The irony is heartbreaking

Dear George:

My parents escaped from Eastern Europe at the end of the Second World War and I was born and raised in the United States. My maternal grandfather, whom I never met, died in one of Stalin's Soviet labour camps, my other grandfather, a priest, was simply killed for his beliefs. Three of my uncles were killed under Stalin, another spent three years in a Nazi prison camp. Our family knew what the Cold War was about and which side we were on. My mother was a lifelong Republican and remained so until the day she died. One of my most vivid childhood memories is the toast that was raised at every holiday to the United States, to the country that had taken us in and given us a new start in life. When I moved to Massachusetts to go to graduate school, I became one of the few registered Republicans in the state.

I never thought that the United States would come to be ruled by ideologues who have debased the public discourse and turned the national conversation into empty slogans, but that is what has happened. I never thought that an American political party could simply turn its back on science and the environment, but that is what has happened. I never thought that the party of Abraham Lincoln could become the party of hatred, intolerance, and divisiveness, but that is what has happened. I never thought that the United States was capable of attacking a country on false pretenses, a country that did not pose an urgent threat, but that is what has happened. I never thought that an American administration would actively work to deny people due process and access to the legal system. I never thought that Americans were capable of employing methods of torture in the name of “liberation.” During your presidency, I have for the first time in my life felt the chill of what it means to live in a state ruled by an ideological party at odds with much of the world as well as with large segments of its own citizenry. The irony is heartbreaking.

Alice
Age 45
Cleveland

Keep that big Texas boot firmly planted

Dear George:

Words cannot express my thanks to you.

Thank you, Mr. President, for restoring the values that this great country was founded on. Thank you for standing up for what you believe in, rather than giving in to the gutless, unaccomplished patterns of the previous administration. You have put that big Texas boot down, once again giving our nation the kind of integrity and leadership that had been so badly lacking.

Thank you for your stand on abortion. Our future leaders need not be snuffed out, or rather murdered, before they get the chance to show what they are made of.

Thank you for standing up for your fellow Americans against the inhumane animals of this world who would do anything to see this great nation crumble in view of their sickening behavior. Nearly three years after the terrorists struck a crippling blow, we are stronger. We are united. We are a wounded animal, never backing down.

You are the face of what America is all about - morals, belief systems, forthrightness, standing proud even in the face of adversity.

Thank you Mr. President, and keep that big Texas boot firmly planted.

Michael
Age 22
Worland, Wyoming