지금까지 줄곧 침묵을 지켰던 매티스 장군이 드디어 입을 열었네요. 그는 다음과 같이 글을 썼습니다. 도널트 트럼프 이름을 직접 거론하면서, 그가 정말 최악의 대통령이라는 점을 분명히 하면서, 미국 시민들의 행동을 촉구했습니다. 

"I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” 

 “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. 

The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.” 

 “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”

Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.