Opinion: The cynical exploitation of the religious right by right-wing billionaires

To the editor: Charlotte Allen opines that the religious right will not steer our nation toward a “near-future militant fundamentalist Christian elite dystopia” like the one in “The Handmaid’s Tale” because liberals have fostered a “mostly secularist elite dystopia” that has too much sway. Allen writes that liberals comprise most of the “upper 1%” and therefore dominate our culture and politics. (“Living ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ — courtesy of the secular liberal elites of L.A.,” Opinion, May 2)

More accurate is that the real power is wielded by the uber-wealthy — say, the upper tenth of the 1% — such as the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson and other hard-core conservatives. These people manipulate religious adherents to support their politicians.

The religious right’s push toward a theocracy poses an utterly diabolical threat to democracy.

Dennis Alston, Atwater, Calif.

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To the editor: If liberal policies are the source of our country’s increasing economic stratification, then why is it that the most conservative states are also the ones with the weakest economies and the least upward mobility?

I’m reminded of a bit from Bill Maher: If states are the “laboratories of democracy,” then we should pay attention to the lab results. California got taken over by liberals, and its economy is now much stronger. Kansas, meanwhile, got taken over by people who still believe in trickle-down, and its economy is ailing.

Allen’s allegory is a wonderful tool for storytelling, but for nonfiction, it’s best to use data.

Ian Carlton, Santa Cruz

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To the editor: A writer who decries sweeping assumptions really ought to avoid cliche-ridden sweeping statements. Whatever point Charlotte Allen might have made was lost in her mindless labels: “liberal paranoiacs,” “secularist elite,” “elite class” and others.

As an English teacher, I’m always interested in a range of views on a provocative piece of literature such as “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but if all you have to offer is the worn-out “liberal elite,” don’t bother.

Carmen Wisdom, Lancaster

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