TRUMP'S TWEETS: The Scourge of America

I have a love-hate relationship with Trump's tweets. Trump says he tweets so his message can go straight to the American people instead of going through the fake media. Tweets are a mirror into what Trump really thinks and tells us what he stands for. I hate that he has lowered the bar on acceptable behavior in our country. I hate that his tweets have lowered our country's esteem in the eyes of the rest of the world; esteem that took over a hundred years to build, that includes many deaths of Americans and much sacrifice. I hate that he normalizes “bullying” as a leadership technique. I hate that each day these tweets remind me that the American people had a lapse in judgment and elected a President that has not moved beyond his adolescence.

And those are the same reasons I love Trump's tweets. With each successive tweet, we learn more about how Trump thinks. You don't have to depend on the fake media-- you get it from the horse's mouth. And it ain't pretty. Although my faith has weakened, I still have faith that people do not like the direction Trump's presidency is taking our country. I still believe the majority of citizens do not think like Donald Trump.

According to Trump's Assistant Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump thinks that if someone says something you don't like, you hit back 10 times harder. “Hit” is the key word. This morning I watched a short clip that Trump had attached to one of his infamous tweets. It was filmed when Trump was a performer with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) showing him taking down a man and pummeling him with his fists. In this clip, the letters CNN were superimposed on the face of the man. I could barely stand to watch it. To see the President of the United States participating in such violence sends the message to the American people that it's okay to beat the crap out of someone who makes you angry and is despicable on all levels. What does that teach Little Johnny about acceptable behavior? What does that say to someone in a fragile mental state when the President sends a message that violent behavior is okay against CNN, or anyone for that matter?

In a tweet last week, Trump continued his assault on women. Obviously he has a problem with strong, smart women. When Mika Brezenski on the Morning Joe show on MSNBC, said something that Trump didn't like, he launched a personal assault on her. He tweeted that she was “dumb as a rock,” and said she was bleeding from her face lift. (For some reason, Trump seems to be obsessed with women's blood.) Every American citizen should be embarrassed by this behavior from the President. A few Republican Senators mildly rebuked this behavior. The President received no consequences for his actions. What does that teach Little Johnny about “cyber bullying?”

Speaking of cyber bullying, the most ironic thing is that First Lady Melania Trump has chosen “cyber bullying” as her issue to address during Trump's tenure. First she needs to stop her husband's cyber bullying before she starts telling the children of the country how to behave on line.

There's also the incident involving Joe Scarborough of the Morning Joe show. When Scarborough said something Trump didn't like, Trump had various people call Scarborough and convey his threat –either take it back or Trump was going to call his best friend who owns the National Enquirer and tell them something he had on Scarborough. That's not bullying, that's blackmail!

Repeatedly, I hear people dismiss what Trump says as “That's just Trump playing to his base.” According to the 2016 election results, the vast majority of the voters in Monroe County represent the Trump base. These results show Trump received 8,832 (70%) and Clinton received 3,571 (29%) of the vote. I have come to know the people of Monroe County to be decent, kind, respectful, and thoughtful people—all the things that Trump is not. I do not believe that 70% of Monroe Countians think like Trump. The people I know would not condone a County Commissioner bullying, blackmailing, and verbally assaulting women a single time. Yet, Trump is a serial offender. Presidents in the past have been held to a much higher standard. If a child in school in Monroe County schools was constantly verbally assaulting another child, he/she would be dealt with sternly. If a child threatens another, they face disciplinary action, as well. If a student pummels another, they face expulsion. I think it's called zero tolerance, yet we continue to tolerate this behavior from the President. You may be one of the 70% who voted for Trump, but I know you don't think his behavior is acceptable.

And that leads me to say, if you did vote for Trump, it's okay to admit that he is unfit to be President. You don't have to carry around a sign to that effect; just admit it to yourself and stop defending and making excuses for him. To continue to support him makes you complicit in the demise of civility and the erosion of the moral fiber of our country (and county). With all due respect.