To be sure, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. In a letter published on Nov. 12, Paul Serup denounced The Citizen and other media for their coverage of Donald Trump alleging that all had been so very kind to Hillary Clinton.
In a word, balderdash.
The bad press given Trump was firmly based on what Trump had said during the campaign; the bad press for Clinton was based on slander and innuendo, the nonsense of Benghazi and the supposed scandal of her private server. This was aided in the final days by the FBI disclosure of a potential problem that turned out to be nonsense.
Trump has struck a chord with the worst of American society. In the short days after the election, hatred towards various minorities has surfaced in schools, colleges, buses, streets and stores; the KKK in North Carolina is holding a victory parade. Mike Pence, who will be the acting president, has stated his priority is reversing the gains made by women and LGBT during the past decade. Those who lacked medical insurance may soon have that problem revisited. Taxes will be cut for the rich and consumer protection measures voided. Dodd-Frank will be tossed aside and Trump has talked of selling off national parks and federally-owned land in the West. The age for Social Security is to be raised and the amount lowered. As to climate change, all the regulations that have protected the environment will be terminated. The Iran agreement on nuclear weapons will be cancelled; NATO countries will realize they can no longer depend on American assistance. Trump thinks Japan and Saudi Arabia, to name only two, should have the bomb and he sees Russia as a good friend (which, giving the assistance his campaign got from them, is only fair). His idea of a "blind trust" is to pass control to his children, not an independent trustee. The list goes on , and on, and on...
The worst is that hate has been given a legitimate place in American society. The Bundys and other "patriots," the KKK, the various ugly militias, and the bigots of America are now mainstream. In his support for Trump, Serup must be taken to agree with these measures and, one must note, the Canadian Tories are also delighted by the Trump victory. Hate can indeed creep across our border and be greeted by the small number of like-minded souls. As was so well stated by Sinclair Lewis, "when fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross..." Well, it has happened. Eighty-one per cent of "evangelicals" apparently cast their ballots for Trump and his ilk in state elections, "patriots" one and all, united in the desire to turn back the clocks to the 1950s. Mr. Serup will no doubt be in the welcoming committee when some of his hate-filled Trumpettes seek to infect our country with their madness.
No, Mr. Serup, Trump will not be a "better president." He has shown his true colours time and time again, and his own words fed the media with sound bites that proved Phineas T. Barnum's saying that even bad publicity is good publicity. The outrageous remarks gave him recognition and fed the monster of hatred.
Willow Arune
Prince George
