Dear Nikola,

Please pardon this third installment of my letter. I have two items of postscript.  I am reminded of Plato's comment, whether in the Republic or in one of the dialogues, I don't remember, that no honest man would seek public office.  

It occurs to me, furthermore, that, in the spirit of Spinoza, it is impossible for me to be disappointed by the outcome of this election. Although I think that Trump represents a much much greater danger than Biden, what is important above all is the truth. The truth will not be suppressed. Whoever wins, the result of the election will tell us an important truth. It will tell us who we are. It will document the state of the nation, of its voters and of its political system.

I read the history of the United States, from beginning to end, as a spiritual and moral catastrophe, more recently beginning with Eisenhower's winning the presidency by selecting Richard Nixon as his vice president, thus starting Nixon on his criminal career. Ensuing, Ford's pardon of Nixon, Ronald Reagen's unlawful meddling in Central American politics, G.H.W. Bush's exploiting Michael Dukakis' humanity toward Willie Horton to win election, G. W. Bush's and Dick Cheney' resort to torturing their prisoners, both at Abu Ghraib and at Guantanamo. Barack Obama's failure to prosecute his predecessor for his crimes. Obama's adoption of Guantanamo; his callousness to the millions of immigrants he ordered deported. With all that, who needs Donald Trump to demonstrate the mendacity, brutality and lawlessness of American governance?  

EJM