The guest editorial by former CIA station chief Haviland Smith was excellent (Addison Independent, Sept. 9). In straightforward terms, it highlighted Trump’s relationship (or infatuation) with Putin, and his foreign policy activities. As the author said, this is outside the left-right arguments about which way to move the country. This is a leader who is completely flipping the relationships that have been in place for years. Trump’s preference for dictators is obvious on multiple fronts.
Trump must go. He has damaged democracy by his dictatorial style of leadership. The chaos and the politicizing of all operations of the government has made us less secure and less stable. His base-oriented actions and his personal traits (“nasty”) have made our daily lives less enjoyable and more dangerous. The political divide is worse, the societal dialogue is worse, the respect for truth and honesty is less, the trust in the media is hyper-divided, and two of the heavyweights in Trump’s world are TV personalities (like himself). Decency and respect for others are on the decline.
Trump and his minions do not want democracy. Trump has expressed desire to be president for life, and there is legitimate worry about what happens if the 2020 election is close and Trump loses. This is on top of gerrymandering, voter suppression and foreign influences.
Trump must go and it is not a left right issue anymore. It is a democracy or dictatorship question. Sorry to be so stark, but that is how it appears to me.
Van Talmage
Lincoln