My sister and I today speculated over the degree of contempt our mother would have expressed had she been alive to witness the news today of despicable behavior apparently conducted by one candidate for the presidency of the United States, Donald Trump. Our mother would have espoused that character matters in a world leader. This person would need to represent the values of the people of whom he or she would hope to lead. This person would need to possess maturity, grace, and thoughtfulness toward all ethnicities while appreciating each other’s individual differences. This person would be positive and attuned to the basic aspirations of goodness driving humanity. This person would be articulate, reciprocal, and strong with ideals compatible with shaping the common good while not interfering with one’s quest for liberty. Our mother would have expected a political campaign to be infused with conceptually intriguing debate tempting her to stretch her own boundaries of belief on public policy matters. She would have imbibed intangible “between the lines” candidate remarks and telling body language. Her attentiveness would have been keen with a perception that her children’s lives north of the border could be affected by policy produced by the U.S.A. She would have been onto him at word one.

Although hardly immune from humanity’s dark side having taught school while raising six kids, I’m frankly grateful that her life was not tainted by exposure to displays of indecency by one, Donald Trump, candidate for U.S. President.