Fwd: Letters to the Editor

[Thomas Pritchard]

Power is stolen or given, respect is earned. Tom

Letters to the Schenectady Gazette Editor 2/11/2017

Patriotism means to be loyal to the nation

President Trump is collecting people he considers “loyal” and getting rid of people he thinks are not. His test of loyalty is not whether people are loyal to our country or our laws, but whether they are loyal to him.

Theodore Roosevelt wrote about what truth, loyalty and patriotism should mean in relation to the office of the president when he was accused of being “disloyal” because he criticized President Wilson’s handling of World War I: “The president .... should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole.... Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president." — The Kansas City Star, May 18, 1918.

Thank you, Teddy. I am feeling very patriotic these days.

CATHERINE WINTER

Schenectady

Make America great, Mr. Trump: Quit

Mr. Trump lacks the temperament and restraint necessary to uphold the dignity of his office. Twitter tirades, personal attacks on those who do not share his opinions, and his inability to accept basic facts are alarming.

The truth of Donald Trump has emerged quickly, a desperate man who can’t come terms with his lack of popularity. A self-serving showman with a history of using of illegal workers and failing to pay contractors, an adulterer and inveterate liar. For all of those who believe he is great businessman, you stand corrected. Trump has frequently filed for bankruptcy. His failures are many: an airline, a helicopter service, several casino operations, followed by a scam university.

Mr. Trump has often stated his admiration of another fascist, Mussolini.

If Trump wants to “Make America Great Again,” he should leave office immediately.

REV. NIKOLAS KAISER

Schenectady

 Postscript:  ("Perhaps he will look forward to the same fate as Mussolini, with his corpse being disfigured, spat, and urinated upon." was deleted by the editors)