This is meant to be a friendly message to Mr. Beem in regard to his question, how can an active duty military person or veteran support Trump (“Veterans for Trump?”, Aug. 28)? I am a great fan of his, but feel that his question might be a tiny bit disingenuous.

I am a 71-year-old woman and have seen that a lot of men use their wives and female friends to voice opinions they don’t want to speak out loud for themselves. I think this is a service that Trump performs for a lot of older men. They are terrified that the world they have been accustomed to is changing way too fast. Trump raises a voice to confirm these fears. He may be a nasty, prolific liar, but he is a lot like them in a lot of ways. And he says he wants to keep things the same as they always have been, which means white/male supremacy and keeping Blacks and women in their place.

I hate to say it, but I think this is primarily racist/anti-feminist behavior. The older men (and veterans) that are members of my family are confirmed racists. They would never, ever say this out loud, of course, but I am speaking of men in my family that I know well and I hear the remarks that they have made in private over a lifetime: “This is a free country, everyone is equal and has the opportunity to do what I have!”

I have absolutely no sympathy for this reasoning and behavior, but a nice, old veteran may quite likely be a mean, frightened bigot underneath. And Trump makes these people feel more than entitled to their opinions.

Thanks for your column! Keep writing and stay healthy.

Joyce Devine
Phippsburg

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