Dear Mr. Trump, every time you speak, an angel somewhere in the universe falls off its pedestal and loses
its wings. After your inauguration speech, I was disheartened by the negative tone that you set and by
missing a great opportunity to bring us closer together. Instead, your “America first” speech sounded
more like a call to arms than a plea for unity. You blamed others around the world for America’s
decline, when in reality, we have no one else to blame, but ourselves, for our jobs losses and
diminished world standing.
China, Mexico and other countries did not force American businesses to move their work outside United
States; we did. If our trade deals were unfair, we accepted them. With all due respect, President Trump,
you made our citizens sound like victims. We are not victims nor should we feel powerless to change our
circumstances. Did you not send some of your jobs to other countries that could have been given to
American citizens? This disconnect between what you say and what you do is troubling, but also very
telling.
Have you not learned the lessons from our past nationalism, flawed foreign policies and aggressive
military actions? May I suggest that these are just a few other reasons that may have ripped our economy
to shreds and lowered our standing in the eyes of the world. Do you not realize that one of the best
solutions to restore America’s well-being is for other nations to thrive with access to steady
employment, affordable housing, health care and a sense of well-being?
Author and environmentalist Wendell Berry once said, “We have lived our lives by the assumption of what
was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it
will be possible to live by the contrary assumption, that what is good for the world will be good for
us. And that requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it.”
Misunderstanding other nations is often the spark that fuels wars and ignites hatred beyond our borders.
Mindless and patriotic allegiance only to our own worldview without necessary regard for other people’s
cultural values or religious views is egocentric and arrogant.
Regarding patriotism, you said, “that whether we are black, brown or white, we all bleed the same red
blood of patriots and that we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms.” Seriously? President Trump, when
pitting Black Lives Matter against law enforcement, it should NOT be a contradiction to support both of
these courageous groups. People who choose one side over the other do not fully comprehend the realities
of  black families or the difficult challenges that face our police forces today. Both groups include
good people with legitimate grievances and bad people with misdirected resentments. However, both sides
just want to go home each night to their families without getting shot or killed.
President Trump, many times you have said that you will never let us down. Please note that you let me
down at the beginning of your campaign when you called our undocumented Hispanic neighbors criminals,
drug dealers and rapists. You let me down when you wanted to register all Muslims. You let me down when
you mocked a disabled person. And you let me down when you minimized your rationale for groping women
and called it “locker room talk.” Men as well as women should be highly offended by this response.
My prayer for you during these dark times is that you do no harm because angels are now considered
endangered species and we need to protect and restore their wings. Some of these angels were wrapped in
pink last Saturday when they marched in Washington as well as around the world in support of women’s
rights and human rights.
Bowling Green resident Norma Davenport is a former mental health worker and advocate with the
Family Service Counseling Center of Wood County. She contributes to the Sentinel-Tribune
monthly.