A letter to Rodney Frelinghuysen: Just say no to Trump

Editor’s note: The authors asked to share this letter. The opinions are theirs, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.

May 15, 2017

Dear Rep. Frelinghuysen,

We write this letter out of deep concern about the continued unruly events in Washington. 

Our elected Republican officials, and you are one of them, representing the 11th District in New Jersey, appear to be fully complicitous with the disgraceful, untruthful, self-serving and chaotic government established by the President and the misdirected leadership of the Republican Party, particularly Mr. Ryan and Mr. McConnell.

As health professionals, we understand the health care system.  Every professional health care organization opposed your health care bill. 

You told your constituents you also would oppose it. Then you betrayed the trust of your constituents when you voted for a new, hopelessly flawed health care bill, serving only the rich and taking Health Care services away from 24 million people. 

Then, like a bunch of self-indulgent adolescents, your cronies celebrated its House approval on the White House lawn. Talk about “showboats”!

Nearly every day President Trump lies to the American public. His actions to undermine important functions of U.S. agencies and responsible U.S. policies are reprehensible.

He praises our enemies, even inviting Russian diplomats and their cameramen, with who knows what surveillance equipment, into the Oval Office. Yet he criticizes and berates our allies, refusing to shake hands with the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel.

You and the Republican Party swear to his lies and thus support his fascist agenda.  President Trump has thrown up smoke screens to draw attention to himself, like a TV reality show performer. 

This, in order to create distractions to camouflage his total incompetence as President of the United States and the mess he is making of our government, both domestic and foreign. 

In addition to his uncountable transgressions, Mr. Trump appears to have obstructed justice in his interactions and direct actions with Mr. James Comey, in an effort to cover up conflicts of interest, ethical malfeasance, and perhaps treasonous acts.  And last week, he personally threatened Mr. Comey. 

And where are you in all this?  It appears where you have always been; serving your self-interest for re-election and clutching your chair on the Appropriations Committee, hiding from the truth, avoiding meaningful interaction with and lying to your constituents, and doing little to represent the wishes of the 11th District or of the American people. 

Your cousin, Joe Frelinghuysen, was a WWII POW and established a reputation for selfless, honest, hardworking, dedicated citizenry. He would be appalled by your behavior, lack of political courage and absence of integrity.
  
You took an oath to uphold the constitution of the United States and “to well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” which includes proper representation of the people in the 11th District and in the U.S. at large.   

When will you act like an American and not a self-serving minion of the Republican Party?

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Douglas F. Munch
Morristown

Dr. Paul Kiell
Far Hills

Douglas Munch, PhD, is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins Medical School and a retired medical scientist and senior corporate executive.  During his early career, Munch worked on both the Apollo program during the first lunar landings and as program leader on the Navy F-14 fighter, flight test program at NAS Point Mugu, CA.
 
Paul Kiell, MD, is a retired psychiatrist and from 1959-1961 served as Capt. USAF in Minot, N. D., where he was chief of neuropsychiatry at the 32nd USAF Hospital. Kiell was also a close friend of Mr. Frelinghuysen’s second cousin, Joe Frelinghuysen.  They knew each other as runners and then in 1976 published a book together on health and exercise.