To the editor:
My grandfather once told me that a person needed just three shirts: one in the drawer, one in the wash, and one on the back. He never could have imagined needing a special Hawaiian shirt to signal one's QAnon adherence. But I digress.

This letter is a thank-you to President Trump. To begin, though, it seems reasonable and sad that in a population as large as ours there will be a small percentage of people who exhibit historical ignorance, racist tendencies, bullying attitudes, fear-mongering writings, habitually untrue assertions, doubt about all science, and denigration of perceived opponents, especially women. It also seems reasonable that someone with this proven and publicly demonstrated kit bag of malign personal characteristics should NOT inhabit the White House. Yet, President Trump does — to our national disgrace.
So, perhaps readers will join me in thanking President Trump. By his words and actions, particularly since the cruel, public murder of George Floyd by police, Trump has illuminated important areas of American life that too many of us have ignored or worried about without taking constructive action. For example:
The tilting of our economy toward the rich has accelerated under Trump. The vilification of non-whites, has accelerated under Trump. The rise of private, armed militias has accelerated under Trump. The replacement of the term ‘opponent’ with ‘enemy’ has accelerated under Trump. The doubt cast on all elements of science, including environmental, climate, and medical science, has accelerated under Trump. The perversion of the justice and intelligence establishments has accelerated under Trump. The rollback of environmental gains have accelerated under Trump. The denigration of the UN, WHO, and NATO has accelerated under Trump. And certainly several crucial underpinnings of our democracy have cratered under Trump, including the consent of the governed, the sanctity of one person-one vote, fair justice for all, and the coupling of freedom and the common weal.
So, yes, I thank President Trump for illuminating, in the broadest sense, that America is a country of ideas and ideals that must be understood and tended in the open. (Our free press plays a central role in our understanding.) Otherwise, we can be left with rotund July 4th speeches from gassy leaders whose actions behind the curtains of government can lead us not just astray but into doom.
So, again, thank you, President Trump, for so ably demonstrating the havoc that a president of your glowering ilk can visit upon us. And of the great work ahead for everyone who is willing, with three shirts or more, to move America ahead to the difficult but gallant goals of fair justice, equal opportunity, and a more perfect union for everyone. This is our country; this is our work.
Will Newman
Tiverton