I was uplifted after reading Leo Mazerall’s letter in the Aug. 24 paper (“Trump’s meeting with war criminal Putin was shameful“). It seemed a courageous statement. Mark Twain has written that it is easier to fool a man than to persuade him that he has been fooled. It is even harder to admit that we have been fooled or disappointed in someone we trusted in a public forum. I believe the future health of our country depends on people who can do that.

Throughout this Trump presidency, I have wondered if a politician I liked and trusted behaved in ways I thought shameful, if I would have the courage to say so. I hope so, but can’t know for sure.

There is another element to this courage that is often true: those who are first in such recognition sometimes bear the brunt of alienating people close to them. I hope that is not the case for Mr. Mazerall.

That distant country, Ukraine, is fortunate in having a supporter like Mazerall, as is our country. My hat is off to him.

Lani Graham
Freeport