By Vernon A. Williams
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2014, the nation’s chief executive officer awakened from bed to do his favorite thing – hop on Twitter.
On the sad commemoration of the 17th year since the most brazen act of terrorism in the country’s history, his first message was NOT about 9-11.
Proving that you can never worry about him misplacing his priorities, 45 started that day complaining about the U.S. Department of Justice and the ongoing investigation into his alleged shenanigans.
After that, he decided to offer perfunctory commemoration to the memory of those courageous first-responders and everyday people who lost their lives on a day that will live in infamy as long as there is a United States of America.
So what is the bottom line? Simple. We have a resident in the White House who puts himself, his friends and family, and his politics ahead of the good the nation.
You saw that during the disastrous Helsinki debacle when he sided with our mortal enemy, Russia, against trusted agencies of our own country. It was humiliating and an act of disloyalty unmatched in the annals of the presidency.
Be reminded that he made no effort to correct the blunder until his people warned him folks on both sides of the aisle were up in arms and resented his failure to stand up for the red, white and blue. And this from a man whose mantra was supposed to be AMERICA FIRST.
Not even the most ardent critic of this administration would have predicted anything less than his exploiting the tragedy of 9-11 to boast America’s military might or the bravery of those hurt and killed. But if there is one thing predictable about 45, it is the fact that is totally unpredictable.
He blew it. A slow pitch. A huge softball. Mound moved closer to the plate. No matter. Agent Orange struck out again.
His 9-11 gaffe is just another in a never-ending list of proof positive acts that this unmerited opportunity for leadership should be brought to an abrupt end. It’s just his horrible behavior while still a candidate, it’s not just his 5,000 lies in less than two years, it’s not just his contempt for critical American institutions and embrace of adversaries, it’s not just his refusal to make informed decisions with so much at stake, it’s all of this and too much more to mention.
We are about six or seven weeks away from the most important election in the history of the United States – arguably in modern civilization. While people are predicting an uprising of the so-called resistance, remember these are the same people who swore on their lives that the polls proved there was absolutely no path to the presidency for the wild GOP standard bearer in 2016.
Things have changed in some places, people are more aware. They have seen the impact of their experiment and the latest polls indicate very few believe that things are working out. Still, pardon me if I am not ready to do a victory dance, Republicans are tricky and deceitful and the fact that 45 hasn’t been called out by them for his misdeeds is proof enough of how shady they are. These boys and girls don’t play fair. They play to win.
But if justice is served, the midterm elections will be a sound repudiation of TRUMPISM and a harbinger of things to come in 2020 – if Agent Orange and his comrades aren’t all locked up by then. I believe we are going to do the right thing. I just urge folk to remember – it won’t just happen. Not only must you vote but everyone you know must vote and you are responsible.
If we take nothing else from the unspeakable horror of 9-11, it SHOULD be that we need to come together as a nation. Politics of division have splintered us for the past two years. It is time to look at the big picure children, to put the fate of the republic ahead of party ideology.
That would be far more patriotic than standing up for the national anthem. It is far more than we stand up for what the best of what America stands for and her people and democracy. That should be the legacy 9-11 and every incident in which blood was shed for this country. As a nation, we must settle for nothing less than LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
