I clearly live in a different reality to Char Johnson. (Letters: Which leader is really serving the needs of the American people?) She calls on us to celebrate the brilliance of President Trumps' operation Warp Speed. I fear she might have fallen under the spell of Fox News.

According to Reuters' fact checkers, the Trump administration disbanded the "pandemic response" team, though some of the team members were reassigned to roles that included pandemic response. The team had originally been set up under Obama to deal with SARS and Ebola and other biological threats. The richest, scientifically most advanced country in the world re-organized its pandemic response capability and in doing so took its eye off the ball. The immediate dangers of the spread of COVID-19 were documented in the President's daily briefings. The President ignored the threat. Once the pandemic was under way, he told the States they were on their own when it came to PPE and the extra costs of hospitalizations. Over time, his lies multiplied as the pandemic worsened. There was NO national strategy. He told the American people it would go away. Pence said it would be over by Easter. Trump bragged he had denied the Chinese entry in February though he did allow Americans in China and Europe to return home and so the virus spread on both sides of the Continent. Over 300,000 Americans have since died. Surely even with a vaccine, this is not serving the needs of the American people?

The speed with which vaccines have been developed has little to do with Trump but is a result of successive governments and philanthropic organizations, such as the one run by Bill Gates, investing in scientific vaccine research in universities and medical establishments. Few pharmaceutical companies have invested in one-off vaccines. Ironically, in retrospect, if PPE and ventilators had been delivered at "warp speed," some lives might have been saved.

Unfortunately the "news" as promoted by Fox has become so distorted, so warped in the pursuit of profit rather than truth, so intent on fanning the flames of partisanship and so successful in convincing the unwary of half-truths that no wonder its viewers have become bewitched. Facile generalizations are easier to believe than the truth which can be difficult and nuanced. For example, despite all evidence to the contrary, Fox News continues to promote the idea that this election was somehow rigged. Trump's grievances continue to dominate the airwaves. The slogan "Warp Speed" unfortunately was a glib advertising slogan from a man interested in his image on TV. Twitter became his megaphone. But even without TV and Twitter, leaders of the past, by pressing the "populist button" as Trump has done, inspired and fired up their followers. In the 1930s the majority of Germans and Italians adored their leaders who promised victory and greatness and people were willing to follow these leaders to the death. Jews and social deviants were herded to the slaughter houses as a result. Russians referred to Stalin as "Father of Nations," "Great Leader," "The Man of Steel," "Brilliant Genius of Humanity," "Gardener of Human Happiness". 40 million died. By 1945 these patriotic leaders had accounted for over at least 120 million dead.

The ideals of democracy made America one of the greatest countries on the world stage. The message about the benefits of this political system have gone out and been imitated. In the end democracy serves the interests of its people. But democracy is not easy. Fascism and communism are easier and more common but can be lethal. Churchill said in 1946: "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time...." For those who believe in democracy, each generation must relearn the lesson. What remains vital to the process is sticking to the facts and the truth wherever we can.