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DEAR EDITOR:
"Make America Great Again" was Donald Trump's promise to his loyalists in his campaign to rule these United States. The question then, as now, is "Great for Whom"? After one year in office, the answer to that question is evident. That promise was being made to white, American-born citizens who disliked the government's acceptance of and assistance to anyone who was not like them. The implication of the promise was that the diverse and different, the poor and undereducated, the disadvantaged, the immigrants, the people of color, and the liberal-minded, were not "entitled" to the same rights and privileges as the rest of "us." But as this administration resorts to extreme, unprecedented, and unconstitutional measures to effect the goal of that promise, the world is seeing what actually makes America great -- the large, loud and ever-growing spontaneous protests of "the people."
The Boston Tea Party, protesting an unfair tax; the demonstrations and marches for women's right to vote; the difficult, dangerous and courageous battle by black Americans for our government to acknowledge their civil rights; the protests to end a senseless war on the Vietnamese people; protests against police brutality for the murder of George Floyd; and now the protests by an enraged nation for the murder of civilians by ICE agents in Minnesota. Protests by "the people" (President Lincoln's acknowledgement of ownership of our Government) have always served to awaken the conscience of a slumbering, complacent and apathetic electorate. The pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for all Americans is an everyday, uphill battle that can never be achieved without the active engagement of our citizens and their right to have their voices heard and to protest against injustice and tyranny.
Trump's malicious, vengeful, childish and dictatorial rule over our country has awakened the citizenry to become involved, to be engaged, and to be heard, and that is the way to make America great again.
THOMAS BRENT
Struthers