To the Protesters:

I hope you are patriotic, that you love this country, that you recognize its greatness in the pantheon of nations, and that you are grateful for its heroes.  I also hope that you support the constitution, that you respect its time-honored institutions, and you acknowledge its democratically elected officials. 

I respect your right to protest peacefully, and will do everything in my power to protect that right.  Your freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to assemble and freedom of religion are as precious to me as they are to you.   

Here’s where I differ:   

Your freedom to dissent is not a right to interfere.  If it is, you implicitly give me the right to interfere whenever I dissent with an administration you like. 

Your right to protest is not a right to riot.  If it is, then I could have rioted when a previous administration was in power.  

Your disagreement with your government is not a warrant to disrupt governing.  If it is, I could have disrupted past governmental authorities.   

Your dislike of elected authorities does not mean you can threaten them or advocate violence against them.  If it does, then much havoc could have been launched against previous officials. 

Our currently elected president is an imperfect person, voted into office by millions of imperfect citizens.  I do not believe that the person who lost the election was a perfect person supported by millions of perfect citizens.  I may be dense, but I’m not delusional. 

I recall a slogan of the past, “Give peace a chance.”  Remember that?  You should. It was a John Lennon song.  Many of you who protest Trump sang it along with the Beatles.  Can you give Trump a chance?  This is his first day in office.  Maybe he will disappoint all of us.  Maybe he will do some stupid things.  But, maybe, he will make America great again.  You may actually like what he does.  Assuming, of course, that you want America to be great.  Assuming that you don’t hate the country.  Assuming that my opening paragraphs are true. 

I do want America to be great again.  A great America is not a menace to the world.  Whether Donald J. Trump can do it or not is beside the point.  I hope he can.  If not, I hope somebody can.

At the moment, though, Trump is what we’ve got.  Semper fi.