To the editor:

As I watch as our government sends paramilitary “troops” into American cities in order to pepper protestors with tear gas and whisk them away in unmarked cars, I find myself once again appalled at the policies and actions of our president. What I find equally appalling is the lack of condemnation and outright support from our conservative leaders who know that what he doing is wrong.

While my life experiences and education have made me liberal, my farming Catholic upbringing was conservative. As a result of this, I can understand many conservative viewpoints, and recognize there is often much more that we can agree upon than those at the extremes would have you believe. It’s why I find conservative support of this man so baffling.

To the “fiscal conservatives” and the “balanced budget conservatives”: Have you not noticed the trillions that have been added onto our national debt? What about the breaking down of the safety nets that helped us claw out of the last recession? Do you think our country is in a good financial position now? Surely this is not a man who has made fiscally smart decisions.

To the “good governance conservatives”: Are you happy with how he’s handled this pandemic? Should we continue to excuse the countless blunders made by giving so much power to people with zero policy experience, including his daughter and son-in-law? Do you think that the think that the constant turnover in his cabinet has any chance of leading to coherent policies? Surely you see that this man has no clue what he’s doing.

To the “law and order conservatives”: Are you okay with his disregard of the Constitution’s Emolument’s Clause, or of his looking the other way as people in his administration continue to violate the Hatch Act? Are you alright with him pardoning political allies while asking the DOJ to investigate political foes? Surely this is a man who has no respect for the law.

To the “pro life conservatives”: Are you okay with the constant degrading of minorities and women? Are you okay with his racist policies? Do you support the breakup of families on the border, and the act of putting children in cages? Do you support immigrant parents being detained while their children are at school? Are you okay that after a push by the administration that last week the federal government executed its first death row inmate in 17 years? You seek to give protections to life in the womb, but I know you don’t want to see those protections end at birth. Surely this is not a man who seeks to protect the sanctity of human life. Surely this is not a man who holds your values.

To the “state’s rights conservatives” and the libertarians: Are you okay with sending federal troops into cities where neither the city nor the state want the “help”? Are you okay with the politicization of the decision, and the president saying he’ll send troops into cities with “Democratic Governors and Mayors”? Surely you can recognize the constant overreach.

Finally I call on all conservative leaders who are as as appalled as I am to speak up. I call on local and state officials, and those not in the political world such as our faith leaders. Every vote will matter in this election, and your voice could make a difference. We need people willing to step up and say this is different, this is not normal, this is not right. Don’t worry; we can continue debating once he’s gone.

Christopher Goulart

Little Compton