By Edward Miller

After the recent shameful outburst of profanity by the president, it’s no longer acceptable to be silent. Those who resist as our country is continually defiled must speak out.  Here’s my voice in the form of a letter to Georgia Sen. David Perdue, one of the witnesses to the outrage.

Sen. Perdue,

I would say “Shame on you” for your claiming you didn’t hear the president use despicable language in your presence, but in my 75 years I’ve learned you can’t shame someone who lacks moral grounding.  Your claim not to have heard the repeated use of racially focused profanity implies agreement.  That doubles my disappointement.

In Saturday’s New York Times, the lead editorial said something I never thought I’d ever read in an American newspaper:  “Remember, Mr. Trump is not just racist, ignorant, incompetent and undignified.  He’s also a liar.”  What makes that documentable indictment even more distressing is the cadre of enablers in the Congress who make Trumpism possible.  A few of your Republican colleagues, to their credit, spoke out against the president’s indecency.  Most others –– among them the bullies and bigots who betray our country’s values at every turn –– stayed silent.

You, sir, will forever be remembered as one who stood mute.  It will be your enduring legacy.  But here’s the irony that keeps my despair in check: You and your fellow enablers have aroused millions of Americans to resist, to marshal our anger and disgust and go into the streets to take back our country.  For that I thank you.

To be continued.

Edward Miller

Woodstock, GA

Photo credit: Migration Policy Institute