CIVIL DISCOURSE

Re “Madness must stop” (Brian Lilley, Sept. 13): You’re right that calling opponents “Nazis” or “fascists” poisons debate. But your column overlooks a critical truth: The same tactic is just as common on the right. Progressives are routinely branded “communists,” “traitors,” or worse, often with the same intent — to delegitimize rather than engage. Extremists on both sides weaponize labels, and both forms of rhetoric corrode our democracy and can incite violence. Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die for his beliefs, but he was no Mahatma Gandhi. If we’re serious about building a healthier political culture, we can’t just police one direction. Civility requires that everyone stop using slurs as substitutes for argument.

Peter Rozanec

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