I Was a Marine. I Was a Cop. And I Reject President Trump

I always try to publish essays that are positive. Our troubled world needs more of that. But today, I need to write about what troubles me.

The First Amendment to our Constitution is freedom of speech. It's the strongest right we have. It's the reason I can write this in this publication.
Sometimes that right has to be kept in perspective, even when it hurts.

One example is the sometimes profane pennants that flutter over one of our main thoroughfares, Broadway. Many people hated to see them, me included. But one day, while waiting for a light to change, I saw them in a different light.

The flag flier was able to fly them—because this is America—and a citizen has the right to do that. I was glad to live in a country so blessed. The flags, after that moment at the light, didn't bother me so much.

I recently heard our president use the word "sedition" against veterans. They spoke about the need not to follow unlawful orders. His Dept of Justice tried and failed to indict them.

Why? Because of the First Amendment.

Our president has also used epithets against veterans who served to keep us free. He used terms such as "suckers" and "losers." I have a problem with that.

I was a Marine.

I.C.E. has yet to visit our little City by the Sea. We are just 30,000 or so. But I think that's just temporary.

I saw in the NY Times that they visited towns with fewer than 50,000 in West Virginia. Recently, they visited Danbury, CT. population 88,000, Biddeford, ME, population 22,000, and Cornelius, OR, population 14,000.

There are better ways to apprehend people who are wanted only for illegal entry into the United States. We don't need phalanxes of masked agents to do so. I arrested over six hundred people wanted on warrants.

Please see, I Was a Marine. I Was a Cop. And I Reject President Trump
Be well,
Lee Winters