Denouncement long overdue

There is something very disquieting about recent ravings of Donald Trump. His vast and unimaginable wealth is only surpassed by the sheer epic scope of his wholesale ignorance of both world history and current events. Trump has found a political niche exploiting hatred-ignorance-Islamophobia and the inherent criminality in all undocumented workers. However, it is even worse than this. Trump is now telling the world and his growing fan base that torture is a practice to pursue and admire and that we will make it common practice. The American people need to come to terms with this man’s proclamations. The cheering throngs who roar their approval at this jingoistic insanity need to regroup both intellectually and morally and take a sobering look at the current state of American politics.

Trump is a vacuous demagogue who has found the pulse of the darkest, most endemic parts of the American character and he is exploiting it to his fullest advantage. The fact that he is a serious candidate is a grim indictment of both the American political process and our national character. I harbor some hope that Trump’s jingoistic and racist bombasts will ultimately derail and end his political aspirations. That this has not occurred is of huge concern to anyone who has concerns about the nation’s future. This is a critical time for both the nation and the world. The crucial topics that need to be covered include climate change, environmental destruction and species extinction, militarism and endless war. Instead of serious talk about these topics that impact continued human survival we are treated to cheerleading over torture, beating up Black Lives Matter activists at Trump rallies — and his dark age viewpoints on refugees and undocumented workers. Trump’s speeches are reminiscent of what was shouted from podiums in Weimar Germany. It is a serious mistake to take this man and his “campaign” lightly.

Jim Sawyer

Edmonds