As a young man in the 1960’s when I heard the term “American,” I pictured Robert Young in “Father Knows Best.” Americans were intelligent, understanding, compassionate men and women who cared about their family, friends, and neighbors. Not one of my images included Mark and Patricia McCloskey, or the Trump Klan.
You might remember the McCloskeys. They are the couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter marchers and shouted obscenities as they passed through a gated community in St. Louis headed for the Mayor’s home. If they sound like Donald Trump or his Klan, don’t feel alone.
The McCloskeys purchased their mansion in 1988 after a legal battle. Since that time, they have not been the ‘best of neighbors.’ Several lawsuits against their neighbors, often over trivial matters, have been filed over the past 32 years. This litigation included accusing neighbors of encroaching on their land or breaking neighborhood rules by allowing unmarried gay couples to live there. When a synagogue on a neighboring property set up beehives to harvest honey for Rosh Hashanah celebrations, Mark McCloskey reportedly threatened litigation and smashed the beehives, making children cry.
I doubt that this “stand-up couple” will be voting for Joe Biden in November. These are Trump’s people; the type of people who attend his hate rallies.
Op-ed by James Turnage
My eight novels, including “Down from the Mountain,” are available on Amazon’s free Kindle app
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