To the editor:
In response to Mr. George Allen’s opinion that the Daily Journal is doing a disservice to Trump ("Newspaper doing disservice to president," Dec. 31), (sorry, but any low-life huckster who steals money from a self-named charity to buy a signed football helmet doesn’t deserve the honor of being addressed as “president”), please consider the following.
The first is direct wording from the Constitution of the United States. The second are the very first words of the oath every Marine takes when enlisting.
1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
2. I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
And while the Marine oath goes on as well to swear an enlistee to obeying orders from the President and other commanding officers — it’s very first words swear allegiance to and defense of the Constitution of the United States.
Perhaps as an ex-Marine, Mr. Allen feels no further allegiance to protecting the freedoms guaranteed under our Constitution, but clearly as a businessman he feels full unmitigated devotion to Donald Trump.
But regardless of what he does or doesn’t feel, it’s still not the Journal’s fault that by his own salacious choices, words and deeds, Trump is getting reported and described exactly as his actions and behavior warrant. It’s not “fake news” — these are real truthful events that are taking place and it’s not the Journal’s job to sugarcoat them, pretty it up, or dismiss the frequency of what is taking place. It’s their job to report it.
It bothers Mr. Allen that the Journal doesn’t wag on about what he perceives as Trump’s greatness and he wants more “balance” by the Journal in covering Trump. But since Trump lies, exaggerates and distorts the facts to fit a narrative so he can only look like a savior, perhaps the Journal is obligated to wait — and wait — for Trump to do something positive they can reliably report without having to correct or revise it every five minutes. It is also not the Journal’s fault that only truly reliable attributes anyone can count on with Trump is his greasy salaciousness and dishonest, self-incriminating and completely asinine behavior.
No matter how many jobs you create, or what they contribute to the economy — it doesn’t dismiss or excuse skirting or breaking the law, lying non-stop, selling your country out to a Russian dictator for your own personal gain, stealing from a charity, and for God’s sake, terrorizing infants and children by caging them away from their mothers. However, others certainly have the right to think otherwise.
But ex-military or not, businessman or not, Mr. Allen, please don’t do this country, its founding fathers, and the multitude of lives sacrificed to forge and preserve this nation a disservice by attacking the Journal for reporting the all-too-frequent ugly truths about Trump. If the ugly truths outnumber any good that Trump can truly, legitimately claim credit for, then how about instead of threatening the Journal and aiding Trump in his efforts to dismantle a bedrock piece of our democracy you once swore to protect — how about instead you call your boy up and tell him to clean up his act?
Tell him to start treating our Constitution, this nation, its citizens, our press, our intelligence community, our allies and the office granted him with something resembling maturity and respect.
Lisa Voiles
Whiteland
