Dear Friends,
Every generation has one or two points where it must choose to either stand up and defend all that this country stands for, or risk succumbing to fear-mongering and blatant hate that threatens to bust down the door. For many of us, this choice has come all too soon, and we are ill-prepared to understand what all of this means.
We are standing at the crossroads, and one leader wants to take us forward and let us be a guiding light for the rest of the world, and another wants to drag us back to a bygone era of segregation, abuses of power, corporate greed and outright bigotry.
I’m not here saying that Hillary is the savior of humanity, she certainly has her flaws, but she has a past that can let us know what her future will entail. She championed healthcare reform in the 1990s, she made sure that 9/11 rescue workers received the healthcare they deserve, she stood up for LGBT rights at home and abroad and negotiated a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas — not to mention the amount of times where she worked with Republicans across the aisle. This is the kind of resume we need … someone with a dedicated past, and someone who knows the ropes of political life.
Trump, on the contrary, has openly admitted to not paying his taxes, refused to release his tax returns, openly made sexual comments about his own daughter, has fat-shamed and made sexual and inappropriate comments about women and illegally denied housing to African-American individuals in the 1970s. Donald J. Trump (#Drumf?) has proven time and time again that he represents only the worst of America. He is not a successful businessman; with his countless business fails and bankruptcies, he would’ve made more money just leaving his money in the bank and reinvesting the interest. His authoritarian/fascist attitude is proof that he doesn’t have what it takes to lead a nation in the free world.
I understand how many of you want to cast a protest vote for Jill Stein (Greens) or Gov. Gary Johnson (Libertarian), but you have to understand how much is at stake here. Our freedom, the very essence of our national identity, is on the table. If it were almost anyone else, I wouldn’t have even written this letter; but we need to unite against the radical white supremacist, neo-fascist, misogynistic, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, racist, lying, unsuccessful businessman masquerading around in an orange Oompa Loompa suit.
In short, please join me in standing up to hate, because at the end of the day, we truly are stronger together. If history has taught us anything, it’s that love will always trump hate, and that freedom will always trump suppression.
Best Regards,
Lukas Darling
Trustee, Honors College
Academic Senator
YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
