Dear *****,

****** received a card from you, and started reading it out loud, I suppose feeling that I should hear it.  I detected pain on your part at the estrangement within our family.   I feel the same pain; I know that we all do.  I miss you, but the estrangement is not about money.   The pain I feel is at the loss of a ***** who has fallen into a system of beliefs that runs counter to nearly every value that I hold dear.  As you know, our family is not alone in experiencing such breakups, it's simply a sign of the seemingly unbridgeable divide that our whole country is facing due to the fact that so many are acting out of fear, resentment, and hatred rather than engaging in reasonable dialog.   Sorry to have to send another letter, but I've found that the only way I can get a complete message to you, and for you to understand my beliefs, is by writing.  This letter is long, but I feel the need to explain why I feel estranged from you.

Over the years, I have seen you grow ever more strident in your beliefs.  Those beliefs seem to be based on fears at how “others” are destroying our culture, lifestyle, and country. You are not alone, too many have fallen under the sway of charlatans pushing division in order to gain personal power.   It turns out that a lot of this division is being fueled by a concerted campaign on the part Russian Intelligence, which wanted to ensure that Trump won the presidency, and more recently, remained in office.   They know what the rest of the world knows: Trump has weakened our country by fanning the flames of division relentlessly.  The Russian disinformation campaign continues today, as they push the narrative that Biden is “weak and mentally unfit”.  

I believe that the problems that we face are many and complex, and that we could resolve most of them if we all, as citizens, worked together sincerely to solve them, as we did in this country, with some exceptions, for the previous 240 years.  Most of the politicians you seem to support are people who have nothing but hatred and division to share; they rarely talk about solutions, instead attacking their opponents relentlessly.

Most rational, educated people (in addition to the FBI) understand that, by far, the biggest threat to the survival of civil order comes from those on the “right”, who, inadvertently, seek to overturn our democracy, and replace it with an autocratic government, controlled by a “strongman” … in the present circumstances, Donald Trump.   These same people labor under the delusion that, if they simply dismantle the existing structure of our government, and put a aspiring dictator like Trump in command, their freedom will be preserved; what an utter fantasy!  I've lived in countries whose leaders are authoritarian; they always suffer from massive corruption, and are inherently unstable.  When their governments inevitably fall, a significant portion of their population die with them.  

You appear to have responded to the challenges facing society by joining up with the portion of our country that believes strongly that  blacks, Muslims, Jews, “liberals”, college professors, Democratic politicians, and others are out to impose some sort of left wing dystopia on our country.    In fact, your side has decided that authoritarianism, backed up with a heavily armed group of false “patriots”, is necessary to protect our freedom.  It's no longer simply a battle between what had been considered “liberal or conservative” in the past few decades.  Your party has been hijacked by extremists, and they are pushing our country towards civil war by trying to steal power while they are in the minority.   I know that you believe precisely the opposite, but that's what years of vitriol from Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Trump bootlickers, and the many other purveyors of hatred and division will do to their listeners.

Despite our differences, our goals are the same:
 1.    A strong, united country  
 2.    Giving our children a safe secure life with jobs, housing (across all races)
 3.    A decent standard of living, even if we can't have everything we want.
 4.    Protecting our natural resources, parks, etc.
 5.    A secure place among nations
 6.    Honest leadership, from local to national
 7.    Preservation of decent values and a shared cultural heritage

Where we differ is how we keep these aspirations alive.  Some of us believe that we can do this through doing everything within reason to make sure that all kids, no matter their background, get a good education and support, so they can grow up and contribute to society. Others believe that such help makes people lazy and entitled, and takes away opportunity from the “middle class”.   Your side believes that immigrants will “destroy our culture”, whereas my side believes that they have the potential to enrich it.   Ever been to an Italian restaurant?  How about Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Thai, Lebanese; or, pretty soon, Ukrainian?  Trump has tapped into the fear of immigrants.  I believe that when opportunity is given to the underprivileged, or immigrants, some will take advantage, just like poor whites, but most will become productive members of society;   Today's conservatives have doubled down on the side of denying help to the poor, thus ensuring that most will remain in a permanent underclass status.  This doesn't bode well for society, which works best when all kids get an adequate chance to become productive members of society.  Some, of course, will rise out of poverty without any help at all, but aid, wisely provided, can result in greater numbers climbing out of despair.

I often find myself asking how so many Christians could become enthralled by a ruthless, dishonest, hate-filled con man who never gave a rats-ass about religion until he found it to be a useful tool.  Unable to understand this baffling turn, I have consoled myself with the knowledge that at least now I know what kind of people to avoid in my daily life.  I cannot tolerate those who continue to support a bully who has spent his entire life insulting subordinates, women, minorities, and anyone who disagrees with him.  Fortunately, a majority in our country agree with me.  Unfortunately, a confluence of historical accidents presently gives Trump supporters an advantage in the Electoral College and senatorial representation.  Concurrently, an erosion in journalistic quality has allowed the proliferation of shoddy, sensationalist journalism which promotes dissatisfaction, resulting in support for demagogues who take advantage of the resulting chaos to inflame ignorant Trump supporters; helped, as I mentioned earlier, by Russia.

Here is a list of reasons that I detest Trump:

1. Leadership:
Built on many foundations; to list a few: trust, honesty, courage, intelligence, education, historical literacy, an open mind, and the ability to bring people together to work towards common goals.  Trump not only fails in EVERY ONE of these characteristics, but he actually works hard to undermine each. He is also a traitor who tried to overthrow our government in a violent coup attempt, which he then (and still) tried to pin on Democrats, despite hours of video, paper trails, and testimonials showing precisely the opposite.  Although he says he doesn't read books, there is one he did claim to read: Mein Kampf.   Here is a quote from Hitler that is relevant to Trump:  “By means of shrewd lies, unremittingly repeated, it is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell - and hell heaven. The greater the lie, the more readily it will be believed”.   This is a spot-on description of Trump's Big Lie, which his followers have swallowed, hook, line, and sinker.    

2. On Trump's Character from those who worked for him:
Trump's former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly: "The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it's more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,".
Secretary of Defense Gen. Jim Mattis:  Trump is "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people.".   Mnuchin, Priebus, Gary Cohn said he is “dumb as shit”, Bannon said “...he's like an 11 year old child”, Rex Tillerson said “... he's a moron”, and H.R. McMaster and called him an “idiot”, and a “dope … with the intelligence of a kindergartner”.
Almost the entire permanent staff (butlers, stewards, mansion workers of all types) felt that they had to watch their backs much more in this administration more than in any past one they'd worked for.
3. Trump's Accomplishments:
    Vilify the professional media, and promote tabloid-style news; sowing distrust of the most important monitor of government honesty.
    Poured gasoline on race relations, and lit the fire
    Obliterated many of the traditions of the Office of the Presidency, which have kept the office respected for the past two hundred years.
    Made it OK for adults to lie in order to get their way
    Elevated insults to women to a level never before seen in public, including the ones he was sexually involved with, calling them pigs, fat, ugly, horseface, etc. in public.
    Paid off pornstars to keep quiet about their affairs during his third marriage, and lying about it in order to win election.
    Cheapened the meaning of marriage, including cheating on all three wives numerous times.
    Mainstreamed and legitimized cheating as a business practice, relying on a team of lawyers to cheat subcontractors regularly in order to increase profitability.
    Declared bankruptcy six times, leaving the taxpayer and subcontractors to foot the bill for his failures.
    Acts as if he is a patriot, but was a five time draft dodger who lied about a physical condition that didn't exist in order to avoid serving his country in the military.
    Weakened our country on the world stage to the point that Putin feels secure to attack Ukraine
    Destroyed the career of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who had to the courage to speak truth to power, as well as for dozens (perhaps hundreds) in the last few decades. He did the same to others who also had the courage to stand up to his lies.

Here are some questions that you should be asking about Trump:
    In his rallies, what does he spend most of his time talking about?  
    Does he offer policy proposals to the huge number of problems facing our country, or does he complain about, and insult, others who disagree with him?
    What has he ever done to try and heal the wounds between both sides of the current political divide?
    When has he ever been respectful of those who disagree with him, or who call him out on his public statements?  
    Does he ever engage politicians in a give-and-take conversation, or does he just try to bully them into submission?   
    When as he EVER admitted that he was wrong, other than when he's clearly joking?   
    How much money did he make off of the Secret Service details that were posted to his resorts while president?  
    Was he correct in claiming literally hundreds of times that there are questions about Obama being born in the U.S.?  
    Was he correct when he stated in January 2021 that Covid19 was “totally under control”, and, in February, not to worry because “...One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear...”  ?  

I could go on for pages, because the list of lies that he has told would (and does) fill several books.

You know, at some level, that the man is a serial liar, who only tells the truth when it makes him look good.  Why do you allow yourself to overlook this?   Is it because he pays lip service to his religious followers, even though he had no record of being religious AT ALL before running for the presidency?  Christians who support Trump are hypocrites of the worst kind, and have lost all credibility.

Ex KGB agent Putin put a lot of effort and money into Trump's election, and it paid off beyond his wildest dreams.  Trump built up Putin's self confidence in manipulating our country to the level where he is pulverizing peaceful Ukraine, because he knows that the president he helped elect, Trump, has done so much damage to our prestige, power, and cohesiveness, and has severely weakened us on the world stage.  I know a bit more about this than most people, since it was my job to monitor Soviet activities while I was in Diplomatic Security.   In fact, I visited East Berlin when Putin was in the Soviet KGB in Dresden.  I vividly remember passing through Checkpoint Charlie to East Berlin, wondering whether I would ever get back to West Berlin; because it was my job to find out how they were stealing our secrets; in other words, I was a “counterspy”.  

Even though they know that the above is true, most Republican politicians, to their everlasting shame, still support his effort to regain the presidency.  Support for Putin over Biden (just before the invasion) was approximately 2 to 1 in the Republican Party; that should tell you that something is wrong!

Here's why I have lost what little respect I once had for the Republican Party.  They have:

    Eliminated bipartisan cooperation, which once allowed for passing legislation that benefitted all, friendships amongst congressmen, and a degree of collegiality that allowed for advancement of constructive dialog.
    Obliterated campaign finance reform, leading to a payola congress that spends most of its time fundraising for reelection.
    Received 95% of fossil fuel political contributions, furthering our addiction to fossil fuels, unnecessarily large and fuel inefficient vehicles, and other wasteful behavior.
    Blocked all initiatives aimed at combatting Climate Change, thus endangering humanity,  and hindering innovation in energy saving technologies.
    Dragged political discourse into the gutter.
    Elevated lying and passing on misinformation into mainstream behavior.
    Facilitated the proliferation of guns, leading to the second highest per-capita gun death rate in the world (behind Brazil).
    Pushed fealty to one man as a means to get control of our government; thus ignoring the dangers of authoritarian rule.
    Ignored the resurgence of fascism in America only 75 years after it was defeated in Europe.
    Gave us Sarah Palin, Cruz, MTG, Boebert, McCarthy, and scores of others who should be nowhere near positions of leadership.

I've watched the slow but steady descent of the Republican Party for decades.    Having steadily lost support for so many years amongst the educated class, they have found a rich vein of support to exploit with racists, nazis, blue collar workers who have lost jobs that were once highly paid and are angry about it, people who are afraid of “cultural pollution” caused by immigrants from “shithole countries”,  uneducated people who are easy to rile up, and nihilists who just want to “burn it all down” because they know no better.  The Republican Party is now the party of trailer trash, the lowest quality human beings in our country; and these are the people you are allied with.

Republican politicians who once literally characterized Trump as a moron now kneel at his feet; so much for courage, or values, on their part.  With only a few exceptions, they are cowards who recognize that he is a bad apple, but still support him because they don't want to lose the support of his rabid “base”.  Since they have no courage, they deserve no place in leadership.  Two Republican House Representatives , Lynn Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, the only ones with the courage to stand up to Trump, have been censured just this week for their courageous stand against the Master Bully.   The current Republican party has very few policy solutions to offer, so their primary strategy is to “own the libs”, and pander to the most extreme and ignorant loudmouths in their mostly uneducated base.   They complain bitterly all of the time, and offer no solutions to move our country forward; in fact, that's all that Trump ever does.   They attack Nancy Pelosi relentlessly, ostensibly because they consider her evil for some reason; but the reality is that she is a strong effective woman who raised 5 kids before getting into office, and who is smarter than any of them.  She is 81 years old, and still working hard for her country, and it sticks in their craw.  They hate AOC, and they never listen to anything she says; but if they did, they might find out that she speaks common sense.  Instead, they've turned her into a caricature, just like they do to all people that they hate.

I'm always puzzled how some Christians can square their messages of fear, loathing, and hatred with their Christian faith.  Many arm themselves to the teeth, leading me to wonder: “Who would Jesus shoot?”.  On the other hand, I have several Catholic friends, and friends from other denominations, whom I respect and enjoy friendship with, because they actually practice what Jesus taught.  One, Bill *****, is a close friend, and a Deacon in his local Catholic Church.  *****'s best friends (and good friends of mine as well), ***** and ***** recently went on their second pilgrimage in Spain.  They understand and respect my beliefs, because they know that, in contrast to hypocritical evangelicals, I believe in most of the values that Jesus taught.  Our only difference is that I consider Jesus to have been a philosopher to be admired for his teachings, not the Son of God.   

When I visited you in *****, you had a Confederate Flag flying.  I don't know why you flew it, I guess you wanted to honor our southern ancestors, which is OK from that standpoint;  but it deeply offended me, because I figured that it stood for more than just that.  I didn't say anything, as I was a guest, and didn't want to start a fight.   The Confederacy were defeated, but only after they caused the deaths of over a half million Americans in pursuit of their cause, and left large swaths of our country in ruins.  They claimed to be fighting for their rights, but in actuality, they were fighting for their right to continue a system that thrived on human slavery.  I say this knowing full well that, if I had been born at that time, and lived in Virginia, I may well have been on the side of the Confederacy; but with the knowledge I have now, I know that would have been the wrong choice.   Of course, your side disputes that the war was largely a result of preserving slavery, but most historians don't.  Today, the Confederate Flag causes great offense to African Americans, and represents approximately 400 years of severe mistreatment and cruelty, but you apparently think that “they should let bygones be bygones”, and simply tow the line, without anything more than lip service paid to their history.  Imagine if you, instead of having grown up in *****, were instead brought up black across the tracks in *****.  Do you think you would have enjoyed the ***** Swim Club, along with other perks, gone to college, and gotten a government job the way you did?  Acknowledging this fact could lead you to some measure of compassion for your fellow black citizens, if  only you were to give it some thought.  We all prosper when when everyone is given a seat at the table of opportunity. Folks that are given a fair shake don't want to overturn the table.

I am a “futurist”.    I follow technology and science closely, and always have.   I am interested in where humanity is going, and look for ways to ease our transition into the future without destroying ourselves in the process.  Civilizations that try to freeze themselves in place, or go back to their “golden years”, don't end well.   It comes down to one basic truth: “adapt or perish”; we are perilously close to the latter.  I have long believed that there are many things that hold humanity back from moving forward towards sustaining civilization.  There are so many roadblocks to progress, but the main one is fear.   Lack of formal/informal education (and, more often than not, the ignorance that follows) leads too many people to follow “leaders” who know how to manipulate them by playing on their fears and prejudices. This is clearly what is happening to our country today.  We are falling behind the rest of the world in innovation, because many of our best minds are caught up in the tidal wave of political polarization, and the mayhem caused by the current crop of Republicans.   A large majority of citizens of allied countries are shaking their heads in disbelief that so may have fallen for Trump and his constant stream of lies and corruption.  Trump would have just as gladly jumped to the liberal side to further his national grift, if he had thought that would have made him richer and more powerful; however, he realized that ignorance, hatred, and greed were more powerful drivers of human nature, so he naturally decided to pursue Republican support.

Your party, under the guise of “patriotism” and “defending the American way”, are tearing our country apart, egged on by corrupted right wing news media. It all started with Fox News, but the cancer has metastasized, because peddling fear, rage, and sexy news anchors sells better than honest journalism and reporting the news.  Traitors like Tucker Carlson get rich spreading hatred, along with Putin's lies.   Something to ask yourself:  When you access your news sources, what percentage of their stories are attacks against Democrats, and how many are critical of Donald Trump?  My guess is that most of their stories are attacks on Democratic politicians. Republicans have no real ideas on how solve the numerous problems humanity faces, so they attack, attack, attack.   I get my news from organizations that have been around for decades, even centuries, have received numerous awards from professional journalism organizations, which continually vet their news, insist on collaboration from numerous sources, and are well respected by the “educated elite” (which the “right” generally holds in contempt).  My sources are critical of politicians on all sides when they make misguided decisions, but they don't engage in gratuitous ad-hominem attacks.   The “right” gets their information from “pundits” and “news” sources that are, in most cases, under a decade old.  Does this not raise some suspicions about their veracity and mission?  These new right wing sources, financed in large part by a small number of hard right billionaires, have learned that the way to “attract eyeballs”, along with more wealth, is by playing on people's fears and hatreds.  Limbaugh perfected that formula, and many others are using that formula to get rich, at the expense of our country.  There was a time in our once great country when such people were shunned; now they have captured a large portion of society, who drink their poison daily.  The division that the right wing media has stoked with fervor has riven our society to the point where both sides hate each other.  This is absolutely the fault of these corrupt news and social media sources, supported by an internet whose only restraints are commercial.

Your side seems fixated on the BLM protests that occurred during the Trump presidency.   It's true that some of the demonstrators in those protests went too far, and destroyed property.  But the truth is, most of the demonstrators, such as myself, were older people who have come to the realization that the only path towards peace and prosperity is one where all citizens, no matter how/where they were brought up, need to feel safe in order to pursue the American Dream.   That does not mean that we are against the police (I was in two law enforcement agencies for 15 years); it means that we want to root out the bad apples and bad policies that perpetuate the problems that exist.   This has always been the way to handle disfunction in any organization.  Your side constantly crows that we are “anti police”, and that is pure, unadulterated B.S.    Yes, there are too many guns in urban areas, and yes, many black youth are violent and use guns … but white vigilantes carrying around semiautomatic weapons in public are not the answer.  When I see someone with a gun, and not in a police uniform, I don't know who they are, or if they are to be trusted.   I consider these people to be the true threat to our freedom.  These armed hooligans have no idea what will happen in a law enforcement situation.  Furthermore, our police have to respond by assuming that everyone is armed, thus increasing  “hair trigger” responses that lead to unnecessary killings.   I, for one, don't want to have to strap on a gun to go in public; and I definitely don't trust any civilian that I see wearing one.  This whole situation was pushed by the NRA, who … big surprise … like Trump, received money, aid, and encouragement from Putin.

As I said previously, the right wing in the USA thinks that they are protecting our country from those who are destroying it.  They believe themselves to be patriots, defending all that is good in our country from evil forces led by baby-eating Democrats determined to undermine their freedumb.   They have thrown their support behind Donald Trump, the most egregious liar ever produced by our country, and believe that one strong leader can lead America back to greatness.  Their “Deal with the Devil”, the King of Lies himself, will not end well for our country.   I, and many others, would argue that the people of Germany made the same kind of mistake in the 1930s.  If Trump, or someone like him, manages to get hold of the presidency, what makes you think that he will tolerate ANY dissent of any kind from anyone?  If he regains the presidency, he will become a dictator, and then, perhaps, you might begin to wake up from your fantasy.

Today's conservatives complain.  They complain about things as diverse as energy efficient light bulbs, low flow toilets, Democrats, immigrants, experts on just about anything.  They have no solutions to offer, so they just work overtime to tear everything down.  I've met many people like that in my life: those who have lots of energy, but very little intelligence.

The right wing of this country is leading humanity towards destruction by numerous means.  Arming themselves to the teeth and driving us towards a second civil war, forcing endless economic growth on a resource-limited planet, cutting back on environmental protection, pushing for an authoritarian government model that ends democracy, pouring gasoline on the fires of racial division, spreading misinformation in a way that makes the old Soviet Union look like amateurs, etc.   They ignore the very real dangers of Climate Change, which will put every port city in the world (along with your own property) under water, at the current rate, before 2050.  Think we have too many refugee crises now? Just wait until something like four billion people have to move to get away from rising seas, and lands too hot to live in.   The current Republican Party claims to support the middle class, but make it harder for them to get an education, undermining Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare, considering them “socialism”, and constantly undermining workplace protections.     They talk a good game on fiscal conservatism, but they still manage to increase deficits whenever in control of government, by enabling tax shelters and shell games for the rich and corporations.

This country may or may not survive the next couple of decades.  If it doesn't, most of us will die through violence/pestilence/starvation, likely including my own children; which is why I've dedicated my life to fighting back against the politicians and public enemies that you support. Perversely, like many evangelicals, you may actually be looking forward to these disasters, as God's means of cleansing the Earth of the evil of humanity, as he supposedly did in Noah's Flood myth (the flood was actually a consequence of the end of one of the ice ages suddenly filling the Black Sea), while “virtuous patriots”, actually thugs who carry around AR-15s, go to Heaven, perhaps delayed by a short stop of a few millenia in Purgatory on the way.   I, on the other hand, put great stock in the lessons of history.  You apparently see history only through the lens of your religion. In fact, I believe that you cannot allow yourself to think outside of the tenets of that religion; fearing that, if you do, and question your rigidly held beliefs, even inside your own head, your path to salvation will be lost irretrievably.   I grew out of that belief when I was around 19 years old; immersing myself in history, science, and to a lesser extent, philosophy.  Religions were formed by men, both to explain the inexplicable, and to exercise power and control over their societies.  Unfortunately for religion, science came along, and has been replacing religious dogmas steadily, one by one.  

Religions come and go, each one building on the foundations of the ones that came before.  Religious leaders pick and choose what worked and what didn't in the religion they replace … sacrificing babies to our God – Out!  Sacrificing a certain percentage of our grain and animals on the altar? - Out!  The Sun and all of the planets and stars revolve around the Earth – Out!  Demanding ten percent or so of your followers hard earned proceeds?  Well … maybe not for Megachurches!  Fortunately, all of the major religions still call for peace, and compassion for their fellow man … but American Evangelicals have morphed into something heretofore unimaginable: purveyors of division, hatred of “others”, greed, and intolerance, prosperity gospel, fearing hoards of immigrants who are going to steal their jobs and ways of life.   Most evangelicals have completely destroyed any legitimacy they once may have had in the eyes of reasonable people.

I believe that no one knows what happens after death; and, furthermore, that , when we die, our “souls” simply evaporate.  As such, I feel it's my duty to be the best person I can while I'm alive, and spread such goodness as I can to those around me.  If I live on after death, it will be in the memories I leave with my loved ones, and the legacy I leave in my deeds.   In this, I am imperfect, but I do my best with the means at my disposal.  I recall having my first doubts about Catholicism in my pre-adolescent years, when I heard that all other Christians would have to spend a long time in Purgatory for their heretical beliefs, and members of other religions?  Forget it! Doomed to Hell for eternity!  This didn't square with my knowledge, even at that young age, that there are good people of all faiths.  It's hard for me to believe that billions of souls of the departed are in Hell because they didn't believe in Christianity. Of course, I imagine that that particular message has changed by now, but I no longer follow church dogma.    I do know, however, that the church has a long history of changing policy proclamations eventually after they are, inevitably, proven wrong.

If you are still reading this, which I doubt, I truly wish for reconciliation, not just with you, but between all reasonable citizens of our great country.  However, I cannot reconcile with beliefs that are alien to everything that I believe in.  I miss you, *****. I believe that the happy, reasonable, intelligent, fun loving ***** I knew earlier in life still exists, but only under a thick layer of toxic baggage knotted together with misinformation.  As I said in my last letter to you, the only way to throw off that burden is to allow yourself to think without letting fear of the unknown take hold of you, and ignoring those who spread hatred.  I suffer from no illusions that you will agree with any of what I have said, but it is all manifestly true.  You will no doubt continue to believe what you read from your corrupted news sources, rather than from your own *****, and that, to me, is a tragedy.   I still hold out a flicker of hope that some of what I have said will have some influence; but I have come to realize, over the past six years, that no level of factual analysis or reasoning has a chance in getting through to those who have fallen into the toxic sludge pit of Trumpism.

Love  - *****