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Can we look past Trump to see the real problems?

by Joani Young
| July 8, 2018 4:00 AM

I keep reading these letters to the editor about how awful Donald Trump is, what a liar he is, what a terrible president he is and more.

He is not perfect, he is a terrible speaker, and I wish he was a little more contemplative before he addresses some issues, but I still remember some of Obama’s knee-jerk reactions; such as an incident with a young police officer and the man who happened to be African-American; the two whom Obama later had come to the White House to have a beer and shake hands with. Trump is no better nor worse in many ways. How many others have been voted in to our government offices who are flawed humans? Many Democrats are expressing concern that Trump is a bad influence on our children. They want him out of the White House. If they should succeed, we have a lot of others on both sides of the aisle we need to get rid of who have been bad examples.

In the years of Bill Clinton as governor and then president, there were many instances of his “activities” with women. Do you think he respected women? As president he was party to impeachment hearings that came about as a result of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. He not only lied, he threw a young 20-year-old woman (about 27 years younger than himself) “under the bus”! I never see him on the news or in pictures anywhere that I don’t get sick to my stomach with disgust because the picture of him stabbing his finger towards the questioners and him saying (with vehemence), “I never had sexual relations with that woman,” has stuck in my mind! Was it intelligent when he asked, in response to a question, “it depends on what the definition of the word is, is”? Do those out there ranting and raving about Trump even give a thought to this? I still think Clinton should have been impeached and since Trump has done nothing any worse than that, I for one do not see how you can honestly think Trump should be forced out of office.

Do you really believe that what Bill Clinton, and many other men and women in office and in high places, have done did not have an impact on our young people? Do you hold Bill Clinton up as morally and intellectually an example for your children to follow? Do you not think that his and others’ examples helped in giving other powerful and flawed men the idea that women are inferior so they can be treated with disrespect, misuse and abuse? That young women are easy prey and if it’s OK for the president, it should be OK for all men? I still believe that Clinton, the Kennedys and other men in powerful positions had a negative impact on our youth with their attitude toward women; even though they may have done a lot of good. In all fairness there are women in powerful positions who also misuse their powers. Throughout history there have always been flawed humans. It is the reason we need our Lord and Savior Jesus for there is no other hope for us sinful humans.

It is good that we question our leaders if we think they are wrong. It is our right to speak our minds. I just wish that the extremes on both sides weren’t misusing the right to free speech and trying to destroy this country.

I commend the young people standing up and being active in what they believe in regards to the gun issues. I just pray they understand that if gun control goes so far as to take guns from law-abiding citizens, the bad, those sick in their minds and the evil will still get guns or will use other things (knives, bombs, bats) to hurt and kill people (it has been and continues to be done). I believe if all the money spent by both sides of the gun issue, abortion issue and the environmental issue would be spent on mentoring our youth, helping our mentally ill, our elderly, our veterans, those caught up in the awful addictions of drugs and other substances, we would have a better world. I pray we will all try to be better parents, grandparents and mentors to our children, that we will set better examples.

To all of our youth out there; we hear too often that the youth of today won’t amount to anything, that they are lazy, ignorant and hopeless. Kids, every older generation has had some who thought kids won’t amount to much. I see and read about a lot of young people who are doing awesome things. I see a lot struggling, too. They just need someone to care about them, listen to what they have to say and mentor them. We are all going to be held accountable some day. We need to do whatever we can to help our kids, our elderly, our veterans, those sick and caught in the vicious hell of addiction and the mentally ill.

Young is a resident of Kalispell.