Dear Editor,

So, with our current President taunting the North Korean dictator about how much “bigger” his nuclear button is, and with the CDC now planning a briefing later this month regarding preparations for best responding to nuclear detonations in order to maximize chances of survival, one cannot help but wonder about the emotional stability and overall psychological fitness of Mr. Trump in terms of his ability to effectively serve as our nation’s President. He is no longer the star of a celebrity-based “reality”-TV show – he is now the President of the United States, the stakes are extraordinarily high, and millions of real lives are in the balance with potentially catastrophic consequences just one misstep away.

And as he and his Republican backers intensify their efforts to use their current political majorities in every imaginable way to obstruct, quash, and discredit ongoing investigations into Russia’s clearly pervasive and skillful efforts to manipulate our election process in 2016, and to yet again go after and jail defeated political rivals by initiating further “investigations” of past issues already thoroughly investigated and closed, one cannot help but see frightening parallels with how despots utilize their powers to maintain their totalitarian regimes in countries we Americans have typically mocked as “banana republics.”

Are Republicans and others working closely with Mr. Trump indeed seeing signs that he truly is not fit to effectively serve in this unrelentingly stressful and critical role (as suggested by an increasing number of reports from multiple sources, as well as evident behaviors) but remaining silent about it and covering it up, thus enabling him to continue in this role despite the unimaginable risks and dangers posed? If so, they are abrogating their responsibility to serve our nation, its people, and its Constitution over their own personal and partisan interests, and are putting us all at risk. And if they are using their current political clout to undermine our democracy as a way of furthering their own power, then they are putting our nation at risk in an even darker and more insidious way.

This is clearly a critical time for our nation. Yet I remain hopeful, firmly believing in America’s resiliency and ability to withstand these challenges both from without and, surprisingly, from within – and to learn from these experiences, becoming an even stronger and better nation as a result.

Respectfully submitted,

Dale E. Buonocore,

Warren