As promised yesterday, the text of a letter of mine that was published in the Bozeman Chronicle is included below. To set the context, Mr. Arnone and I have clashed before. He is a regular letter writer to the Chronicle and sometimes I feel compelled to respond. He is obviously a diehard Trump fan and is one of those who will be loyal no matter what Trump does. I understand its kind of pointless to respond as he will never change his mind, but like I said, I refuse to remain silent any longer.
Mr. Arnone, in his letter, “The Democratic Party has become our worst enemy,” has once again demonstrated why he is such a big Trump fan. He engages in the same type of childish behavior of name calling, insults, propagating mistruths and divisive rhetoric as his hero, Donald Trump. There have been a few times in this country when people could actually have a civil conversation about how to solve the massive issues facing this country and come to some kind of reasonable compromise to begin solving real problems. The current divisive environment propagated by Trump and his faithful followers like Mr. Arnone, is not conducive to solving problems. Smart people continuously question authorities, media and their own beliefs and are willing to change those beliefs based upon gaining more knowledge. Mr. Arnone seems to blindly follow Trump even though he is constantly trampling on the Constitution, the rule of law and every form of civilized behavior that we wish to impart to our children. And the Republican led Senate continues to enable him in his effort to eviscerate the checks and balances system set up in our Constitution. So, if Mr. Arnone really thinks the Democratic party is our worst enemy, then I can only assume that he wants to live in an autocracy where President Trump can do whatever he wants with impunity – just like Putin, Erdogan, etc. Since Mr. Arnone is such a huge Trump fan, I would suggest that he attend the Republican National Convention to be held in North Carolina (perhaps!) in a packed arena with 50,000 other Trump acolytes, most of whom will be refusing to wear masks (because ‘if Trump ain’t wearing a mask, I ain’t wearing a mask!’) during this pandemic so he can show is unwavering support for this man.
And speaking of the Republican National Convention, President Trump is angry with the governor of North Carolina because he will not, in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, guarantee that he will allow the arena slated for the event to be filled to capacity. There is irrefutable medical evidence that social distancing and wearing masks helps slow the spread of COVID-19. And yet, the President is insistent that the venue be filled to capacity – some 50,000 people sitting cheek to jowl (most without masks, no doubt!) and it is almost a 100 percent probability that some of those people will be asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Donald Trump is the Republican nominee. There is no doubt about that. What is the purpose of jamming 50,000 people into a closed space, against all of the best medical and scientific advice? The answer is clear. Donald Trump wants to bask in the adulation of his fans. He wants to listen to his minions praise him effusively before his ‘acceptance’ speech. This is a needless and potentially dangerous sacrifice of lives that serves no useful purpose other than to stroke the ego of Donald Trump.
This is the type of stunt that you’d expect from Kim Jong Un. If anyone still believes that Donald Trump cares at all about the country or its people this should clearly dispel that myth. Putting peoples’ lives at risk so can soak up fawning adulation shows Trump for the sick, megalomaniac he is.
There is so much more to say but I will leave it there for today. After the stinging rebuke of Trump by his former Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis (ret) yesterday, everyone in this country should understand how dire things are. People with the integrity, reputation and gravitas of General Mattis don’t make statements like he did unless they believe something is seriously amiss. I encourage everyone to read General Mattis’s statement.
A friend of mine turned me on to a daily newsletter put out by Heather Cox Richardson, who is a professor of history at Boston College. Her daily blogs are thoughtful and I encourage people to subscribe. Thanks, Jenny!
heathercoxrichardson@substack.com
Lastly, I would like to remind everyone that Donald Trump and all public officials work for us, We The People, and they serve at our pleasure. Sometimes I think politicians, and particularly Donald Trump, think that we are all here to do their bidding. We, as the ‘Board of Directors’ of this organization have the power to make changes. Speak up. Speak out. And vote!!!!
Your editorial speaks volumes of the problem with the leadership in our country but a lot of the blame goes to people who do not see the danger of Trumps’s leadership. It really baffles me on how many people allow themselves to be brainwashed by this president. It is pretty evident that the danger of Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, and all the other despots has been ignored or not been completely understood by Trump supporters.
These are great posts Mike. The fake president definitely needs to go – along with his sycophants who remain silent to his autocratic posturing, his abuse of the constitution, his lack of integrity and his non-stop lying. And apparently we need new legislation to better protect our country from similar threats in the future.