President Trump is an odd person and extremely egocentric. I’ll grant to anyone that he has those characteristics. But calling him a sociopath projects incivility that is unwarranted and adds to the rancor that we see too much in current political discussion.

We certainly have political differences in our community, and nation, but I believe our manner and style of disagreement should be cordial and we should all work toward that.

Maybe perspective would help. I recently finished reading another book about the Civil War, my favorite topic. Although the history is fascinating, it was a good reminder that there was at least one time in our past that conditions were far worse than today. In 1856, a southern Democrat representative, Preston Brooks, attacked a northern Republican senator, Charles Sumner, on the Senate floor, beating him horribly and only quitting when his cane finally broke. Events soon get worse than that. Within five years, Americans were at war with each other, killing as many as have died in all other wars combined. It was the saddest period in America’s history. During that time, many vilified President Lincoln, referring to him as an ape or other nasty things, insulting him and criticizing him in many ways. Today, however, we recognize Lincoln as one of the greatest presidents who persevered in preserving our nation.

How President Trump will be remembered in history remains to be seen but, in the meantime, I encourage everyone to be more considerate. We may have our political differences but we’re all in this together. We should learn from our past in how we treat each other and the president.

James Carnahan

Baker City