Respect is something that even presidents must earn

A recent letter questioned the legitimacy of a political cartoon regarding President Donald Trump. The writer felt that because he is president, he automatically deserves respect.

Political satire cartoons have been published for decades and have frequently poked fun at individuals regardless of the office they hold, organizations and sometimes events. It is part of our American culture and clearly included in the constitutional rights.

With regard to the issue of respect, it is not given automatically, but rather earned by the individuals based on how they speak and act.

Before he engaged in the political arena, Trump overtly gave his opinion on how women should be treated and spoken to in very crude sexual language. Was this being respectful?

In the public arena, he has called Mexicans rapists and murderers, asked for an Hispanic judge to be recused from a trial in which he was involved in only because the judge was Hispanic, revoked the rights of transsexuals serving honorably in our armed forces, articulated that there were some good individuals who marched with neo-Nazis, and declared that the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico who are mostly Hispanic weren’t doing their share in helping themselves through the hurricane devastation. Were all of these things being respectful?

Does the letter writer think that respect is a one way street?

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Respect is something that even presidents must earn."