Kellyanne Conway's Self-serving Subservience to Donald Trump

1.15.23

To the editor:

It was quite generous of the Times to offer Kellyanne Conway precious space in the Opinion pages to submit her job application to run Donald Trump's presidential campaign [1.15.23 The case for (and against) Donald Trump in 2024].  She famously supported Trump's dishonesty by speaking of 'alternative facts' as if such a thing exists.  Case in point: Does anyone really believe that Trump 'stared down' Putin?  Trump's greatest gift has been getting people to believe in his power, greatness and good intentions only to discover a self-serving, insecure core beneath this grandiose veneer (see the failed ventures of Trump University, Trump Airlines, Trump Vodka, Trump Streaks, Trump Ice, Trump Magazine and more). I imagine, with the passage of time, his presidency will mark a low point in our country's history.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Santos Socipathy

12.29.22

To the editor:

Perhaps in the holiday spirit of generosity David Brooks expresses sorrow more than anger towards Representative-elect George Santos whose main 'qualification' for office seems to be his ability to deceive those he hopes to serve (12.29.22, The sad tales of George Santos).  Contrary to Brooks positing that Santos is driven by shame to create a false narrative, I would suggest that it is likely he suffers from shamelessness; shame, along with guilt, are important guardrails in guiding and constraining our behavior.  When a fuller picture of Santos emerges, it will be interesting to see whether his recent conduct is an aberration or, more likely I would imagine, a way of life.  More important is how the Republican party will face the moral challenge it faces in the moment.  Will it shamelessly turn a blind eye or do the right thing?

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Facing Loss

12.4.22

To the editor:

Jill Biolosky writes poignantly about her complicated process mourning the loss of her sister by suicide (12.4.22 Grief is a forever thing). She also criticizes the American Psychiatric Association's recent addition of prolonged grief to the DSM-V.  While the latter risks pathologizing a healthy albeit painful process, it serves to highlight that for some people a normal process of mourning may go awry and such individuals may benefit from treatment.  Losses that are tragic, traumatic or highly ambivalent (for example, the death of a parent who was abusive) are particularly hard to mourn.  As a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst I have worked with many patients for whom living fully after loss was difficult due to unresolved feelings of guilt in relation to the deceased. It is not that sadness can be or should be eradicated from one's psyche. If one lives constantly haunted by loss one has become deadened or prematurely died.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

SICKENED BY GUN VIOLENCE AND OUR MACHO GUN CULTURE

11.23.22

To the editor:

If only it were true, as Governor Youngkin said, that 'heinous acts of violence have no place in our communities' (6 people killed in shooting at Virginia Walmart, 11.23.22). Our country suffers from an epidemic of gun violence where shattered lives and broken hearts are part of the daily news cycle. Politicians, more interested in holding on to power, refuse to take the unpopular but necessary steps to - literally - stop the bleeding. We desperately need moderate pro-gun members of Congress to do the right thing by taking the lead on gun reform and, yes, putting their jobs on the line.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

POST MIDTERM ELECTION GLEE

11.10.22

To the editor:

What a difference a week makes! David Brooks lamented one week prior to the election 'We're about where we were...Nothing the parties or candidates have done has really changed this underlying balance.' He alluded to deep structural differences within the electorate contributing to a hostile, menacing atmosphere. (11.3.22) Why aren't the Democrats trouncing these guys'?) Lo and behold a week hence, he proclaims 'The fever is breaking.' (11.10.22) The election results, while still unfolding, suggest that our country is less divided than it seems and that sowing divisiveness itself may be a less successful political strategy than it has been in the past. If these results encourage respect for one another, respect for the rule of law, and respect for our differences we will have taken a major stride to put Donald Trump where he belongs - in the history books and out of politics.

Larry S Sandberg

The January 6th Committee: Partisan? My Ass.

10.14.22

To the editor:

Perhaps it is unsurprising given these divisive times to take issue with Christopher Caldwell's characterization of the Jan. 6th Committee as 'pursuing their case in a grandiose and ideological manner, tarring Mr. Trump’s voting base as a bunch of authoritarians and election deniers' (10.13.22 The Jan.6th Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective). There are three groups of Republicans: those who are lying to promote their political self-interest; those who are vulnerable, susceptible to believing the lie and who are being victimized by the very politicians they support; those disillusioned conservatives who see today's Republican Party as unrecognizable and a threat to our democracy. Liz Cheney, clearly in the last camp, has been explicit in making the important distinction between those Republicans who knowingly lie and those who have been lied to and now believe the lie. Both of these groups comprise 'election deniers.' But the psychology and motivations involved are fundamentally different. Cheney has expressed sympathy towards those individuals who must face being deceived by those they trusted. This is not tarring Trump's voting base.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

The January 6th Committee: Trying To Protect Our Democracy

10/14/22

To the editor:

While Christopher Caldwell (10.13.22 The Jan.6th Committee Has Been Almost Wholly Ineffective) portrays the hard work of the Jan. 6th Committee as a partisan political effort, it is worth remembering that, with rare exception, testimony has been obtained from self-proclaimed Republicans, many of whom were Trump appointees. Insofar as the committee has been committed to establishing facts; i.e., a semblance of objective reality, it is unclear what Caldwell means by the lack of 'oppositional checks' on the committee.

At the same time, Caldwell rightly emphasizes the role of Trump's psychology as a major disturbing variable. But mental health professionals who openly voiced their concerns early on were either ignored or openly criticized for being 'unethical' in their public statements. Moreover, we need to confront the group psychology at play in two respects. First, Trump's malignant effect on many Republican politicians who have willfully adopted deception as a political strategy. Second, a large part of the electorate incapable of identifying misinformation as such living with the delusion (i.e., fixed false belief) that the election was stolen. It is important to keep in mind that many people who attacked the Capital genuinely believed their actions were patriotic. The irony is that they accurately saw themselves as victims but for the wrong reason: of a stolen election rather than manipulation.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Trumpism versus Trump

9.7.22

To the editor:

Bret Stephens mistakenly claims 'The gravest threat American democracy faces today isn’t the Republican Party, MAGA or otherwise. It’s Trump.' (9.6.22 With Malice Toward Quite A Few). Like a highly malignant cancer, Trump has metastasized into Trumpism and destroyed the Republican Party. The damage he has caused his Party and the threat this creates for our democracy will be with us long after Donald Trump is gone.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Trump Unraveling ...

8.13.22

To the editor:

The wheels of justice are turning ... slowly, deliberately and inexorably (8.13.22, Files seized from Trump are part of Espionage Act inquiry). Donald Trump decried the rampant criminal activity in our streets in his vulgar inaugural speech heralding his role as the law and order president. Multiple investigations in Washington, New York and Georgia have already exposed Trump as having disdain or even contempt for the rule of law. His unfitness for office is impressive. He will go down in history,ironically enough, as a lawless President who reaffirmed the importance of the rule of law.

Respectfully,

Larry S Sandberg

Feelings Help Us Think and Make Decisions

7.24.22

To the editor:

Russ Roberts illustrates the futility of trying to make important life decisions like whether to marry - what he calls 'wild problems' - by attempting a dispassionate cost-benefit analysis of pros and cons (7.24.22 How to make a life-defining decision). Roberts suggests thinking more about one's destiny rather than one's path in order to lead a meaningful life. But he downplays the central role of emotions in such decisions. Interestingly enough, this is nicely illustrated in the example he gives of Charles Darwin deciding whether to marry: his thinking incorporates an 'emotional vein' that frees him to choose marriage.

Contemporary neuroscience has proven what psychoanalysts have known for a long time: thinking and feeling are not independent functions of our minds. Feelings, which are inextricably linked to our bodies, our very existence, play an integral role in thinking and solving the 'wild problems' we face.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg MD

The Real Threat: Over 400 Million Guns In The United States

7.9.22

To t he editor:

David Brooks paints a psychological portrait of mass shooters - isolated, lonely, humiliated, vengeful - that acknowledges their 'malicious lunacy' often in the absence of a diagnosed psychiatric illness (7.8.22 Why Mass Shooters Do The Evil They Do). Their alienation and disconnectedness from others makes them hard to see and easy to ignore. I support mental health efforts to identify and help those young (typically) white men who fit this profile. But we should keep in mind that it is only because assault weapons are readily available in our country that a potential mass killer can become an actual one.

Respectfully submitted

Larry S. Sandberg

Women As Property Controlled By The State

7.1.22

To the editor:

I am incredulous that Erika Bachioch suggests that the pro-life movement must convince pro-choicers that unborn children are 'not expendable property' (7.1.22, What Makes a Fetus a Person ). She equates the 'my body, my choice' argument with a 'my body as property right.' I disagree. It is an assertion of agency and free will, the antithesis of property. it is an acknowledgement of our history of enslaving black women, owning them as property, and forcibly impregnating them. It is an antidote to the the patriarchal and racist remnants of our history.

This is Donald Trump's legacy - he used the religious right to get into office and they used him to get what they wanted. It will take a lifetime to undo the damage he has wrought. Women's bodies are being controlled by the state. And those women who can least manage an unwanted pregnancy will be the most affected.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

On Conservative Rationalization

6.12.22

Ross Douthat argues that an 'everybody's implicated sensibility' makes unlikely that the House January 6 Committee will succeed in convincing the public of Donald Trump's unique danger to our democracy (6.12.22, He's not going away). He speaks of the inadequate coverage of the arrest of a man who intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh before changing his mind and turning himself in to authorities.

I am uncertain what adequate coverage would look like in Ross Douthat's eyes. Perhaps it might include his incorporating into his piece how 'liberals' in California have put Democrats on notice that gun violence needs to be addressed. Perhaps it might include a rebuke of Fox News for abdicating its responsibility to its viewers to show the hearings to a skeptical public.

More than anything, it might mean criticizing the very attitude - 'everybody's implicated' - he seems to adopt in his piece by acknowledging that accepting a complex reality does not justify eradicating difference. Valuing the truth is a non-partisan value. Lying in an effort to steal an election is wrong.

Respectfully submitted

Larry S Sandberg

The Supreme Court's Indifference To The Gun Epidemic

6.23.22

To the editor:

The conservative justices on the Supreme Court choose to be willfully blind in ruling in favor of a more expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment (6.23.22 Supreme Court strikes down New York law limiting guns in public.). We have more guns than people in this country. There is an undeniable epidemic of gun violence with innocent lives lost to homicide and suicide every day. Do the justices consider how this ruling will impact this epidemic? Do they care? Does the right to bear arms in public trump the right to life?

Respectfully submitted

Larry S Sandberg

The Problem of 'Everybody's Implicated'...

6.12.22

Ross Douthat argues that an 'everybody's implicated sensibility' makes unlikely that the House January 6 Committee will succeed in convincing the public of Donald Trump's unique danger to our democracy (6.12.22, He's not going away). He speaks of the inadequate coverage of the arrest of a man who intended to kill Justice Kavanaugh before changing his mind and turning himself in to authorities.

I am uncertain what adequate coverage would look like in Ross Douthat's eyes. Perhaps it might include his incorporating into his piece how 'liberals' in California have put Democrats on notice that gun violence needs to be addressed. Perhaps it might include a rebuke of Fox News for abdicating its responsibility to its viewers to show the hearings to a skeptical public.

More than anything, it might mean criticizing the very attitude - 'everybody's implicated' - he seems to adopt in his piece by acknowledging that accepting a complex reality does not justify eradicating difference. Valuing the truth is a non-partisan value. Lying in an effort to steal an election is wrong.

Respectfully submitted

Larry S Sandberg

Groundhog Day ...

5.24.22

To the editor:

Another massacre in another elementary school ... after another massacre in another supermarket ... after another shooting in another place of worship. We are living in a war zone of our own making. We are literally killing ourselves. We have come together as a country to help Ukraine in their fight with Russia. How many more innocent lives must be lost? How many more families have to be devastated by traumatic loss before the alleged grown ups in the room - our elected politicians - unite to take concrete steps to prevent the next tragic shooting?

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Fighting Despair To Battle Gun Violence In Our Country

5.28.22

To the editor:

Michelle Goldberg expresses an understandable but dangerous sentiment in response to the recurrent nightmare of gun violence in our country: hopelessness, helplessness and despair (5.28.22, America May Be Broken Beyond Repair). But if we allow ourselves to be governed by these feelings we will be living out a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Gun violence is an American problem that cuts across political party affiliation. The majority of Americans - almost 90% - support legislative efforts to reduce the carnage. The majority of American households - 58% - do not own guns. Self-serving politicians like Ted Cruz manipulate and deceive their constituents for personal gain.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death in young people in this country. Activism, whatever form that may take for each us, is the only path forward. If we give in to despair, we will have lost the battle to protect our children.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Mental Illness and Gun Violence

5.28.22

To the editor:

Thank you, Bret Stephens (5.28.22 America Is Under The Gun), for expressing disgust at Republicans who blame mental illness rather than the proliferation of guns for our country's shameful distinction of arming its citizens who commit acts of violence. This self-serving stance among power hungry politicians reflects an abdication of responsibility twice over.

First, and most obviously, it blocks common sense legislative efforts to make our country safer under the perverse rationale that assault weapons are needed for self-defense. Second, and more perniciously, it pro-gun rhetoric perpetuates a form of toxic masculinity that makes more likely that those young men who are deeply disturbed will act out violently. There is insufficient attention, in my opinion, to the gender bias that defines gun violence and how our 'sick' gun culture sickens the minds of vulnerable young men.

Respectfully

Larry S. Sandberg

Transphobia in Texas

5.13.22

To the editor:

Whatever uncertainty exists within the medical community with regard to the treatment of transgender youth, it is reprehensible that Governor Abbott of Texas has chosen to weaponize this complex issue for political gain (5.13.22, Top Texas Court Allows Abuse Inquiries of Transgender Youth). It is worth considering what kind of person conjures the notion of 'abuse' in relation to loving parents trying to help their child receive medically accepted treatment. Governor Abbott displays his own willful ignorance, utter lack of empathy, and abuse of power to advance his own career ambitions. We can only hope that the public will not reward him for trying to turn this issue into a political winner.

Respectfully

Larry S Sandberg

Sexism on Display Talking About Vice President Harris

12.16.21

Sir:

I am always open to Brett Stephens ’s ideas even from a quite differing political sensibility, and especially enjoy his dialogues with Gail Collins as they respectively disagree but aim to find common ground on many vital issues we confront. But his remark that Vice President Harris “seems lighter than air” seem below a level of journalism and frankly sexist if not racist. We know well that the standards for women in our culture and scrutiny of their behavior if in politics are far higher a bar . There are numerous examples of males who misfire in major ways and are forgiven including our ex president who has dramaticially endangered our democracy and displays behaviors even a lay person could associate with mental illness, but he remains popular . We know that many of the actions of our VP are not covered by the media , but her headphones were. Does Mr Stephens truly believe that Mike Pence, and Dick Cheney have gravitas? I hope Gail Collins can address his rudeness with him. At a time when the assault on women’s right to reproductive health care is rampant, we hope journalists will share their viewpoints in more respectful ways.

Sue Matorin