To the Editor:
As a young man of 49 years, I have witnessed many events in our nation’s history, both triumphs and
tragedies. During all these times I never had any doubt that our country and our people would endure,
and that in the end we would all be well.
These days I am sad to say, I am not so sure.
As far as I see it, our nation and its Democracy are threatened not by foreign enemies or armies of
criminal illegals determined to bring harm to our people. The threat is by my neighbors who have chosen
to be seduced by a conman into believing that our existence is threatened by anyone who holds liberal
views, has darker pigmented skin or observes a different religion other than Judaism or Christianity.
They believe that the only way to solve our nation’s issues and produce American greatness is to
viciously insult and threaten violence against anyone who opposes Trump and his supporters. If we choose
to take a stand against it — well then, we are all just bad people trying to prevent poor Trump from
making us great again.
Never in my life have I ever doubted that I would always be safe in our great nation, nor have I ever
doubted that our nation was the greatest on earth. I now find myself wondering how many people are going
to have to die, and how much damage is going to be inflicted on my friends and family before this evil
man is stopped.
As the namesake of a young man who gave his life in Saigon in 1968 at the age of 19, a cousin of a Gold
Star Family and the son of a sailor who proudly served his country in the Navy, I say to my dissatisfied
country men and women: this course you have voted our nation on is wrong. It will only produce division,
hate and violence and is tearing our nation apart.
No good is going to come from this wicked man and his party. In good conscience, I will never stand with
anybody that thinks locking kids in prisons is OK, compulsive lying and vile insults on social media is
the way to fix our nation, and bigotry and hatred is something to be proud of. This is not who we are.
Raymond Gomez
Grand Rapids
