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Just say no to Trump

3/17/2016, 11:45 p.m.

After Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump each racked up numerous victories in key primary contests Tuesday in their quests for the presidential nomination of their respective political party, Mrs. Clinton, a Democrat, took a major jab at the billionaire Republican businessman.

“Our commander-in-chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it,” she told supporters Tuesday night.

“When we hear a candidate for president call for rounding up 12 million immigrants, banning all Muslims from entering the United States, when he embraces torture, that doesn’t make him strong. It makes him wrong,” she said, calling on Americans to fight against such “bluster and bigotry.”

We are heartened by efforts across the nation and the world by people to turn up the heat against Mr. Trump in fear that it may be too late to stop him from claiming the GOP nomination and perhaps, ultimately, the presidency.

Even the anarchist hacking group, Anonymous, issued its own global cyber campaign against Mr. Trump, calling on computer geeks around the world to target Mr. Trump, his campaign and multiple business websites on April 1.

“We need you to shut down his websites, research and expose what he doesn’t want the public to know,” a person wearing a scary Guy Fawkes mask said on Anonymous’ YouTube channel. “We need you to dismantle his campaign and sabotage his brand.”

While we don’t condone illegal actions to curb the Trump madness, we admittedly are interested to see what information, if anything, is dug up.

Mr. Jones

Mr. Jones

Mr. Mcgraw

Mr. Mcgraw

“Dear Donald Trump, we have been watching you for a long time, and what we see is deeply disturbing,” the Anonymous video says. “You have shocked the entire planet with your appalling actions and ideals.”

“You say what your current audience wants to hear, but in reality you don’t stand for anything except your personal greed and power,” it adds.

Can the nation and the world idly stand by and watch this bully’s rise to power? As protests against his racism and hatred mount, Mr. Trump continues to gin up the emotions of his supporters who respond with violence. The surge in brutality has created chaos, even among police.

At a Trump rally last week in Fayetteville, N.C., 26-year-old Rakeem Jones, an African-American protester, was punched in the face by a 78-year-old white Trump supporter as he was being escorted out of the rally by sheriff’s deputies. The deputies then responded by tackling Mr. Jones to the ground and handcuffing him, rather than going after the attacker.

We are grateful that the Cumberland County, N.C., sheriff finally came to his senses and arrested the 78-year-old perpetrator, John McGraw, who told someone on video that the next time protesters show up, he might have to kill them. Five deputies were suspended, with three demoted in rank, for mishandling the whole situation.

So where is Mr. Trump, the presidential wannabe? He pledged earlier to pay the legal fees for anyone who would punch out his detractors.

When you juxtapose Mr. Trump’s response and actions when compared with our sitting president, we believe millions of people sadly will be kicking themselves when President Obama leaves office in January. His leadership and comportment will be sorely missed.

President Obama expressed dismay Tuesday about the “vulgar and divisive rhetoric” on the presidential campaign trail and the “misguided attempts” to shut down free speech.

“In response to those attempts,” the president said, “we’ve seen actual violence, and we’ve heard silence from too many of our leaders … Too often we’ve accepted this as somehow the new normal.”

Corrosive behavior can undermine our democracy, he said, as well as our society and our economy.

“It’s worth asking ourselves what each of us may have done to contribute to this kind of vicious atmosphere in our politics,” the president said.

As voters, we need to ask that question. And we need to remember that at election time.

To borrow a phrase from the late First Lady Nancy Reagan, “just say no” to Mr. Trump and those who would spread his hate-filled agenda.