Since I felt like writing about our county’s
condition; and I can’t say that I am happy about where we are today or that I
am comfortable about where we appear to be headed. It seems America is riding
in a small lifeboat, lurching badly on an angry ocean of upheaval, lies, distrust,
discord, and angst.
Candidate Trump promised to shake up Washington, and
to drain the swamp. I’m sorry to say, but he has succeeded beyond even his
wildest dreams of shaking things up in Washington; and as for draining the
swamp, he appears instead to have aroused every alligator within several
thousand miles. I believe there is a lack of common courtesy or even decency in
Washington, including in the White House; and I fail to comprehend how our country
has managed to become so childish. On both national and international levels,
our country’s reputation and honor are being trashed daily, even hourly; and
there seems no clear reason for this outlandish style of governing. Although
President Trump likes to blame any bad news on the “Fake News,” I don’t think
that is accurate; honest reporters tell the news as it is happening, that is,
they report the facts and the words said; that honest reporting may not be what
the president wants to see or hear, but facts are not to be trifled with,
downplayed or excused away. Facts are exactly that, facts; they cannot be
changed to fit the President’s wishes.
We are approaching the end of year three of the Trump
presidency, and I don’t see America as being better off than we were before Mr.
Trump was elected President. The current occupant of the White House has caused
great harm to our standing in the world, both by his actions and his words. He
has succeeded in distressing our Allies, and in bringing out the worst in the behavior
of common Americans.
America has been a world leader for democracy since
the end of the Second World War. Our State Department has worked to build and strengthen
our relationships with our allies, not only for support in case of war, but also
in matters of trade, in dealing with humanitarian crises, and in actions
relating to rogue states or stateless terrorist organizations. The Trump
administration has been in isolationist overdrive, pulling out of treaties on pressing
environmental issues, Iranian nuclearization, and trade with our Pacific Rim
allies and our North American neighbors. Most recently, and perhaps most damaging
to our standing in the world, President Trump reneged on the working agreement
with the Kurdish forces that helped the United States in the war with ISIS.
Here in the United States, decades of hard work, and
the sacrifice of many lives, have gone into the process of improving the relations
of Americans of different races. It is work that is not complete now, not by a long
shot, but progress has been made in the acceptance of our neighbors, regardless
of the color of their skin. That is, until the Trump presidency. Even during
his campaign for President, and since his election, Mr. Trump consistently fans
the flames of racial and ethnical division. He has used the bully pulpit to
deride and disparage any peoples he can; people of color, women, academics, political
opponents, and immigrants of any nationality; but most consistently, the people
of Mexico and South America. This race-baiting
and xenophobic behavior has empowered those who, like the KKK, are afraid of “others,”
and who see a conspiracy behind every tree or news report. President Trump apparently
does not understand that he is the President of all American citizens, not just
the ones he likes.
One thing our current President does understand well
is the power of the spoken word. Don Miguel Ruiz, who writes about the philosophy
of the ancient Toltec Indians, describes The First Agreement thusly:
“Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say
only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip
about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”
Mr. President, please speak with integrity. Be
impeccable with your word.
Thank you for reading; as always, your comments are
welcome.
R. M. “Bob” Hartman