VOTE AS YOU WISH, AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT TRUMP – – A personal note from Peter Ticktin who knows the guy from high school:

As a law firm, we at The Ticktin Law Group do not like to get involved in politics. As soon as we endorse one side, we risk alienating everyone on the other side. Also, our lawyers and staff are, themselves, on both sides. Politics is not our game. However, Justice is!

If you saw a guy get publicly smeared, and you knew him well from the days you were friends and seniors together in high school, if you knew him to be a decent and honest man, would you want to say something? This is why I need to share what I know.

I was aghast at watching last night’s debate. It was a set-up. The moderators, Cruz, and Rubio were all like little alligators trying to take a bite out of Trump. Yes, Donald Trump has had some failures, but he has been exceedingly successful. None of this came out. Instead, there was a general attack. Rubio simply makes up lies. He pretends that Trump has small hands and makes fun of him for something which isn’t even real. He pretends that Donald wets his pants, and makes fun of him, as though it was true, and then he calls Donald Trump a “Bully.”

I am not suggesting that you should vote or not vote for anyone. I just need to defend a former friend who is being smeared.

Like Donald Trump, I attended New York Military Academy (“NYMA”) for high school. In fact, in our senior year, together, Donald was my captain, and I was his 1st Platoon Sergeant. I sometimes joke that I ran his first company for him, Company “A.”

People don’t really change much from the ages of 17 and 18, and I know this guy. I know him to be a good decent guy. We lived and breathed an Honor Code in those years. It wasn’t just a rule. It was our way of life. Neither Donald, nor any other cadet who graduated with us would ever lie, cheat, or steal from a fellow cadet. These values became irreversibly intertwined in the fabric of our personalities, of who we are.

Of the 99 guys (no girls in those days) in our class, there is not one who I know who has a bad word to say about Donald Trump. Think of it. With all the jealousies which arise in high school and thereafter, with all the potential envy, not one of us has anything other than positive memories of this man. How could we? He was an “A” student, a top athlete, and as a leader, he was highly respected. We never feared him, yet we never wanted to disappoint him. He had our respect. He was never a bigot in any way, shape or form. He only hates those who hate. Of course he denounces the KKK.

As to the discussion with the New York Times, it is his choice to release the ‘off the record’ remarks. However, if he does, it opens the door for all political opposition to make that demand for everyone, and that means that our press will never get those ‘off the record’ remarks which help them to understand the realities of the campaign. Moreover, the idea that Donald Trump confessed some alternate theory of his position is preposterous. Can anyone believe that all those NY Times reporters are walking around knowing some deep dark nasty secret about a guy who is seeking an endorsement?

The Republican establishment is afraid of Donald Trump. Why? They are afraid that he will lose to Hillary. They don’t hate Donald. They hate her. They are so fearful that they fail to see that by expanding the base of voters for Trump, he is more likely to win.

Watching the chorus of whiners, decriers, denigrators, and self-righteous put-down experts from so many directions, from Mit Romney, to Megyn Kelly, Little Mario, it has to make you wonder. Why? Why are so many people so angry with Donald Trump, that they are lying, name calling, ridiculing, and demeaning him as they do.Either they are afraid, or they know him to be evil.

This is why I feel the need to speak out at this time. I know this man. He is a lot of things, but he is not evil. He is a decent honest guy who loves this country, and who is willing to sacrifice so much of what is left of his life, because he knows that this country needs to be fixed, and that it is going to require someone who can do the job. He just doesn’t see anything around him other than political hacks, so he is willing to take this huge responsibility.

I’m not saying that he is the only one who can do the job. My point is simply as to his motivation and his goodness.

This next decade is going to be one of major changes. We all see the climate changing, and the world food supply is getting lower. Our fish stock around the world is running low. Oil prices will cause countries to fail. The Middle East is beyond repair, and we have become weak and ineffective around the world. Donald Trump sees the issues and knows that he can assemble leaders who would have the best chance of fixing things. This is why he is running. He does not need it for his own aggrandizement. He doesn’t need another big jet or to take up residence in the White House. He just wants things to be fixed, and he knows that the politicians won’t fix anything.

I knew Donald Trump and was close to him in our senior year in high school. I just want you to know that there is nothing to fear from him. His character is as good as it gets. He is a patriot, taking on a heroic task, and being thanked by massive abuse.

If you want to see a true reflection of a man, look at his children. Need I say more?