Letters

Only The TruthWhere are we, America?

Our president has lied to us over 10,000 times. We must all stop and look at the facts—yes, facts. In the infamous words of Adolf Hitler, if you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. This sure sounds familiar to me.

There has always been a philosophical divide in our country—Democrats versus Republicans. Our normal political culture has metastasized into a potentially devastating democratic crisis.

Let me briefly outline some of the facts that are clear, logical and irrefutable.

We have a president who insists that there is a deep, conspiratorial state out to get him. In addition, Trump claims that there is a common enemy (or enemies, depending on the situation) that all Americans must fear. Mexicans and Muslims, on numerous occasions, are his targets. At any given time, he attacks the group that will enable him to garner the greatest political benefit.

All democratic forms of government are predicated on certain inalienable principles. It is absolutely imperative to have a system of checks and balances, and the framers of our Constitution codified them. Without them, we sink to a place where the power is in the hands of one. The last time that happened in this country, we fought a Revolutionary War.

Furthermore, the campaign by Trump to discredit the free press, another cornerstone of a democracy, as “fake news” is relentless. Anything that is reported that discredits Trump in any way, regardless of its veracity, can’t be true—so it all must be “fake news.”

Even the judiciary has not been spared the wrath of Trump. If a ruling is rendered with which he disagrees, he has no compunction to make his displeasure known.

Unfortunately, with the apparent capitulation of the Republican Party in Congress, a co-equal branch of our government, our democracy is in danger. This is not hyperbole.

There are those who will read this letter and not believe any of it, but I have a suggestion that just may help to reveal the truth.

Possibly, a way to move our country forward with our democratic ideals leading the way is to have public hearings. Let Mueller, McGahn, Don Jr. and others testify in public to questions posed by an independent commission, much like the 9/11 Commission.

The time has come to examine the facts. The public has the right to know the truth, and only the truth will heal our democracy.

Michael AlestraEast Quogue