Recent columns and letters have attacked our president. It appears people do not recall our 43rd president who ignored pre-9/11 intelligence reports, gave false premise for the war in Iraq, resulting in thousands lives lost and destroyed, and that country becoming a terrorist breeding ground.

George W. Bush cut taxes for the wealthy and authorized torture — we imprisoned and executed Japanese for that during World War II.

He trashed FEMA, filling it with political cronies, left our economy in utter ruins, presided over the U.S.’s lowest popularity throughout the world in our history, and issued 291 executive orders.

On the issue of race; I have absolutely no idea what it is to be black nor do the vast majority of us, as we live in one of the “whitest” states in our country. The progress in race relations made in the past 50 years was by some white people trying to less racist.

People write as if blacks deserved to be slaves and had to earn the right to be treated like human beings.

In our original Constitution, only white male property owners had the right to vote, and it has taken centuries for us to try to correct our wrongs. Racism is alive and well but just more subtle today, but not in some of the columns I have read of late.

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Our president did grow up black in this country, and I remember the disrespect he was shown by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who yelled “You lie” at the president during a nationally televised address. I remember our president had to go on national television and show his long form birth certificate — another not-so-proud moment in our history of improving race relations.

So I ask, who is in a better position to speak about racism, victims or perpetrators?

Mike Grove

Monmouth


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