Dear Republicans, what will it take for you to admit that your president is a white supremacist? His pathetic statements about violence on "many sides" after the terror and violence committed by Nazis and Klansman is only the latest evidence in a decades long pattern. Most famously, of course, Trump rose to national political prominence by promoting the "birther" conspiracy that Obama was secretly an African Muslim. It goes back much further though. His father was arrested while participating in a Klan riot, father and son were sued multiple times for racially based housing discrimination, Trump campaigned for the death penalty for five black teenagers falsely convicted of rape (he stands by that even today), his campaign was endorsed by the American Nazi Party and many KKK leaders, it goes on and on.
Trump's second statement calling out some of these groups by name is like a child forced by their parents to apologize for some minor wrongdoing, though everyone knows they don't mean it. Except this is the president and his administration is fueling white supremacist terrorism. We will all be judged by history for our actions during this time of crisis. So, to my Republican friends and neighbors, take a long look in the mirror, and ask yourself, whose side are you on?
Michael Gaskill, Eddyville
