Hate is Learned
Save the Children
I was recently walking in a park in New Orleans when I came across a group of 20 to 25 kindergarten children. They were with a teacher, and she gave them a short lesson as they sat together on the grass. Then they rose, took the hand of the next child, and all walked together in a line, holding hands, to the next area. The children were adorable; they were of all different races, all sitting and learning together. As I watched these innocent young children, I had a terrible thought: I wondered when they would be taught to hate each other just because they were different.
What made me think of that was I had asked any Vet who supported Trump and could overlook his disparaging conduct towards veterans to please let me know how they could. A wife who had read the letter confronted her husband with all of Trump's statements and actions about veterans. He responded by saying that he didn't care what Trump is or does because Trump was still better than any Democrat. I wonder when he learned to unconditionally hate, or at least disrespect and dismiss, an entire group of people —the Democrats group, which includes his wife. Prejudice and hate are not born to the person; they are learned. And I guess this particular vet learned it well.
Unfortunately, hate is on the rise, and Trump has become the great facilitator of hate in America. His rants against Muslims, Democrats, illegal immigrants (his wife was one), judges with Latin heritage, Latin and black men falsely accused of rape (Central Part Five - convicted and later found innocent), and the DOJ and the FBI (Reuters April 2023) are legendary and golden news stories for the Fox “It doesn’t have to be true to be reported” News station. And now the twice impeached, four times indicted, three times convicted of fraud (Civil Fraud – Sept 2023, Trump University – March 2017, and criminal tax scheme - Jan 23), liable for sexual abuse (May 2023), and speaker of 30,573 lies while President (NY Times Jan 2021) has started his campaign for President by choosing Waco Texas, the site of Branch Davidian standoff where 80 people died, for the announcement of his platform, which includes “I am your retribution” (March 2023). “Project 2025” was revealed (Nov 6), which includes a list of people to investigate as soon as Trump takes office, including General Milley, Attorney General Bill Barr, Attorney Cobb, and General/Chief of Staff John Kelly, as well as a plan, that includes executive orders, that would deploy the military domestically under the Insurrection Act (Washington Post Nov 6, 2023). On November 12, there was an appalling announcement by Trump as he is now referring to Americans who don’t support him as “Vermin,” the same word used by the Nazis. I cannot fathom how none of the above matters to his supporters.
My lady’s stepfather is a 99-year-old WWII veteran, and each Saturday, he has a station in the World War II museum in New Orleans where people visit with him and learn about his service in WWII. He is a remarkable man. Whenever I am in NOLA, I visit the museum. It has the most incredible displays of individual soldiers and their personal stories and sacrifices. It is a monument to Democracy and a testament against hate.
During WWII, in response to the Nazi threat, Winston Churchill famously said, “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight in the landing ground, we shall fight in the streets. We shall never surrender. “ We are not facing the Nazis today in America, but we are facing a Trump-induced threat to the very fabric of our Democracy. I am not a Winston Churchill; I am just an American citizen. For my part, I will fight this new threat: Trump. I will fight him with my words, I will fight him by campaigning, and I will fight him with my vote. I will never surrender to him, his lies, and his campaign to end Democracy in America. Too many have paid the ultimate price to preserve it. If Trump wins, I fear he will never leave the White House, and our great experiment in Democracy will end with him.
These letters should not be just about blowing off steam or requests for face-to-face confrontation; they should ask for an action or seek a solution. At the very least, they should make you think. I am asking you to think about the future of our children and grandchildren and what the country would be like for them under the Trump rule. For those who have supported Trump, perhaps these few words have moved you to open your hearts to another way. We welcome you back to Democracy with open and forgiving arms.
The Office of the President is all about honor and integrity, and Trump has none. The character of the President of the United States has to matter. And the rest is just crap. Thus ends the lesson.