Kurt Webber: Character is the most important issue of all

To The Daily Sun,

“A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do.” This is the honor code that I lived by as a cadet at West Point. It is a critical pillar in the development of cadets into leaders of character to serve as officers in the U.S. Army and honor the academy’s motto of “Duty, Honor, Country.”

We must have military officers of character and integrity since they are entrusted with the security of our nation and the lives of our sons and daughters who serve. Unfortunately, it seems that many Americans do not have the same standards for the politicians who are supposed to lead our country. The most blatant example of this is Donald Trump. Even if readers don’t trust what Trump calls the “lamestream media,” it is still clear through his actions and words, that Trump will lie and cheat for his own benefit.

Even if readers believe Trump’s protests that his recent criminal trials were political “witch hunts,” they cannot deny that the juries convicted him of lying and cheating — cheating on his wife, lying about hush money payments and cheating in his business. Trump’s constant lying is even more disturbing since his lies have real world consequences. His repeated lies about the 2020 election have led to threats against poll workers and recently his lies about FEMA have caused delays in desperately needed help to states ravaged by hurricanes.

Trump’s lies, his recent dangerous rhetoric about using the military to combat his critics (“the enemy within”) and his disregard for the rule of law, i.e. his handling of classified documents, are obvious signs that he lacks the character and integrity to serve as president and this alone is why nobody should vote for him.

Kurt Webber

Gilford