We are shocked when mentally unstable individuals attack and murder dozens out of anger and hate, and yet these pages are filled almost daily with anger and hate. Letter writers and sometimes editorial contributors see no problem with malicious commentary aimed at our president. I'm not sure if we have an epidemic of hate in this country or just a lot of unstable people. Evil thrives on a crop of hate and it seems that we have a lot of people who like sewing the seeds.
Since the inauguration we have seen people wailing and gnashing their teeth in anger, calling Mr. Trump and his family disgusting names and even threatening violence. The media and the entertainment industries seem to rally behind the hatred and to relish any opportunity to discredit the office of President Trump. Hate breeds hate and spreads like a nasty virus through our nation, but thankfully it cannot smother out all faith and hope.
Many of us are hopeful the president will succeed in giving us the tools to make America great again. Even while the swamp looks for Russian bogeymen, he has already accomplished some great things. During this season of thanksgiving I am grateful he has saved lives from the abortionist's knife through his policies and his support of right to life organizations. I am thankful America is no longer seen as a paper tiger and our president has stood up to Russia and Syria when they crossed a red line in using chemical weapons. I am proud of President Trump's tough stand against the little North Korean dictator and his ability to convince other nations to act against "Rocket Man's" nuclear ambitions. I am grateful for the president's work to reduce the taxes of overburdened Americans and his accomplishments in stimulating an economy that had stagnated under Obama and Bush. I am proud of many more accomplishments of the president in his short term in office too numerous to name in this short letter.
President Trump is a lousy politician and many of us are grateful for that. He is not a polished speaker or a great role player interested in selling us politics as usual. He is interested in opening doors and providing us with the machinery so that we can "make America great again." His battle is with the swamp creatures in Congress on both sides of the aisle and any failure will be on their heads.
America is a land of thanksgiving but it is up to us to keep it that way. Anger and hate only serve to produce more anger and hate. I am thankful President Trump turned his attention from making billions to taking a pay cut to help Americans stay on course as leaders of the free world. You can hate me for that if you want to plant that crop. I'm a lousy farmer but I would rather spend my time tending to a crop of hope.
Dale Lange
Bella Vista
Editorial on 11/30/2017