Dear Sir,
Preserving 248 Years of Democracy
As a schoolboy growing up in England, I learned the rudiments of U.S. history. How the British government considered the Boston Tea Party an act of treason. How it escalated into the American Revolution that eventually overthrew the King, and how George Wahington, the first president of the republic, reputably never told a lie.
Many years later and, because I believed in his vision for the country, I became a U.S. citizen when Barack Obama became president. I was recently reminded of that vision when I watched a YouTube video of Obama addressing the British Parliament some 13 years ago. Obama brilliantly and eloquently lays out the United States’ importance on the world stage and what defines the country. He emphasizes the belief in a set of ideals and the importance of moral leadership, of civil dialogue, of international alliances, of immigration and integration, the rule of law, and the promotion of democracy.
Joe Biden served as Obama’s Vice President for eight years, and undoubtedly believes in those same values and ideals. Yes, he appears frail and is nowhere near as eloquent as Obama, and yes he is old, but his integrity in trying to restore those values after four years of Trump should be acknowledged.
However, there is considerable debate about dissatisfaction with the two candidates for the presidency in the upcoming November election. Both, particularly Biden, are considered too old and both show signs of cognitive decline. This became very apparent in the first debate between the two candidates where Biden’s struggles to articulate were evidence of his decline and opened the door for Trump’s reversion to his lies about his accomplishments, a stolen election, and a character assassination of his opponent, with no clear definition of his policies.
There will always be political dissension between the right and the left and in a democracy that is healthy, but I believe the upcoming election is less about the political differences and more about the United States’ standing in the world and preservation of the ideals that the revolution fought for, namely democracy and moral decency.
No matter if Biden steps down and no matter one’s political persuasion, be it Democrat, Republican or Independent, if American values are to be preserved I believe it is imperative that you vote against Trump. He does not have real republican values but only cares about himself. He is decidedly unfit for the office of presidency and if he is elected he will never stand trial for the crimes he has committed. The Supreme Court has now granted presidential immunity from prosecution for acts he committed within his constitutional powers as president, although he can be prosecuted for acts committed in a personal capacity. It is naive to think that Trump would not exploit loopholes in this ruling and effectively this would give him the same power as a King. The very attribute that the Constitution was specifically designed to prevent.
I ask you. Are the following indicative of the integrity and character required to represent our country and of the leader of the free world? A man who by his own rhetoric proposes authoritarian actions reminiscent of Hitler and his Third Reich. He:
- Proposes to launch the biggest deportation operation of illegal migrants in US history on his first day in office. "We're going to get them out as fast as we can," "they’re poisoning the blood of our country."
- Would be happy to "use the military" as part of the effort and would open detention camps to process targets for expulsion.
- Proposes execution of his opponents.
- Would sign an executive order to reinstate his ban on entries from several Muslim-majority countries as a means of “keeping terrorists the hell out of our country.”
- Is unclear about his commitment to NATO and boasts about ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours without explaining how.
- Has cozied up to the Russian and North Korean dictators.
- Has pledged to "appoint a real special 'prosecutor' to go after the “most corrupt president in the history of the USA, Joe Biden,” even though no investigation has produced evidence of any wrongdoing by Biden.
- Has vowed retaliatory legal action against his political opponents.
- Boasts about appointing judges who considerably weakened abortion rights by reversing Roe v Wade and is ambiguous about the future of access to reproductive health care.
- Has said he was "absolutely" ready to pardon all his supporters convicted of storming the US Capitol in Washington to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 presidential election defeat by Biden.
- He is likely to support the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 to reshape the Federal Government and consolidate executive power. The project’s director said that the project is "systematically preparing to march into office and bring a new army, [of] aligned, trained, and essentially weaponized conservatives ready to do battle against the deep state!” Legal experts have asserted that the plan would undermine the rule of law, the separation of church and state, the separation of powers and civil liberties
Also, do we want a representative of our country with the moral turpitude that is Trump? A person who:
- Purports to be an accomplished businessman but had four businesses declared bankrupt. Had to settle lawsuits against his so-called Trump University that alleged fraud and misleading business practices. Must pay $355 million for fraudulently reporting property values to lower his tax bill or improve loan terms, by inflating his net worth. Faces a three-year ban on operating his company in New York. Was found criminally liable for 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money payments to a porn star and awaits sentencing that may include jail time. His former chief financial officer, Alan Weisselberg, was sentenced to five months in jail for perjury and tax fraud charges involving the Trump organization's business dealings.
- His mismanagement of his administration resulted in some 50 major political appointees resigning or being dismissed, including the National Security Advisor, the White House Chief of Staff, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Surrounded himself with sycophants of dubious character. In the Muller Report charges against 34 of his associates resulted in 8 guilty pleas and a conviction at trial. Close associates, namely Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Paul Manafort, George Papadopoulos, Roger Stone, and Michael Cohen have all been sentenced to prison.
- His treatment of women is hardly indicative of an upstanding person. Prior to the 2016 presidential election, he was recorded on tape of bragging about groping women. He was found guilty in 2023 of sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll and ordered to pay $88 million in fines. He was found guilty of sleeping with a porn star and paying “hush” money to keep her quiet.
- He was the only president in history to be impeached twice. He was impeached for withholding military aid to Ukraine to obtain a political favor. He made it clear that release of the aid was conditional on Biden being investigated. He was impeached for inciting an insurrection to overturn the results of the 2020 election and is now under indictment for crimes related thereto.
- He faces a federal indictment for sharing a classified map related to an ongoing military operation, improperly storing boxes containing classified documents at his Florida home, and defying requests from the Justice Department to hand over classified documents.
- He has been indicted on 13 charges in Georgia for his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. These include that he “unlawfully conspired” to change the election outcome while participating in a “criminal enterprise,” violating Georgia’s racketeering act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, unlawfully conspiring certain individuals to falsely act as elected officials, and conspiracy to commit forgery.
- His record on race relations is abysmal. He attacked Black politicians and athletes as unintelligent and “low-IQ”; he expressed a preference for immigrants from Norway as opposed to Haiti and African nations, which he branded “shithole countries.” Later, as an ex-president, he used terms such as “racist” and “animal” to describe the Black prosecutors building criminal and civil cases against him and his business. Recent reports of his tenure on the TV show, ‘The Apprentice,’ describe his often use of the ‘n…..” word.
- Lawyers representing him have lost or are in danger of losing their law licenses or are in disciplinary trials. Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jenna Ellis have pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Georgia. John Eastman, and Jeffry Clark were not just disbarred but are under indictments for conspiracy and sedition. Others have refused to represent him or, like Rudy Giuliani, have been disbarred and not been paid for their services. Lawrence Joseph, Julia Haller and Brandon Johnson, who worked in battleground states to support him, and on frivolous court filings alleging election fraud, are now facing attorney disciplinary charges in Washington, DC.
- He violated the Emoluments Clauses from day one because he never truly relinquished his businesses and could withdraw profits from his not-so-blind trust whenever he pleased. Governors and Saudi lobbyists stayed at the Trump International Hotel and his businesses continually raked in money from constitutionally prohibited sources.
- He called fallen soldiers “suckers and losers.” He managed to dodge the draft. He is a convicted felon and yet inspires to be Commander in Chief of an army that forbids convicted felons from serving.
- He solicits the Christian right but has clearly broken many of the Ten Commandments. He worships wealth and power. He proudly does not go to church or profess any real religion. There are stories detailing his disrespect and manipulation of his father. He has many instances of serial adultery.
- Unlike George Washington who apparently never lied, Trump never tells the truth. He lies almost without pause.
Prohibit this Man from the Presidency!
Michael Carr