Dear General Kelly

Reuters photo

By

Tom Arms

Dear General Kelly,

Thank you for acting as a brake on President Trump’s extreme views and policies on immigration. That is sterling—but incomplete—work.

I think you should also turn your persuasive talents to other important issues. As a retired general who has fought in Iraq and North Africa, you must be aware that the president’s bellicose language runs the risk of sparking conflicts and that these conflicts cost lives and property. The president has no experience of this. By his own admission he spent the Vietnam War years testing the bedsprings of New York’s boudoirs. Please provide him with a few facts of war.

Could you also point out that cutting foreign aid and trade undermines the economic foundations of the developing world, and that those foundations are needed to provide jobs and keep would be immigrants in their own countries. Surely that would be a win/win approach.

You might also want to point out to the man in the adjoining office that his tax reform does nothing to help his blue collar base. Nor do his health plans. And if he insists on referring to non-white countries as “shit holes” or, as some people are now saying, “shit houses”, then he will be called a racist.

I think you should make it crystal clear that his actions and language demean himself, the office of the presidency, his staff, the Republican Party, the people who voted for him, his country and Western Democracy. He is failing to make American great again. He is diminishing it.

Finally, a bit of advice. I think you should update your curriculum vitae. Donald Trump does not appear to be the kind of man who takes kindly to his chief of staff saying that he is pulling the presidential strings. But before you depart with your cardboard box, could you persuade the president to read my weekly diary of the coming week’s main world news events. He can sign up for it www.lookaheadnews.com. Because I know he dislikes reading, I have also provided links to an audio version.

Regards, Tom Arms

Tom Arms

I am a journalist, entrepreneur and historian with extensive experience in print, web and broadcast journalism. I started as a diplomatic correspondent, wrote several books (The Falklands Crisis, World Elections On File and the Encyclopedia of the Cold War), and then in 1987 started my own business (Future Events News Service, www.fensinformation.com) which over 25 years established itself as the world and UK media’s diary. Our strapline was: “We set the world’s news agenda.” I sold FENS in December 2012 but retained the exclusive broadcast rights to all of FENS data. To exploit these rights I set up LookAhead TV which produces unique programmes which “Broadcasts Tomorrow Today” so that viewers can “Plan to Participate.” LookAhead has appeared regularly on Vox Africa, Radio Tatras International, The Conversation and Voice of Africa Radio.

In addition to being a syndicated broadcaster and columnist on global affairs, Tom is also available for speaking engagements and can be contacted on Twitter, Linkedin and email: [email protected].