Letter: Trial Shows Trump's Character

To the Editor:

The trial of Donald Trump in Manhattan might seem like a matter of legal technicalities, but I think it's really important in another way. It has shown us clearly the character of Trump and the Republican party he now dominates.

He denies that he had sex with Stormy Daniels, even when this obvious lie hurts his case and has little to do with the charges against him. He demands that others show their loyalty by repeating his lies, as Michael Cohen did for years. His ego is so brittle that he has an aide who prints out favorable stories about him to keep him occupied and calm while in court.

Meanwhile, a parade of Republican elected officials, keen to fluff their leader, have left their jobs in Washington to drop in and pronounce their disdain for the trial and the court.

In 2015, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, "If the Republicans nominate Trump for President he will destroy the Republican Party and we will have deserved it!" Although Graham has since joined the Trump sycophants, nine years ago he was prophetic.

The party has become a shameless cult engaged in undermining our constitutional principles. It will only begin to heal if it loses in November.

Jim Mahon
Williamstown, Mass.

'Nobody' Better Than the Mount Greylock Class of 2024

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
03:43PM / Saturday, June 08, 2024

Class speaker Judge Martin offered apologies all around for the chaotic class of 2024. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The class speaker for the 104 graduates of Mount Greylock Regional School apologized for the wild and crazy antics of the class of 2024. 

 

"Our class was not that easy. We came into this brand-new school like a bull in a china shop. It was crazy," Judge Martin said. Students came into the middle school from surrounding towns, and "with that mix of kids, chaos happened." 

 

They lost field trip privileges, the right to use the staircase and claimed credit for the burst pipe that flooded the new school and sent everyone home early just days before the entry into remote learning because of the pandemic.

 

"On behalf of my class, we apologize for the mess," Martin said. "But look at us now — we're no longer those middle schoolers everyone hates, no longer causing water damage in our school. And surprisingly, no longer the worst middle school class to come through Mount Greylock, which was really a hard title to take but somehow the grades below us found a way."

 

He was also sorry it took so long for the class to realize how amazing they are and apologized for taking them all for granted.

 

"We're sorry to this school and everything we put it through most importantly thank you for giving us the time to grow out of chaos and find our identity in the end," Martin said. 

 

Martin gave a shout out to Superintendent Jason McCandless, who announced his retirement at the end of the school year, calling him "our favorite superintendent" to loud applause.