The Rutland Herald printed the following statement in the letter to editor about President Trump: “He lies uncontrollably. Literally every time he opens his mouth in public, or writes one of his thousands of tweets, he lies….” — Craig Tomkinson of Mount Holly
However, the paper refused to print my wife’s letter to the editor.
My wife wrote:
Lately, I have been hearing a great deal of rhetoric calling to “save democracy,” often accompanied by harsh accusations directed at current administration. What is frequently missing from these claims is factual support.
For example, statements such as “We’ve seen over the past year how they have lawlessly and cruelly waged war on the American people,” may sound powerful, but without evidence they come across more as expressions of anger or hatred than reasoned argument. Healthy debate in a democracy requires facts, not just emotionally charged language.
At the same time, many voices rightly emphasize the importance of due process for everyone. Yet we increasingly see public judgments made before investigations are complete. In the recent case involving the death of Renee Good during an encounter with an ICE agent, conclusions were widely drawn in public discourse before all facts were known. If we truly believe that “nobody is above the law,” then due process must apply equally to everyone — regardless of politics, profession, or public pressure.
This principle should be consistent. Does “nobody is above the law” apply only to presidents and politicians? Or does it also apply to individuals who enter the country illegally, or to people struggling with addiction who commit crimes? Every situation has more than one side, and justice requires that we consider all of them carefully.
We should also take a moment to examine ourselves. Are those who insult the current administration and President Trump’s supporters behaving differently from what they criticize? Name-calling and personal attacks, no matter who engages in them, only deepen division.
I wish to see more opinions grounded in facts and fewer articles driven by hostility. In the end, each of us is responsible for our own words, decisions, and the influence we have on others.