Many times, during his time in office, 45 has lamented the lack of respect shown by various professional football players when they kneel during the National Anthem. He has made it very clear that it offends his sense of patriotism and the love that he feels for our country and our national emblem, Old Glory.
His view, which is shared by many, is that every American is duty bound to stand in reverence when the Star Spangled Banner is played at sporting events, anything less is disrespectful to our country, our servicemen and women and to the very ideals upon which our country was founded.
We well remember his first proclamation in September of last year. His dander was up and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. (Remember to be Presidential)
“Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired.” (Very Presidential?)
The NFL has struggled mightly to develop a policy that satisfies all the involved parties, forcing 45 to offer his assistance as leader of the free world and smartest man alive. In May of this year, he offered this helpful nugget.
“You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem or you shouldn’t be playing. You shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country,”
Shouldn’t be in the country? Divisive, intolerant and decidedly not Presidential. When for some inexplicable reason this failed to resolve the issue and NFL players defied our President and stayed in the country, he followed up in July.
“The NFL National Anthem debate is alive and well again – can’t believe it! Isn’t it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart?”
Frustrated with the continued management-labor deadlock even after this astute and lawyerly observation, he finally decided he would have to personally settle the matter once and for all, so he could get back to the important business of polishing that golf handicap.
On July 20, he commanded NFL commissioner to “make a stand” and in his own Presidential way tweeted the obvious and hopefully final solution to this sticky wicket that is currently plaguing our county:
“First time kneeling, out for game, Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!”
There. Problem solved.
Patriotism and love of country can be expressed in many ways and none of us should challenge another’s by a single act until we have walked in their shoes or faced the challenges they face in their lives. If only!
I do believe that 45 is patriotic and loves our country, but in a different way and for different reasons than I do, but that is the beauty of being an American. There are many ways to express love of country.
You could be the son and grandson of long serving and highly decorated military leaders and follow in their footsteps. You could be captured and held for five years in Vietnam while enduring unspeakable torture and dubious at best medical treatment.
You could serve in the United States House of Representatives and then serve for 30 years in the United States Senate. You could run for President and lose twice, all the while holding your head high and continuing to fight for you believe is right.
Or, you could have a bone spur in your foot and go into the real estate business, grab ’em by the pussy and decide to be President later. There are many ways to express love of country.
John McCain is true American Patriot. One of America’s finest sons. And 45’s personal feud with him is over, he should act like it.
This is where I am going to need some help from my friends on the right.
45’s first tweet was to McCain’s family, not a word about the man, the soldier or the statesman. Where is that respect for our service members that so incensed him with the NFL players?
On Sunday the flag at the White House was lowered to half-staff, by mid-morning Monday it was back at full-staff. It takes an order from the President to extend the time it is lowered. Apparently, this slipped his mind. At least five times during Monday he was asked about McCain and five times he remained stone-faced and silent.
Finally, Monday afternoon, after veteran’s groups began to criticize this obvious intentional decision, 45 issued an order lowering the flags to half-staff until the internment and issued a tweet which began:
“Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country,”
Even this, which is better than his first, is still about him as much as it is about John McCain. To give praise and honor to a man such as John McCain should be one of the easiest duties performed by a President; this really is a no-brainer. Somehow this President and his staff managed to botch this so badly that it makes them appear incompetent to perform even the simplest of governing tasks. 45 can’t get out of his own way. Such blantant pettiness shows the true character of the man and is anything but Presidential.
It is clear he issued this statement and flag order only after the criticism became deafening and was coming from all sides. It clearly was not done out of respect for the passing of John McCain. His personal feud with John McCain is over, he should act like it and be the President instead of the schoolyard bully.
Why does this President get so angry, so offended and so defensive about NFL players and yet has to be dragged kicking and screaming to say anything nice about a real American Patriot? Is his outrage at NFL players genuine, does it result from a real and deep love of country? His treatment of John McCain this past weekend would say otherwise. It appears to me his outrage with the NFL players is at best disingenuous and contrived and at worst another example of his racist tendencies.
I need my friends on the right to help me reconcile this dichotomy. From where I sit it looks as though our President has no guiding principles, no recognition of, or respect for, one who served our country with honor, did his duty as he understood it and, in the end, died with a dignity and a grace we could all aspire to.
45, your personal feud with John McCain is over, grow up and act like it.
Godspeed John Sidney McCain.
