Letter to the Editor 7-24-20

As a native of Cloud County with farming roots at least six generations deep, I chose a life path that took me to many places before returning to enjoy the fruits of my labors. The military took me to many of those places, at the time just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain of the Soviet bloc. In fact, my entire career in the military was spent in direct defense against the Soviet threat. It turns out that the threat was only dormant for a very short time. Vladimir Putin believes that the demise of the Soviet Union was the worst thing to happen to Russia in all its history. Those that admire his leadership of Russia must be overjoyed at his multiple successes dismantling the west’s Constitutional Democratic Republics. He has effectively obliterated effective governance in much of Europe and most obviously here in the U.S., at least partially by installing what was once referred to as a double agent into the White House. I use this description because it is fitting in the case of Donald Trump and this is the single aspect out of his many failings that is most personally insulting to my own patriotic pride. In fact, I believe the Russian threat to the U.S. and our allies to be far greater now, since enemies now only have to infiltrate Facebook and Twitter and use our own highly developed social engineering and marketing tools against us. Case in point, a Donald Trump presidency and the terrible situation our country faces to date. He (DT) has been owned by Russian money for decades. His money laundering for the oligarchs is evident and his kowtowing to Putin is historic insofar as Donald Trump does whatever Putin requires of him, apparently.  
I really tried to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt at the start, hoping for a change in character once in office. Disappointment came swiftly. My pride in our nation remains steadfast though, sustained by the wisdom of the founders in creating the three branches of our government. As the Judicial Branch holds us together by deflecting the constant Trumpian assaults on our Constitutional Democratic Republic, we the people have time to salvage the other two branches via the ballot box.  Given the experience we’ve had as a nation, the hatred and division that Donald Trump seems to relish inspiring, the not-so-subtle call to arms of militia fanatics and those that frankly just seem to enjoy inflicting pain upon or tearing down others, I wonder how any actual support for him remains at all. For those of my fellow citizens that find it necessary to display support of Donald Trump, I hope you will reconsider, or at least sincerely consider why you feel compelled to display such support. I hope far more that you will reconsider voting for Donald Trump and any other politician actively abetting his most ludicrous policies or incitements of violence.
Though I’m outraged at the Republican party as a whole, I’m thankful that Jerry Moran has managed to stay mostly clear of the mayhem that defines the Trump show, though I’m disappointed in his lack of courage to push back on so many issues. Keeping your head down to avoid controversy isn’t exactly inspirational.
Sabrina Scott