I watched in disbelief as this man who is now president criticized Sen. John McCain during the 2016 campaign because he was captured during the Vietnam War. Donald Trump said he likes "people who weren't captured."
McCain was a prisoner of war; his captors offered to let him go, but he refused to leave his men and was tortured for years. How does someone morally justify criticizing a man with that kind of bravery?
My daughter and I both have a disability (epilepsy). I watched in open-mouthed horror as this man publicly mocked a reporter with a disability on camera in a manner that reminded me of how a seizure looks, though I know that journalist has a different disability. Still, the image is horrifying for someone with epilepsy, as I'm sure it was for many people with disabilities. But Trump's base evidently saw no problem with his behavior.
Watching the abhorrent events in Charlottesville, Va., was even more horrifying. I saw people the same age as my young adult children standing up against white supremacists and neo-Nazis, something I never imagined I would see in my lifetime. As a parent, I was mortified. These brave young people faced a crowd of armed, angry men chanting hate slogans.
Afterward, I watched Trump's insane press conference, defending these people who marched with Nazi flags, Confederate flags and guns. In fact, he said some of them were "very fine people" _ Vice News footage showed marchers shouting, "Jews will not replace us" and bragging about their intention to incite a race war. He never rebuked David Duke, former grand wizard of the KKK, who marched there. In fact, Duke is thanking and complimenting Trump on social media.
A young woman was killed by one of these people, yet Trump said both sides were to blame. How can this be acceptable?
Frankly, I am sick and tired of listening to this man, his hate, his arrogance, and the hate from his supporters. We deserve more from the leader of our country.
I am an ordinary American citizen, a former public school teacher and librarian. I am not a constitutional or political expert. I don't know where we, as a country, go from here. But I do know my children and my grandson deserve a leader who will speak out against hate without equivocation.
When the Charleston, S.C., massacre occurred, President Barack Obama gave the eulogy. When the Sandy Hook massacre occurred, he met with the parents of the children who were murdered. I cannot fathom how hard that must have been. To me, those actions exemplify what leadership is during a crisis.
The words and lack of action by Trump take moral failing to a new level that we've never seen from a president.
Those who don't speak against this man are complicit in his behavior and the behavior of his base. As I painfully watched the funeral of Heather Heyer, her mother's words from Heather's Facebook page continue to resonate with me. "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."
My children deserve better leadership. Our country deserves better leadership. We all deserve better than Donald Trump.
