Lunch counter sit-ins starting in 1960 are indelible part of history

Your guest opinion piece lauding students for leading today’s anti-gun movement deserves praise for acknowledging other student-led initiatives that have brought constructive social change (“Young people have led way to change before,” Sunday). May their efforts prevail.

However, the examples of notable prior student actions is embarrassing for omitting one of the most far-reaching in our nation’s history: The lunch counter sit-ins starting in 1960 in Greensboro that snow-balled into the Civil Rights Crusade, culminating in the toppling of de jure Jim Crow in America.

They endured threats, insults, physical assault and jail time, but did not falter or yield.

Along with other student protests, it remains an indelible part of American history, reminding us that “black history” does not exist in a vacuum, or only during the month of February, but is part and parcel of American history in toto, immutable, irreversible and with us always.

Ted Z. Manuel, Hyde Park

Misinformation

Frankly I am appalled that the Sun Times would allow itself to be an instrument for the misinformation and misrepresentation campaign of the far right. The opinion piece by Sally C. Pipes (“False promise of ‘Medicare for all’ roars back,” Sunday) is typical of the fake analyses produced by so-called conservative think tanks, such as the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, and Pipes’ operation, the Pacific Research Institute.

These organizations cherry pick the data to paint the issues and programs they oppose in the most negative light. They make no attempt to provide the public with a balanced viewpoint. Thus, according to Pipes, Sanders’ “Medicare for all” would be an absolute calamity with no positive attributes. For the Sun-Times to provide a full page to such biased blather is mind-boggling.

Wylie Rogers, South Shore

Cynical calculation

Republicans seem remarkably indifferent to the mounting evidence that Russian-linked computer criminals have been actively influencing election outcomes both here and abroad. I suspect that their indifference arises from the cynical calculation that such efforts favor Republican candidates and causes. Once again, Americans are seeing the cancer of political party trumping country.

Mary F. Warren, Wheaton

Historical ignorance

Donald Trump’s announced plan to pace tariffs on aluminum and steel again prove his ignorance of history. This can only negatively impact prices on goods made from aluminum and steel and directly impact the American consumer.

What Trump probably doesn’t know, is that trade tariffs are largely considered a major cause of the Great Depression. He can’t be in his right mind to cause this kind of financial havoc FOR Americans. It almost seems as if this is something Putin would suggest, further de-stabilizing America’s relationship with the world and hurting American families.

Andrew Starzec, Edison Park

Irrelevant tweet

In a week that saw Russia unveil its newest weapons of mass destruction and our leader continue to emasculate his attorney general and berate his communications director. In a week that exposed the possibility of a global trade war, sending the stock market on a downward spiral. And the tag team of Ivanka and Jared found out they were under intense scrutiny by Robert Mueller for conducting personal business from inside the White House.

What do you suppose Donald Trump had to say about all this? Well, our “unhinged” president, suffering from sleep deprivation and anger management issues, tweeted that Alec Baldwin does a lousy impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live. Not exactly what we might expect from our chief executive in a time of crisis — even if it was entirely brought on by himself and his team of interlopers. But hey, you get what you pay fo,r and Russia got this guy on the cheap!

Bob Ory Elgin