I want to thank Mr. McCammish for taking the time to write his letter.

I have been having great difficulty with the results of the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath. Mr. Trump ran his campaign based on bringing back jobs to America and revising the coal industry.

I am very much in agreement with full employment for Americans seeking employment. I feel that the coal industry is having difficulty because of factors other than ex-president Obama’s agenda.

Mr. Trump also ran on his opinion that most Mexicans are drug dealers or some other form of criminal. He also showed his dislike for Muslims. Mr. Trump stated that he saw thousands of Muslims cheering when the twin towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. Trump has shown how little respect has for women by his words and deeds.

As President Trump, he has proven himself to be a person who does not speak the truth. He appears to be a racist, so much so that the KKK does not feel the need to wear masks and David Duke praises him. Other racist groups feel they have a president who is on their side. Other countries do not trust him or respect him.

President Trump is so consumed with jealousy of ex-president Obama that he cannot sleep at night. He is bent on destroying everything Mr. Obama did, whether it was good or not.

I am not a hater of General Robert E. Lee. If the Union Army could have enlisted the services of General Lee, it would have. General Lee could not bring himself to go against the land he loved. He fought for a side that lost the war. General Lee himself didn’t want a statue dedicated to himself.

If you cannot understand why Black Americans are against statues that glorify people who fought in a war to preserve slavery, then I guess you just don’t understand. The statues that are in front of the court house in Lexington are erected approximately 40 feet from the site of one of the largest slave auction sited in the U.S.

You cannot imagine the anguish and fear the slaves had on auction day when a man’s wife (or mate) was sold to one bidder, his children sold to another and he is sold to another, knowing that he probably will never see them again, not to mention the things that were done to the people he loved while he was living with them.

It has been said that “I cannot understand why people are just now complaining about the statues.” We have been complaining about them among ourselves. We never felt it would do any good to complain publicly and the repercussion of our complaints would not be worth it.

On Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, Fox news commentator Brian Kilmeade alluded to the memorial for passengers of United Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers forced the hijackers to crash the plane rather than allowing it to possibly crash into the White House. They (Fox News) indicated that 100 years from now, someone might want their memorial removed. If this country loses a war with another country, the winner might want to remove all statues erected in America.

President Trump has indicated that people brought into this country as 6- and 7-year-old children who are now adults should be sent back to their country of origin. This is the same thing as saying children should pay for the sins of their parents.

These men and women would be sent to a country where they don’t even speak the language to be raped and or murdered so that Americans will have the opportunity to pick fruit and cut tobacco.

I could go on, but that is not the reason I am writing this letter.

Before Mr. Trump was elected, I had several Republican friends. My pastor for 36 years was Republican. I always felt we had different ways of looking at things, but I never felt they were racist. Some of the things this president is doing, or is purposing to do, are deplorable. President Trump is showing how he feels about any race other than Caucasians. He would not even stand up to defend his own daughter whom he seems to love so much.

Mr. Trump has made no attempt to hide his contempt for anything he does not agree with, and that is his right. The reason I have been having so many problems is that with everything he has done or proposes to do, (before Mark’s letter) it appears that since he is a Republican, anything he says is accepted by his base constituents.

For the vast majority of the government controlled by Republicans to agree with the things he proposes, was disheartening to me.

Mark’s letter made see that just because you prefer certain ideas of a certain party doesn’t mean you agree with everything your party leader attempts to do. If you can’t see that the Russians interfered in our election to elect the person they wanted, and to ignore what every intelligence agency our government has confirmed showing that interference, then I don’t know what other proof it will take, but it should concern every American. Why is Russia pro-Trump?

Mark, I know you don’t remember me, but I want to thank you for taking a lot of hate from my heart and making it possible for me to renew old friendships with ex-coworkers I have not talked to since the election. If you ever decide to run for office, (even though I am a Democrat) I would be proud to support your campaign.

Reed Hampton

Winchester