To the editor:
For most of the 20th century, the key difference between America and other nations like Russia, China and Germany was that America had a moral conscience that reflected the values of its people (“Congress and Western allies demand answers on fate of journalist as Saudi Arabia balks,” Oct. 14).
We were driven to do “the right thing” because of how we defined ourselves as a nation. We weren’t afraid to speak loudly when other nations engaged in clearly atrocious behavior.
Now we have a “businessman president,” and businesses do not have a moral conscience. They can ignore dictators’ human rights violations if they can do business with them. As long as President Trump believes there is money to be made, there will be hardly any consequence for Saudi Arabia’s alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Tell me, how is Trump’s America any different from Vladimir Putin’s Russia if we have lost the moral high ground?
David Higgins, Los Angeles
