Historically, great civilizations declined when their moral fabrics unraveled.
One needs not be religious to understand there exist clear ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ behaviors in our world. It is right to be decent, civil, kind, honest, and charitable All values which Americans always held dear.
President Trump’s seemingly manipulative, inaccurate statements, along with his disrespectful self-serving behaviors, to me, are eroding America’s foundations, fostering an America whose soul is decaying under his tutelage.
It seems Trump believes he can say anything and do anything, regardless of inappropriateness and lack of civility (e.g., Trump apparently shoving past Montenegro’s Prime Minister to get in front of him for a photo during the 2017 G7 Summit similar to a bully pushing his way to the front of the lunch line; Trump denigrating our free press by calling CNN, ‘the worst’ at the 2018 G7 Summit; and, Trump’s using swear words repeatedly, demeaning the office of the President, e.g., saying ‘What the hell is going on in Chicago?’ to the FBI’s graduating class in late 2017).
After Trump’s demonstrated rude behavior towards Montenegro’s prime minister, I wondered: Are Americans lowering the bar for a President’s acceptable behavior?
If so, our American sense of decency is deteriorating.
Additionally, it seems Trump lies whenever convenient to support his stance on given issues.
When discussing Paul Manafort recently, Trump tried to minimize Manafort’s possible influence by saying, “…he worked for me, what, 49 days?”
Factually, Manafort was Trump’s Campaign Chairman for 144 days. Evidence of our President’s diminishing memory or the tactic of a liar?
The Washington Post and Esquire.com seem to have totaled the President’s apparent lies at 3,000+.
Have Americans thrown away morality? Are Americans accepting a lying president without questioning his veracity?
If Americans accept blindly any president’s words, without valuing our Constitution’s free press, our founding fathers’ envisioned America will cease disintegrating our American fabric, previously sewn with the cloth of basic human values.
Our Republican-dominated Congress, to me, is shameful for not fulfilling its Constitution-directed role as a check-and-balance entity equal to the president.
Instead, Congress seems to operate as Trump’s defender apparently adopting his uncivility.
It seemed morally offensive when Republican Representatives Jim Jordan and Trey Goudy rudely questioned FBI Director Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein during last week’s Congressional hearing.
Both Goudy and Jordan, as attorneys, know how to question individuals civilly.
Yet, both Representatives seemed to ask biased questions in Trump-attack dog-like fashion appearing, unjustifiably, to impugn both Wray’s and Rosenstein’s credibility and making seemingly personal accusations against each man.
Both Representatives’ questions suggested Rosenstein and Wray were biased Democrats.
However, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (Democrat) confirmed neither is a Democrat.
Rosenstein, Wray and, Robert Mueller are all Republicans. Fun fact: Both Rosenstein and Wray were nominated by Trump.
Both Goudy’s and Jordan’s morally questionable hearing-behavior, to me, seemed to emulate Trump’s own rude attacks on those from whom he seems threatened further debasing American decency.
I believe Republican Sen. Ben Sasse encapsulates best the potential threat of Americans lacking decency and civics’ knowledge in his book, “The Vanishing American Adult,” when he states, “We are going to need America’s children to rise to their best in the years to come….For in this broken world of lawless souls, there will be control….those in search of power for their own purposes…will invariably seek to hold back the chaos of the world.”
A school principal demonstrating Trump’s apparent misleading, lying, and denigrating behaviors likely would be removed from his position quickly.
Are Americans lowering the presidential bar for acceptable behavior…below what they would accept from a school principal?
When reviewing Trump’s apparent indecent behaviors, I am reminded of character George Bailey’s words in Frank Capra’s, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” when George responds to debasing miser Henry Potter’s job offering.
When Potter seemingly criticizes George’s father’s kind approach to running a bank, George responds, “Now, hold on, Mr. Potter. You’re right when you say my father was no businessman. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!”
Put simply: Americans may need to ask themselves: Do we want our national values to reflect Pa Bailey’s decent values or Henry Potter’s debasing values?
Will we leave a legacy to our grandchildren of a kind, civil, honest, charitable, and decent America?
Or, will Potter’s debasing values of viewing human beings as cattle prevail? We all will answer to the future.
Kathy Rittel
East Williston
