Please Forward to All Americans You Know

Dear President Trump,

On September 11, 2001, nineteen foreign nationals hijacked four planes on American soil and murdered over 2,500 innocent civilians.

Within 24 hours, America’s NATO allies came to her aid and invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty We did so without hesitation, without shirking, and without bickering about money. Whatever history’s view of the subsequent wars, our soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with yours, were injured with yours, and died with yours.

In your speech to NATO on 25 May, you did not mention that America’s friends came to her immediate aid. No. You came to bicker about money. To do so, you lied about the nature of a mutual defense pact, and you lied about how that pact is funded.

In your speech in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, you did not once mention that 14 of the 19 murderers on that day were Saudi nationals; that in the aftermath of 9/11, Saudi prevaricated; nor did you mention that Saudi has never publically acknowledged, let alone apologized, for its nationals’ actions. Instead, you applauded their religious tolerance in a country where the practice of Judaism, Christianity and even some types of Islam is in effect banned; you praised their advancement of Women’s Rights in a country where women are not even permitted to drive, or leave the country without the permission of their husband or guardian, and you announced funding for “Global Centre for Combatting Extremist Ideology” in the home of Wahhabism, the most extreme ideological form of Islam, and the direct motivation of the 9/11 terrorists.

Rex Tillerson has earlier said that shared values will take a back seat to practice, and Newt Gingrich observed on Tuesday that your Saudi remarks amount to a major foreign policy shift. Your words tell us and your actions now confirm that values such as fidelity, loyalty, honor and mutual respect have no place in your future world. So craven are you, that neither does shame: in your Saudi speech you announced she purchased US$110bn of American weapons, and a Saudi investment of US$400bn in the US.

A nation is great to the extent that it is worth defending. By this measure, America’s greatness is soon to be over.

Yours Sincerely,

A former proud friend of America.