“ These are the times that try men’s souls.” This was true when Thomas Paine uttered these words, and they remain true today (though with a more inclusive gender reference). The fact that Donald Trump, a poster child of ignorance, duplicity, and hatred, could win the nomination of the Republican Party says a lot about the lack of talent leading that party, but it also says a great deal about the country. And what it says isn’t good.
I am writing these words after listening to a speech that was just delivered in North Dakota by Trump discussing global warming (“we will stop any U.S. government support for U.N. global warming studies” and “we will kill the Paris agreement”), coal production (“we will restore coal miners’ jobs”), and the environment (“we will end the EPA”). The speech has produced the intended reaction; I am upset enough to write about it. Of course, one should not read too much into these statements because Trump is notoriously disingenuous and will say whatever he can at that instant to appeal to any crowd.