MOBS: Enforce the antidotes

The “prevention” of the last school board from meeting was an eye opener. Not because it hadn’t occurred before but because the police said basically they do not have the manpower nor, in my opinion, the inclination to protect open public meetings. A stunning admission.

The threat of violence now infuses GOP politics more than ever. Trump once said “power was about instilling fear.” Death threats against public officials are not just the result of angry people but a more systematic use of fear and intimidation to reinforce authoritarian control of politics in Coeur d’Alene and in the nation as a whole.

The mob mentality, with accompanying emotional contagion that is taking over public meetings, needs to be addressed by law enforcement and community leaders who haven’t been co-opted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.

DAVID M. COHEN

Coeur d’Alene