For most Americans, June 6th marked the 75th anniversary of D-Day. A time to remember and celebrate the more than 160,000 troops—73,000 of them Americans—who liberated France from Nazi slavery.
But for President Donald Trump, D-Day was simply another opportunity to slander men and women he considered “enemies of the people.”
On that day, President Donald Trump was to join European leaders—such as England’s Queen Elizabeth II and France’s President Emmanuel Macron—in celebratory observance.
But for Trump, honoring the dead—and a handful of D-Day survivors present at the ceremony—was a distant priority.
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
First must come a soft-ball “interview” with Right-wing Fox News Network—even if it meant postponing the opening of D-Day ceremonies until he deigned to show up.
And conducting that interview was Right-wing Fox News host Laura Ingraham—who gave a stiff-armed Nazi salute at the 2016 Republican National Convention that nominated Trump for President.
Laura Ingraham: What could you do to unite the country at a time of great polarization, what else could you do?
Donald Trump: So, I think success should unite the country but I will tell you the more successful we’ve come the more angry people like Nancy Pelosi, who don’t have what it takes, if they don’t know what’s going on they get angry. They should — an example is Mexico, I said we’re going to put tariffs on because we want you to help us because they won’t pass any legislation in Congress and I have Senators and others and Pelosi coming out saying how horrible.
What they’re doing is they’re hurting a deal, they should be saying we’re with the President, we’ll do whatever he wants to do and Mexico would fold like an umbrella. Now, I have these people and I’m saying there’s some republicans too,
[NOTE: Since becoming President, Trump has repeatedly tried—and failed—to curb illegal immigration from Central and South America. In May, he threatened to slap tariffs on goods from Mexico unless its government imposed strict controls over would-be immigrants traveling through its borders.]
On June 7, 2019, syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist Peter Wehners appeared on the PBS Newshour to review the week’s major political events.
Shields—a liberal, and Wehner, a conservative—reached disturbingly similar conclusions about the behavior of President Donald Trump on the 75th anniversary celebration of the D-Day landings.
Peter Wehner and Mark Shields
Peter Wehner: in terms of watching it, it reminded me of why it was the Greatest Generation. It’s been called the Greatest Generation.The more you find out about what happened 75 years ago on Normandy Beach, the more extraordinary is, the courage and the valor and selflessness…
But, for me, what was, well, frankly, sickening was this interview that Donald Trump did with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, not just what he said, but where he said it. He had thousands and thousands of gravestones behind him, these people who had been cut down in the prime of their life. And he was attacking Nancy Pelosi and Robert Mueller, who himself was a—was a war hero, in petty terms.
And to have done it then was, in my mind, a desecration at a sacred place. And it was another window into the bonfire of anger and resentments and grievances that is Donald Trump.
Mark Shields: I would just add this….that the 9,388 Americans, husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, sweethearts are buried there who either died at Normandy or in the liberation of France. And it was a time in this country, it was a we generation, not a me generation.
I mean, we had 20 million victory gardens that civilians built that provided 40 percent of the vegetables for the whole country. We rationed everything from gasoline, to liquor, to cigarettes, to butter, to meat….
And all Americans were part of the collective effort, the collective sacrifice, and it was led by those at the top….The president of the United States had four sons. Every one of them served in combat. Every one of them was awarded in combat. You take the…sickly son of a multimillionaire, who asked his father to use his contacts to get him into combat, John Kennedy, rather than stay out….
One out of four American males served in World War II. And now we have one-third—one-percent of Americans serving. And they are serving over and over and over again.
Judy Woodruff (moderator): It’s been 75 years, Peter Wehner. What remains in the American psyche from that?
Wehner: Well, we’re an angry country, a more divided country, and a more tribalistic country than we were then. It’s important to say that, in many ways, we’re a better country too, if you’re a minority or a woman, all sorts of things where we have made progress….
The thing is that the American capacity for self-renewal can be great. And sometimes, when virtues are taken from the life of the nation and an individual, you remember why they matter to begin with. And, hopefully, commemorations like this can—can remind us that there are things that are worth fighting for and worth living for.
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A REVOLUTION MAY BE COMING–AGAINST REPUBLICANS: PART ONE (OF TWO)
In Bureaucracy, History, Military, Politics, Social commentary, Uncategorized on November 17, 2020 at 12:20 amDonald Trump and his Right-wing allies have often threatened a second civil war in the United States.
During the 2016 Presidential race, supporters of Trump talked openly of staging a revolution if his opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the election.
Roger Stone, a longtime Right-wing political consultant and Trump strategist, was one of them.
Roger Stone
“The first thing that Trump needs to do is begin talking about [voter fraud] constantly. If there’s voter fraud, this election will be illegitimate, the election of the winner will be illegitimate, we will have a constitutional crisis, widespread civil disobedience, and the government will no longer be the government.
“I think he’s gotta put them on notice that their inauguration will be a rhetorical, and when I mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath… We will not stand for it.”
At one town hall meeting where his Vice Presidential running mate, Mike Pence, appeared, a woman named Rhonda stood up and announced: “One of the things that I can tell you that a lot of us are scared of is this voter fraud.
“For me personally, if Hillary Clinton gets in, I myself am ready for a revolution.”
In Cincinnati, a Trump supporter threatened to forcibly remove Clinton from the White House if she won the Presidential race: “I feel like Hillary needs to be taken out if she gets in the government. I’ll do everything in my power to take her out of power–which, if I have to be a patriot, I will.”
As President, Trump has continued to threaten those who oppose him with massive violence.
“You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny,” the President told Breibart’s Matthew Boyle. “I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay?
“I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump—I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough—until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”
On October 8, 2020,13 Right-wingers were charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They intended to “try” and executer her for “treason.”
Gretchen Whitmer
Their chief grievance: Whitmer’s stay-at-home order to control the fast-moving spread of Coronavirus throughout Michigan. By no small coincidence, that happened to be the theme of Trump’s attacks on her.
On October 18, at a Trump campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan, the crowd chanted “Lock her up!” against Whitmer. Trump smiled, chuckled and said, “Lock them all up.”
In the 1840s and 1850s, Southern oligarchs and their allies repeatedly threatened to secede from the Union. They demanded that:
And they warned that if those favoring Union tried to stop them from seceding, there would be all-out war.
On April 12, 1861, those Southern threats finally came true. Confederate artillery batteries in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, opened fire on Union Fort Sumter. Forty-eight hours later the fort was forced to surrender—and the American Civil War was on.
Four years later—on April 9, 1865—Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered unconditionally to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
The Right may soon get its wish for a second civil war. And that outcome may prove as devastating to its members as the first one did to the Confederacy.
On November 3, almost 75 million voters elected Joe Biden President of the United States. Yet 14 days later, Trump has refused to accept their verdict.
Joe Biden
He has repeatedly filed legal challenges to the vote, claiming himself the victim of massive fraud. This despite the utter lack of evidence of it.
And courts have responded: On November 13, nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden’s win in key states were denied or dropped.
And a law firm challenging the vote count in Pennsylvania withdrew from the effort.
Trump’s refusal to admit defeat has not prevented world leaders from congratulating Biden. Among these:
And after a lengthy period of silence, China offered its congratulations.
Meanwhile, top Republicans—such as Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—have refused to congratulate Biden as the winner.
Political commentators have acted as though these Republicans are living in a “delusional” universe, and it’s only a matter of time before they “wake up.”
On the contrary: It’s far more likely they are testing the waters—to see if they can strongarm their way into positions of absolute power despite the wishes of the electorate.
Trump has often “joked” about being “President-for-Life.” And Republicans have long believed they should be the only legal political party in the country.
But they are risking a second civil war such as they cannot imagine.
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