Feedback 11/23 

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America chose fascism

What we've seen is what we will get: Donald Trump not only looks like Mussolini — he acts like Mussolini. He has no respect for law; the law is what he says it is. If you don't agree with him 100 percent, he will destroy you. Swastikas on walls are already multiplying.

He will stack the Supreme Court with his cronies, I guarantee you Paul Ryan will not be speaker of the House come January, and the safeguard of three independent branches of government will no longer exist.

"It couldn't happen here," Americans have said about Nazi Germany or fascist Italy. On November 8, it did. Fascism: "the merging of state and business leadership with an ideology of belligerent nationalism."

GIL FRENCH

Remembering Tom Hampson

CITY provided an amazingly comprehensive article about Tom Hampson in its February 4, 2004, issue — forever after the main reference for information about Hampson and a big help to him personally as he would simply refer to the article.

Hampson apologized for taking time from one of his "Jazz from the Cellar" programs to tell his listeners about the turn his personal life had taken. Life changed when his wife, Zena, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

After two years of dealing with it at home, they moved to Wolk Manor, but in two different buildings. With help, he worked out placing his huge collection of records, tapes, and CD's, and could manage to continue doing his programs, but the move had been difficult. He was feeling old at 87.

On the phone, he said he missed 83 Berkeley Street, where he had lived so long.

"I'm one of two men here in Wolk Manor who still drives, so I can take my wife to all her appointments with the dentist and doctors," he said.

He said he took longer to recall names on the program and worried he would forget one entirely. But he was still as sharp as usual, or so it seemed. Mixing up Wildroot Cream Oil and Brylcreem bothered him, but it was good for a laugh.

In the CITY article, he wished only that a different photo of him had appeared on the cover. It was humorous, but made him look too wild, not as he perceived himself.

His excellent obituary had a very good photo, but no address for condolences, only a destination for donations. There were reasons, surely, but it left an impression that Tom Hampson himself would not have left.

Thanks to his family and WXXI, his program will continue on so that with a little make-believe, we can imagine him there in the Berkeley Street basement, with his drum set at the ready.

BYRNA WEIR

Fried cakes memories

Fritz Hutteman is my grandfather. I lived right above the bakery at 1144 Ridge Road with my older brother and sister and parents ("Fried cakes: A sacred Rochester tradition," October 5). We would go on deliveries with grandpa Fritz all the time and spend hours watching and helping him in the bakery, mostly eating the rejects! It's really awesome to know that people still think about him and the awesome fried cakes!

SCOTT SCHREIBER