Trump has done a lot of damage in a short time
To the editor:
In less than half of a year, the Trump administration has destabilized the entire world in a manner we have not experienced since the beginning of the Cold War and possibly since the years leading up to World War II.
We are now alienated from the core group of allies that created the dynamic tension that diplomatically held in check the Soviets until they collapsed. The United States, England, France, Germany and Canada led Europe into the organization of NATO. Together, with other governments, they stood firm against Soviet aggression and expansionism as it grew out of World War II and stopped its advance.
Today, not one of those relationships is untouched and unscathed by the tweets and chaos that is Donald Trump. In the place of these long-standing relationships we have a significant collection of unreported meetings by the members of the Trump administration breaking numerous laws when failing to report these metings on the documents used to establish security clearances.
In place of these traditional relationships that have served us well for decades, the Trump administration appears more infatuated with Russia and Putin to the point of defending these old foes against every accusation and conceding to Russian desires on a variety of topics, from Syria to the Paris Accord, to the lifting of sanctions and the return of properties seized in the expulsion of Russian representations involved in espionage.
Donald Trump himself has become a threat to our security and our allies by giving away information allowing the deconstruction of intelligence sources and exposing sources of Israel. His only defense being he has the right to do this as president. That may be so, but then you must also accept responsibility when our friends no longer consider us trustworthy and stop sharing intelligence with us. All actions have consequences and in a world where information and data is power losing maximum access to intelligence is the seed of disaster.
Donald Trump even lies to his own administration regulating surprising then with the latest whim to cross his lips or fingertips. Repeatedly, they have stoof to speak to an issue only finding the president almost simultaneously says the opposite in another venue. This seems to depend on who spoke into the president’s ear last. We have had divergent policy reflecting Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Ivanka Trump and others.
The breadth of danger the president and his administration now represents to us and the world cannot be overstated. The danger is now moving traditional intelligence specialists from both Republican and Democratic administrations like Richard Clarke, James Clapper and others to stand up and ring out a warning. It is a clarion note we must heed.
William N. Esborn
Mifflintown
COMMENTS