Letter: It can only be viewed as a tactical retreat - Anchorage Daily News

The New York Review of Books recently ran a political commentary regarding the killing of two citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, on the streets of Minneapolis. The article characterized the killings as murders. The article also stated that Donald Trump ultimately claimed the victims were the perpetrators, not the other way around. Whatever twisted logic Trump used to justify his position was not apparent, other than to assume he is supportive of armed and masked men with virtually unlimited power, and that the rest of us should get used to it.

Under normal circumstances, one would expect our president to treat such an event as a disaster, not just a governmental screw-up. Instead, the victims were branded as domestic terrorists who deserved to be killed. Initially, both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal characterized the shootings in bland terms, and as tragic mistakes, because Pretti and Good were interfering with law enforcement business.

The sin of civic “interference” by Pretti and Good could be viewed as the saving grace of a democracy. By drawing attention to the actual, on-the-ground reality of our political system, they have done us all a favor. Trump’s recent temporary yielding to public outrage over the treatment they received could be viewed as only a tactical retreat, and not a true admission of error.

— Mike Jens, Anchorage

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