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton (The Item, Sept. 18) after the congressman criticized President Trump’s response following Kirk’s killing. Moulton said he was proud to stand as a Democrat condemning violence from the left but added that Trump needs to condemn the violence on the right as well.
However, the statement by Moulton that the majority of extremist violent murders are perpetrated by right wing extremists is simply not factually true. But even if it were true: If Moulton is keeping a scorecard to figure out which team kills more people, this is a scorecard nobody should want to keep up with. I refuse to accept his numbers: 76% rightwing crazies to 4% leftwing crazies. No wonder he’s attracting so many hateful social media posts.
As a United States Air Force veteran back in the 60s and as a retired police officer of 28 years who retired 15 days after the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013, I accepted so much more from Moulton when he first announced for Congress, but I have seen so much less. He has turned into just another liberal Democrat doing and saying all the things liberals do and say. Seems to like to hear himself speak.
I am appalled that there are so many folks out there spewing so much hate. I believe as Charlie Kirk did that the way to combat hate speech is to counter with more speech.
I think Moulton might like to listen to himself. His quote that ended the commentary by Jackie Manno made great sense: “We need to recognize that we ought to be able to disagree peacefully, fundamental to our democracy, if we’re going to move forward.” However, it seems at every moment he can, he keeps whacking Trump and Republican cohorts.
If we want to stop descending into the chaos of Dante’s Inferno, we need to listen to each other, treat each other with respect and agree to disagree.
Sal Giarratani
East Boston
