E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump

Re “ ” (front page, April 27): Clear evidence suggests that Donald Trump sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll. As is his pattern, he denies it from a distance on social media but doesn’t come to court and face cross-examination.

He did the same thing each time he was impeached: talked tough but hid like a coward — did not testify. How many men would stay home if they were innocent of such a charge? Would not come into court and deny it forcefully, deny it vehemently? When I was a lawyer, a public defender, the hardest thing to confront in a rape case was the question of — a woman would bring a false rape charge, she would face all that comes with such an allegation if . It’s a difficult question to answer.

For all the distraction from the defense cross-examination, from the constant detritus of commentary from right-wing media, from Mr. Trump himself, the question remains with no answer in this case except this very logical one: All the other details are irrelevant. I asked my wife if she believed E.

Jean Carroll. She said: “Absolutely. No doubt.

” I suspect that most women and many men believe the same. Her testimony has the ring of truth! If he did this — and I believe he did — it is just one more reason that he is not qualified to be president. John E.

Colbert Arroyo Seco, N. M. In her stunning portrayal of a rape victim’s engagement with the legal system, Jodie Comer’s one-woman show, “Prima Facie,” exemplifies E.

Jean Carroll’s horrific experience being cross-examined by one of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Joseph Tacopina. The #MeToo movement has taken us far, but our legal system still encourages victim blaming and humiliation while requiring women to publicly relive their most traumatizing moments. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go.

Karen Dorn Rye, N. Y. Re “ ” (Opinion guest essay, April 26): Prof.

Deborah Tuerkheimer might be correct in saying the civil suit brought by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump, in which Ms. Carroll alleges Mr.

Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, is an important aspect of the #MeToo movement. But it is also important in another respect: In an attempt to make amends for decades, if not centuries, of disbelieving claims of women who were sexually attacked by men, the #MeToo movement has destroyed a critical aspect of the criminal and civil legal systems. The case involving Mr.

Trump and Ms. Carroll is not one involving DNA, and it therefore seems fair to say we will never know the truth of what happened between them. But we do know two things with certainty: 1) the passage of a quarter of a century affects memories, including (even especially) the memories of victims of trauma, and 2) the legal system has historically required parties to bring their legal claims with alacrity both because memories become scrambled and because the passage of time can make it impossible to mount a meaningful defense.

Given his own boisterous and reprehensible statements, effectively bragging about forcing himself sexually on unwelcoming women, Donald Trump is not someone I am eager to defend. But like all those accused of misconduct, he is entitled to a defense, and laws that permit civil actions to be brought decades after the supposed wrongdoing occurred cripple that critical right. David R.

Dow Houston I believe E. Jean Carroll’s account of being raped by Donald Trump and how it changed her life. After I was attacked, it took me 15 years to get the attack out of my thoughts and stop being afraid of men.

I felt ashamed and didn’t want people to know I had been attacked. I also questioned whether people would say it was partly my fault even though I knew it wasn’t. Being sexually attacked is an awful experience.

L. Dawson Sacramento Re “ ,” by Daniel T. Willingham (Opinion guest essay, April 23): I am skeptical of prescribing methods.

Gifted teachers inspire lifelong learning in their students not because they adhere to any prescribed method, but rather because they love what they do. They privilege curiosity: They open minds and hearts — their own and those of their students. They dare courageously to take risks, try out classes and experiments that fail, and welcome outside-the-box solutions and seemingly wild interpretations of texts.

Method aside, they innovate; they rethink. They invest energy and time nurturing growth in their quirky, challenging, diverse students. Just as important, they love whatever it is they teach.

They love it enough to make it important to their students. And that is why students study. Methods are all very well and good, but real study goes on when a student cares — dives in, gets immersed, starts swimming and keeps going.

This happens when teachers are doing the same. Methods differ infinitely, but passion for discovery, modeled by a stimulating teacher, is what truly sparks lifelong learning. Ellen Handler Spitz New Haven, Conn.

To encourage young people to become lifelong learners, let us awaken in them through our example an enthusiasm and veneration for the beauty of good ideas and good stories, in all fields and all forms, for these are the imperishable discoveries of the deep imagination. Michael L. Brown Boston Re “ ” (front page, April 22): In the summer of 1965, I worked as a volunteer on the Menominee Indian Reservation, which was coming off reservation status and .

volunteers were working with tribal leaders to set up the tribe for its economic future, using the forest as their primary resource and the old sawmill as the site for turning that resource into dollars to support the tribe going forward. We college volunteers had a different job: We were to run summer programs for the children, who would attend public schools instead of tribal schools in the fall. Our remit was to help them adjust to the new culture, in particular to instill a taste for competition and individual achievement and to wean them off the collective and cooperative ethos of the tribe.

Having just finished my sophomore year of college, I didn’t know much, but I felt that the values of the Menominee were a blessed relief from the competitive environment I had come from. I am happy to learn that Menominee values prevailed and that the forest, which you report is “regarded by some as the nation’s first sustainable forest,” has been the beneficiary. Let’s hope their wise stewardship of the land will continue.

Jane P. Bowers New York.