Love Thy Neighbor? Fear and Hate Thy Neighbor?

Dear Editor,

Every American voter received a gift from the recent rally of Donald J. Trump in Madison Square Garden.

In that rally, speakers and Trump himself spewed a seemingly endless litany of lies intended to instill fear and hatred of others, combined with loathsome and outrageous statements about Kamala Harris.

The gift to all of us: Donald Trump and his supporters provided the clearest, most unambiguous demonstration possible that the essence of the Trump campaign is a know no bounds effort to persuade American voters to fear and hate others who are in any way different from themselves.

This all-out effort to divide us is, of course, exactly what the dictators who have declared their undying hatred of America want and which they themselves are devoting a massive effort of fake news, hacking and distribution of cash to American collaborators to achieve. Yes, you read that right. Putin is putting money in the pockets of Americans who are delighted to take it and to do their level best to spread hatred of our fellow Americans.

The question is: will American voters buy into this dangerous non-sense or will they see through this fog of lies, all chosen for the purpose of persuading us to distrust and loath one another?

Americans have the clearest possible choice. Hate thy neighbor? Love they neighbor?

By our votes for president, each of us will be deciding what kind of America we wish to live in and what kind of person embodies that choice.

Bruce Menke

Athens