Letter to the editor: Is cruelty and malice the new normal for America?

Once, we were seen as a beacon of hope, a nation that stood for liberty, compassion and justice. Today, too many see us as cruel and vindictive. What has happened to our humanity?

To be clear, I know there are still countless kind and caring people across this nation. But as a country, we have turned our backs on the suffering of others, both abroad and here at home. Even within our own borders, we allow the current administration to harm the most vulnerable among us.

How can we, in good conscience, stand by and let this happen?

This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It is a human issue. Under Donald Trump, we have strayed from our better nature. I grew up holding fast to the values of family, free enterprise and the rule of law.

These were principles that defined us as a nation and gave meaning to the freedoms we cherish. Yet today, I see those very freedoms vanishing before our eyes.

I once wondered what it felt like to live under authoritarian rule where speech and choice are suppressed. I no longer wonder. Trump is a dictator in all but name. While I still have the freedom to speak, I will. I used to proudly call myself a conservative and supported the Republican Party. But Trump has taken over that party and turned it into one fueled by vengeance and malice. He has made us poorer through inflation sparked by reckless tariffs, sicker as children die from preventable diseases like measles, and weaker under the shadow of militarized politics.

We are not witnessing the rise of greatness. We are watching the death of democracy. My question to America is simple: are we really great now?

I urge you not to let this continue. Do not remain part of a silent majority that allows Trump and his administration to act without accountability. Raise your voice. This is a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. I believe we can once again move toward being a country that inspires respect, not disdain, a nation that strives to be a true beacon on the hill where compassion and humanity triumph over the cruelty of one man’s desire to be a dictator.

Shauna Wilhelm

Chehalis