Issues that should disturb us include Russian interference in our sacred elections, Putin’s admission of support for Trump as President and the Russian spy Maria Butina’s work with the NRA.
I long for presidents who governed our foreign policies when I was young. Growing up when FDR was saving freedom and making friends we could count on. It was a time when Harry Truman attacked the Communists with such things as the Marshall Plan, Truman Doctrine and the Berlin Airlift. Russia was not a friend then or now. Ike’s foreign policy brought troops home from Korea, stayed out of an involvement in the Suez Crisis and landed troops in Beirut to stop aggression. It would be fantastic to have these individuals in the White House who had an actual foreign policy and not our present windbag.
Trump’s diplomacy is nothing more than an attempt to silence constructive criticism from high level security individuals such as John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Mike Hayden, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Susan Yates and others with these credentials. It’s Trump’s usual attempt to distract attention from a problem he’s created. The people mentioned above with high-level security experience have been involved in situations where their legitimate knowledge helped, and they could provide advice and understanding needed now to resolve issues.
The expertise of the above mentioned are invaluable. None of these individuals need to give up their First Amendment rights. The President should not revoke their security clearance. Oops! He just revoked John Brennan’s.
Another threat to diplomatic security is the possibility our President could conceivably hand a diplomat over to a foreign adversary. Hearing this must be disheartening to diplomats.
President Trump is not tough on Communism. Where are the senior Republicans speaking out on this? The State Department of the past under such men as John Foster Dulles, Dean Rusk, Henry Kissinger and numerous others would not be silent about a threat to the security of our diplomats.
It is evident that President Trump has formed his enemies’ list. His actions are taking us toward the establishment of a “Banana Republic.”
Phil Salzer, Peoria
The letter writer is a member of the Peoria County Board and a retired teacher from Peoria Public Schools where he coached and taught history for 30 years and was chairman of the social studies department.