I had a Trump Nation encounter the other day in Edgemere. While waiting to cross a road, a "coal roller," one of those pick-up trucks with big, vertical exhaust pipes running up behind the cab, pulled into the road across from me, belching a black cloud of diesel exhaust. Despite my frantic attempts at evasion, the noxious plume crossed the road and enveloped me. Now, whether or not I was targeted deliberately is besides the point, as trucks are modified in this way to spew filth at the command of the driver, regardless of who gets slimed. This is not the first time I've been the recipient of this type of roadway incivility and I know I speak for others similarly affronted every day ("American Lung Association: County air is bad, but improving," April 20).
What's galling is that this method of air assault has been rendered acceptable as a consumer's choice. There's a market for this nuisance.
Along with littering, swearing out loud in public and voting for a demagogue like Donald Trump who appeals to people's baser emotions, the big black cloud of diesel exhaust from coal rollers is a sign of the times.
John G. Bailey, Edgemere