Local offenses stem from president's conduct

Sometimes the racist, xenophobic behaviors of our president seem to occur somewhere else … not here at home, until they do.

The threatening and discriminating behavior by the Bucky's attendant last week or the recent inflammatory post on the Republican County Chairmen's Association Facebook page is the spillover … the toxic spillover of hatred and racism exhibited by our president and by his followers that now threatens the very moral fabric that knits us all together.

I am a retired teacher, and I worked tirelessly during my years in the classroom to build understanding, compassion and empathy for others through the literature we studied and the discussions we held. I know that I was not alone in my efforts.

It is time now for all of us to come forward on behalf of our shared values and shared humanity. We cannot be silent in the face of what is happening in our nation. Silence is complicity.

Dianne McGuire

Naperville