Future Looks Brighter Than Past

To the Editor: 
I am tired. I am tired of protesting. 
I was a young wife with three children in the late 1960’s when I realized the horrors of the Vietnam War. I protested privately and publicly when I went to Washington in the summer of 1969. Some neighbors were aghast that my husband and I could be so against the actions of our government.
Through the years, it seems as though I’ve been more against than for my country’s policies. Glimmers of light were encouraging.
I always believed that my views were the right ones. Was I being arrogant? Was I wrong?
When the world became aware of the conspiracies by our leaders who lied to us about Vietnam where 57,000 Americans died, along with hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, did I feel vindicated in my beliefs? No. I felt horrified and so saddened at the enormous costs of that conflagration.
So when, once again, after the tragedy and horror of 9/11, when my country decided to pursue another war, I found myself, once again, screaming… no, not again.
George Will, a respected conservative columnist, said in a recent commentary, “It is frequently said that the decision to invade Iraq was the worst U.S. foreign policy decision since Vietnam. Actually, it was worse than Vietnam and the worst in American history. ”
He goes on to explain that invasion enhanced Iran’s ascendancy, destroyed Iraq and its citizens, created the rise of ISIS, and caused the deaths of over 4,000 of our bravest Americans and the wounding of thousands more, and we’re still paying off the monetary debts from that decision.
So I come to our present political situation. Not a war this time, but a humiliation of our beloved country that would have been impossible to believe a short decade ago.
When 45 was nominated and then elected, his supporters believed that he would surround himself with the best and the brightest to help him succeed. Well, those brightest are all gone now.
Who still remains is a person who is clearly a liar, an adulterer, and a mentally unstable narcissist who understands nothing about our country, its history, and the place that the USA has always held in the world.
That is all gone now, and the fears that this man could lead us into war again only increases with every 41 letters he manages to tweet with his fingers.
Once again, I have argued with friends, only this time, I’ve decided that enough is enough.
I’ve unfriended on social media and taken myself away, with regret, from those who supported or continue to support 45. My puzzlement at how they could vote for him is only enhanced by the recent reports from the Evangelical community of religious Christians, where almost 80 percent voted for him, still support him, and are giving him a pass on his adulterous behavior and his language.
How do you explain this man to your children? Why has the president as a role model been obliterated?
There are those who think that my decisions are wrong, that I should engage with those opposed to my views in order to have meaningful discussions, to see their points of view.
Nope. I’m done with questioning myself. The other point of view saddens me, horrifies me, and disgusts me.
The self-serving representatives in Congress, of both parties, are even finding it difficult, every day, to continue to lie to their constituents.
The future, though, is filled with hope. The thousands of young people who are energized will be voting soon. I can’t wait.