WWI vet father would be disgusted by today

My father lied about his age and enlisted in the Navy during World War I and was actually drafted in the Army during World War II. We still have his uniforms.

Following in his footsteps, I enlisted and served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969. I consider ours a very patriotic family who values what America stands for.

If my father were alive today and we were able to discuss what’s happening today, he would be disgusted first by Americans shooting Americans and second how could we ever do this to ourselves.

I have one answer, and it was published in The Gazette, Sept. 22, 2024, page A4; When interviewed why she supports Trump, a woman named Julie Novotny replied and I quote, “He’s classy, he’s a gentleman and he looks good in a suit and he has strong values.” Really, she said that.

So, among other reasons, we’ve got a president who looks good in a suit. Tell that to the Americans who are being shot. I’m assuming my father is spinning in his grave.

Trump’s cruel bigotry is making us unsafe

Whenever I post on Facebook about ICE killing American citizens, terrorizing neighborhoods and imprisoning immigrants in subhuman conditions, my neighborhood troll says, “Illegal immigrants should self-deport,” as if their illegal status justifies violating their human rights. Our Constitution disagrees.

He contrasts “illegal immigrants” with people who came here “legally.”

However, the path to citizenship has changed dramatically. In 1790, a white man simply had to live here for two years. Today, the path is torturous, expensive, and can take 5-20 years.

My FB troll says this “weeds out the losers.” Are Afghan immigrants who helped American troops losers? What about the Iranian mental health worker who spent eight years on the path to citizenship, passed his civics tests, and was days away from getting citizenship before he was deported?

There is no justification for these violent ICE surges in “blue” states.

The Trump regime isn’t targeting criminals or even the states with the most immigrants; it’s targeting people with accents and brown skin.

They want to blame this chaos on Biden. The problem with immigration has been 40 years in the making. In 2024, Congress negotiated a comprehensive bipartisan immigration reform bill, but Trump told Republicans to vote it down so he could keep campaigning on this issue. They complied.

Most Americans want a country governed by laws that create freedom, justice and equality. Instead of solving our economic problems, the Trump regime is squandering our tax dollars to cruelly scapegoat brown-skinned immigrants, and it’s making America unsafe and undemocratic.

To fix our country, we need new politicians

We, the people, can fix this country. If you care, we can restore sanity and order. Our only, and powerful, weapon is our vote.

But we must all participate. The laws are not stopping the law breakers or the law ignorers.

We must vote all of them out as soon as possible. Never believe anything a politician says – just look at their record.

At this point, we would be better off electing inexperienced people and change them out after two terms. And get rid of the lobbyists.

The Swamp will probably never be clean, but we sure can make a great start.

Marilyn B. Guidarelli

© The Leader Herald