Normally children are recognized as innocent and vulnerable humans deserving protection and nurturing.

The Trump administration, however, is separating children from their parents at the Mexican border, traumatizing and imprisoning thousands; undermining medical, food and housing assistance programs for poor citizens; rolling back many environmental regulations for healthy air and water; cutting humanitarian aid to Palestinians; and is complicit in killing, injuring and starving children in Yemen. Most of the child victims are not Caucasian.

Disingenuous climate change denial combined with initiatives to increase production of fossil fuels is generating more greenhouse gases, accelerating the existential threats of global climate change and endangering the entire world for present and future generations.

Myopic obsession with profit for corporate greed at the expense of everything else, combined with pathological deficiencies in rationality, understanding, empathy, compassion and morality, is a rapidly growing danger to national and world security, which includes that of children.

Leslie E. Sponsel

Hawaii Kai

Click here to read more Letters to the Editor.