Opinion: Thanks to Trump, these readers were in no mood to celebrate on July 4

For the last several years — and very likely before then too — many readers would submit letters to the editor around the Fourth of July either expressing their affection for this country or registering dissent in an upbeat patriotic way. Two letters printed last Tuesday, on July 4, displayed this contrast.

This year, in addition to those letters, there were several submitted that took a more somber tone. Readers identified the reason for their reluctance to celebrate: This was the first Fourth of July under President Trump, whose policies and style of leadership the vast majority of our letter writers strongly oppose. Although a few readers said their distaste for Trump did not affect how they felt about the country on July 4, more wrote as if their outlook this Independence Day had been significantly changed.

Marlene Bronson of Los Angeles calls for a restoration of decency:

As I watched the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show in New York, my eyes filled with tears when the song “America the Beautiful” was played.

I asked myself, “What happened to America?”

Americans have always had differences of opinions and politics, but we managed to work and live together. Now our wonderful country is torn apart by anger, fear and blame. There is no decency and respect for people who are different than us. How did we allow this and why are we not stopping it?

I still want to believe in our humanity. I know that as a people and a country, we can be better. We must regain our strength and compassion; no one person should be allowed to take that away from us.

Mission Viejo resident Mary Carlson expresses her dismay in a letter to the president:

Dear President Trump:

I’m writing to you today because this is the first Fourth of July of my life that I haven’t felt like celebrating for our country, and I think you should know why I feel this way.

I know you are a very intelligent and cunning person, or you wouldn’t be where you are today. That is why I can’t understand how you could broadcast around the world a video of yourself beating up a man represented as a news reporter. I’m guessing just about the whole world is laughing at our country now. I’m not laughing so much as wondering if I should be trying to get out of this country while the getting is still good.

I’ve always felt that the people who got out of Germany were smart, and I think your blatant attempts to thwart the media are just the beginning of what could easily take our country down a similar path.

I’m a middle-class, educated, retired woman, and never before have I felt so much fear for our country and for our world, and it’s because of the policies you are invoking and the actions you are taking. I hope you take a sincere, honest look at the damage you are doing to our country and our world and then make the changes you need to in order to right these wrongs.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook