Sadly, but predictably, the disgraced, morally bankrupt former president whose incoherent fulminations poison our public dialogue is not going away.

Donald Trump’s insatiable appetite for publicity will continue to find a voice in headlines and broadcasts because his “charisma” and genius for playing off white grievance energize so many extremist, right-wing Republicans and armed “patriot” militias.

White grievance is real. I attended college in the South and wrote about crime for the Kansas City Star. In both locales, as well as the white suburbs of Washington D.C. where I spent several formative years, racism was quite common, even entrenched. And it still festers.

A quarter-century in Maine has fulfilled my hopes that New England (leaving out Boston) may be the most tolerant region in the U.S. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered a few people in Auburn who mock Blacks and joke that Somalis should stay in Lewiston.

Several years ago, I helped Somalis get ready for a detailed written citizenship test that most of us would fail. They passed, and they deserve our respect.

We have a son from Guatemala, an African sister-in-law, two mixed-race nieces and two mixed-race nephews. I love them dearly, and plan to attend my niece’s wedding in Rwanda to a Black urologist from Stanford. Now that’s something to celebrate this time of year.

We must find a way to combat the hatred that is central to Trump’s legacy. It’s un-American. 

Dave Griffiths, Mechanic Falls