VoteVets Releases Open Letter to Georgia Voters, From Georgia Veterans, On Trump

“Donald Trump is a domestic threat to our Constitutional Republic.”

ATLANTA, GA –(ENEWSPF)–August 29, 2016. Fifteen veterans from Georgia, spanning generations, today released an open letter to Georgia voters, through VoteVets.org, a national veterans’ and military families’ organization.

In the letter, the veterans sound the alarm regarding Trump’s hostility towards the core concepts of the Constitution. They conclude that he is a domestic threat to the Constitution, and cite their continuing dedication to the oath they took, upon entering the military, to protect the Constitution.

The text of the letter is below.

OPEN LETTER CITIZENS OF GEORGIA, FROM GEORGIA VETERANS

To the Citizens of the Great State of Georgia:

When we took the oath of enlistment, we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

While we no longer wear the uniform, we take that oath very seriously. In this campaign, Donald Trump has shown himself to be dangerously clueless about our Constitution, and hostile to the ideals for which it stands. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:

His stated desire to crack down on a free press, and First Amendment, by “opening up” libel laws when he becomes President, to stop the media from writing negative things about him.1

His continued flirtation with the idea of issuing illegal orders to our military, which they could not possibly follow, throwing the entire civilian-military relationship into Constitutional chaos.2

His initial proposed policy to place a religious test on all those trying to enter the United States, violating the First Amendment and Fifth Amendment rights of many citizens.3

His position that it “would be fine” with him to try United States citizens in a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay instead of court, if they’re accused of terrorism, in violation of their Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights.4

The above examples, considered along with his stance that we have “absolutely no choice” but to shut down some places of worship5, and reports that his transition team head expressed his desire to purge even lower levels of government6 of any non-loyalists lead us to only one conclusion:

Donald Trump is a domestic threat to our Constitutional Republic.

Not all of us see eye-to-eye with Hillary Clinton. But for all of our serious issues with her over policy, we do not believe she will be hostile to the heart of our way of life – the Constitution of the United States. Donald Trump will be hostile. What’s worse, he has not even tried to hide it.

In four years, with a Republican candidate who is not a threat to our Constitution, this country can have a referendum on the Presidency of Hillary Clinton. But, this year, in this election, all of us stand ready to continue our oath, and do all we legally can to ensure that a threat like Donald Trump never seizes power.

Signed

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Alvin L. Hodges, U.S. Army Veteran, Combat Wounded Iraq War Veteran, Columbus, GA

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Clay Harshbarger, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Vietnam and Desert Storm Veteran, Macon, GA

SMGST (Ret.) RC Parker, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Stockbridge, GA

Dr. Janet McMahon, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Pooler, GA

Michael V. Foran, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Peachtree City, GA

Robert E. Van Keuren, Jr., U.S. Navy Veteran, Decatur, GA

Ernest Johnson, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Decatur, GA

Linda Bauer, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Canton, GA

Ed Richards, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Columbus, GA

Bennie Ray Baggett, U.S. Army Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Columbus, GA

David Vargas, U.S. Army Veteran, Vietnam Veteran, Cumming, GA