Troubled democracy
Re: "Thai politics has turned upside down", (Opinion, Aug 23).
I was more than a little surprised by the idea of Thailand calmly accepting that democracy would one day arrive and that it's getting nearer as time goes by. Who was following the mentioned "middle path" when 13 successful and nine unsuccessful armed coups took place in Thailand?
With 20 constitutions in a century, this is not a country in any way at peace with itself. Holding world records for the number of political parties removed by courts and the longest prison sentence for defamation is not a great sign of an improving democracy, in fact quite the opposite.
If an army killing protesters on the streets is the middle path, I'm sure glad you have avoided extremism.
Voice like no other
Re: "Hollywood mourns James Earl Jones, voice of Darth Vader", (Life, Sept 11).
With the passing of James Earl Jones we lose one of the most recognisable voices to appear in films with "I am your father".
Perhaps one of the most important parts of his life story is his progress from being a stutterer to playing the president in the 1972 film The Man, a fiction that became reality when Joe Biden, who has also struggled with stuttering, became the real president.
There is much to praise in his acting career but the greatest achievement was creating that voice.
Rest in Peace. Vale James.
Listen, learn, change
Years ago, I went from being extremely pro-Israel to extremely pro-Palestinian, from being a meat-eater who laughed at vegetarians to becoming a vegetarian myself.
Why did I change? Because I listened to people who gave me good reasons to believe I had been wrong. So I had hoped that if I gave other people good reasons to believe they had been wrong, they too would change their ways so that animals, humans and the environment could be saved (The meat and dairy industries are major causes of climate change).
But in this day of the internet, people don't want to consider opposing ideas and thus respond to me by engaging in character assassination and horrible personal attacks. The consequences of man's refusal to even consider changing his destructive ways will be catastrophic.
Felon or president?
Re: "Why I still think that Trump will win this election?" (Opinion, Sept 10).
The New York Times columnist Ross Douthat fails to point out that since his 2020 defeat, Trump, along with the Republicans and his Maga supporters, has turned America into a global laughingstock. Sadly, the columnist omitted to address the criminal cases against him, which is surprising. Trump now looks like an American superhero in the image of a gangster godfather.
Despite this, Trump continues to claim that if he does not win in 2024, the elections are either stolen or a sham.
How does Trump differ from other politicians despised by the American establishment, such as Nicolás Maduro, Daniel Ortega, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, and various leaders in Asia and Africa?
It would be a historic and troubling development if a convicted felon were to be elected to the White House. Don't you think?