Dear President Trump,

 

I am supposed to be preparing for another year of teaching my high school classes but I can’t shake the fear of the end of times long enough to concentrate on, well, anything. I blame you for this Mr. Trump, for this constant anxiety that sits in the back of my brain waiting to jump out and knock me off whatever productive path I might be heading down.

 

I’ve used this platform in the past to have some fun but now it’s beyond OCTD http://valleytalking.blogs.sonomanews.com/2017/02/10/suffering-obsessive-compulsive-trump-disorder/. The jokes are over, the laughter has ended because you have now brought us to the brink of the Big End. I thought a week vacation from screens would help but it didn’t. I thought that not swimming in the excrement pool would help but it didn’t. I thought that talking with others who share similar thoughts would help, but it also didn’t.

 

So, now I’m pissed. Mad that you are jeopardizing my many years of hard work on this planet. Mad that your bluster and ego and lack of rational thought might make the unthinkable thinkable. Mad that you might destroy the lives of my children and their children and their children’s children. And for what?

 

There are about 15,000 nuclear warheads on our planet. The US and Russia each have about 7000. France, China, the UK, Pakistan and India have 300-100 each and North Korea now apparently has about 15. Detonation of one will ruin your day (Hiroshima-150k dead). Detonation of 5 will lead to nuclear autumn or nuclear winter, otherwise known as the Big End.

 

The good news is we have been decreasing the number of warheads from 60,000 in 1985. The bad news is you tweeting, “The United States must greatly strengthen its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” The world has been coming to its senses Mr. Trump, that’s why the arsenals have decreased. Peace through superior firepower does not work. Peace because we’re all in this together does.

 

Now I’m not saying that Kim Jong Un isn’t bat-shit crazy and isn’t also to blame here but as the world’s policeman we should be prepared for crazy. And our track record against crazy is pretty good (Hitler, Qaddafi, Hussein, bin Laden, etc.) and while never pretty, we usually find a way to solve the problem without the Big End.

 

Best bet is to revive the “6 Party Talks” of 2003. The US, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia, hold an intervention with North Korea explaining why bat-shit crazy will not work in our global environment. Get some tech bros in there to promise to double or triple the average annual North Korean salary of $1800. (Because it’s always about the money). Even apologize for killing 2 million people in the Korean War, whatever it takes Mr. Trump, just lead man, lead.

 

But that would take thought and empathy and communication and long-term thinking and leadership and as long as you are mired in the short game, I can’t see it happening. http://valleytalking.blogs.sonomanews.com/2017/01/10/donald-trump-plays-short-game/.

 

North Korea is like the new kid in school who comes in full of attitude. He makes a lot of noise trying to disrupt the class and one up his peers. A bad teacher plays into the games, escalates and increases the disruption. A good teacher takes the new kid aside, talks to him, figures out why he is full of attitude and makes a plan to integrate him into the class.

 

Please Mr. Trump, please drop the “fire and fury” and become a better teacher.

 

Sincerely,

 

Walt Williams

Creekside High School

Sonoma, California

 

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