FUTURE: Letter to descendants

Last month I wrote a letter addressed to our grandchildren and (yet unborn) great-grandchildren. I indicated that the letter was to be read in 20 years, in 2036. I wrote that we were writing in response to the election of Donald Trump in November 2016.

Memories are slippery and rationalizations come easily, but we wanted them to know what we thought and how we acted. I wrote: “We voted for Hillary Clinton and supported her campaign. We believe that Mr. Trump, based on his campaign, is unfit to be president both in temperament and experience. He is a demagogue, a narcissist and an autocrat. He doesn’t have any fixed political beliefs, but is motivated simply by his need for power and self-aggrandizement. He is a liar.”

I wrote further: “Nobody knows, at this time, exactly what his policies are going to be. He is on record to deport millions of undocumented migrants, bar the immigration of Muslims, build a wall to keep out Mexicans, renegotiate our trade agreements so the USA wins, negate international agreements to limit climate change and kill the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).” I closed by writing: “When you read this in 20 years, President Trump, and we, will be history, and you will know how events turned out. You know we were here, paying attention and acted in what we thought were your bests interests. Love, Grandma and Grandpa.”

Now that I’m straight with my descendants I can relax and resume my private life.

RICHARD CRIPE

Coeur d’Alene