Let me be very clear; I don’t want to see Donald Trump fail. Because if he fails we all fail. I just can’t sit by anymore and not express my outrage and anger with him as our president anymore. This isn’t just about policy; it’s about decency.
As I’ve written about in the past, I’m not a partisan person. I try to do the right things regardless of party and I run my office in the same way. You can be my biggest critic, hate everything that I do and stand for, but you will be treated with respect when you need to deal with my office. Our motto is “Community First”, and we live by it every day.
It’s getting to a point with President Trump that he says and does so many outlandish things that the media can’t keep up with it (or in some cases, blatantly ignores it). In his latest bout of diarrhea of the mouth, according to The Atlantic Magazine (and since confirmed by the AP, Washington Post, CNN and yes Fox News), in 2018 Trump cancelled a trip to a US Cemetery for soldiers outside of Paris because it was “filled with losers”. Jennifer Griffin of Fox News quoted a former senior Trump administration official as Trump referring to those who served in the Vietnam War as “suckers”.
What does our President do in response; he calls it “Fake News” and demands that Fox fires Griffin.
Our country is badly wounded. Tensions are as high now as ever. We need a unifying force in the White House. President George W. Bush after the horrific events of September 11th, 2001 worked to bring our nation together. Whether you agree or disagree with how he handled the situation, Bush’s focus was healing our country. Trump’s focus appears to be pandering to certain groups and vilifying others.
As an example, on his visit to Kenosha, Trump suggested that the 17-year old kid from Antioch Kyle Rittenhouse “probably would have been killed” if he didn’t shoot three protesters. This might be true, BUT WHY IN THE HELL IS A 17-YEAR OLD KID FROM ILLINOIS CARRYING AN AR-15 IN A TOWN THAT ISN’T EVEN HIS? Do we really want armed children who aren’t even old enough to vote or serve in the military playing the role of the police? Do you feel safer in a country where armed vigilantes take the law into their own hands?
President Trump loves talking about the Second Amendment and often points to his stance on allowing people to own guns. Like the President, I don’t have an issue with anyone legally owning a firearm. But what I do have a problem with is how the Sixth Amendment is ignored by our Commander in Chief. Do we really want armed, underaged citizens carrying out justice on our streets? I also strongly support law enforcement. But again, do we want law enforcement officers playing the role of judge, jury and executioner?
We have a justice system in this country for a reason, and everyone is entitled to his/her day in court. Or think of it another way, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back because he was supposedly reaching for a weapon but Rittenhouse was allowed to carry, shoot and kill people without even being stopped. Is this justice? Is this what our country has become? Wear the wrong skin color and you’re denied your rights as a citizen. But be an armed teenager and get a hero’s welcome? By the way, while I find his actions abhorrent, Rittenhouse is entitled to his Sixth Amendment rights and to have his day in court.
