'Thank the Lord'...for Yet Another Brave Individual (Trump Administration Appointee) Willing and Well Able to 'Speak Truth to Power'...AND DID HE WHAT (Overnight, New Zealand time): But Regrettably, He's JUST NOW - Under Threat of Demotion, or Rather (Otherwise) Likely Sacking, Walked Back Somewhat/Majorly...
Of course I speak of erstwhile (and now, probably remaining - for awhile; but Donald J Trump has a long memory, and is well - or, rather, badly - noted for taking due utu, i.e. vengeance, upon any naysayers, 'traitors' and other 'rats' within the household) Secretary of Defence Mark Esper...
...who prior to his effective recantation - on the Oval Office-ordered deployment of active-duty federal troops to Washington D.C. in particular; but bearing upon their deployment throughout the States, I gather(ed) - gave one of the most carefully-calibrated, but well-enunciated, and moreover concise critiques - however indirect and policy-focussed - of Donald Trump's brand of erratic, self-serving despotism thus far heard...
Trump's employment of the Insurrection Act and, arguably way more significant and concerning, his *self-serving and despicable use of a Bible to make his point outside a church which readily distanced itself from the same and roundly condemned the 'photo-op' set-up, were, as Esper well noted, especially egregious aspects of the President's edict...
What a pity he wasn't prepared to either **fall upon his sword or simply let himself be ***sacked for adhering to admirable principle upon such an all-important matter of moment...
*Much more could be said upon not just this type of political exhibitionism but moreover shameless religious posturing, and doubtless in time to come - as indeed I suspect I have in times past if in somewhat different contexts - I will...
**As in tender 'the Donald' his own resignation, on the obvious grounds that he felt unable to endorse/second/go along with the policy now being pursued/instituted by his ****'superior'...
***Though naturally, if he'd fired Esper, Trump'd simply accuse him of insubordination plus all the other evils and failings which, though Trump would likely 'throw out there', would of course say a whole lot more about this particular President - and, moreover, his own deep-seated insecurities, failings, foibles and follies (especially the latter) - than anything else...
****Meaning of course politically, most assuredly not morally...
Postscript:
And all credit to the only Republican senators thus far prepared to go out upon a limb and stand against what Trump has done - as I and many would see it, politicized and 'weaponized' perfectly legitimate protest: Nebraska's Ben Sasse and (the Party's only black senator) South Carolina's (evangelical) *****Tim Scott...
....and to former President George W Bush, whose critique today about the long-unaddressed legacy of systemic police violence against 'minorities' pretty well says it all...
...so more's the pity he failed to see this whilst president himself, though he at least began the process of distancing his party from the KKK/white supremacist accretions it had accrued ever since the 60s (all of which good work has now of course long since been jettisoned by Donald Trump)...
*****Who has also spoken out in sympathy/condolence with the family of a black policeman killed in the subsequent widespread ******looting that's been taking place around America.
******All of which is not remotely to be construed as meaning I'm naive as to those self-serving and/or fanatical, ideologically-driven individuals and groups who've been using the crisis to push their own nefarious or criminal agendas, much less that I don't believe the full force of the law ought to be exerted against and come down upon all those engaged in this way, who've been taking advantage of the crisis in what has ever and widely been seen as thus representing the lowest form of humanity - if you can consider or deem them such.
...who prior to his effective recantation - on the Oval Office-ordered deployment of active-duty federal troops to Washington D.C. in particular; but bearing upon their deployment throughout the States, I gather(ed) - gave one of the most carefully-calibrated, but well-enunciated, and moreover concise critiques - however indirect and policy-focussed - of Donald Trump's brand of erratic, self-serving despotism thus far heard...
Trump's employment of the Insurrection Act and, arguably way more significant and concerning, his *self-serving and despicable use of a Bible to make his point outside a church which readily distanced itself from the same and roundly condemned the 'photo-op' set-up, were, as Esper well noted, especially egregious aspects of the President's edict...
What a pity he wasn't prepared to either **fall upon his sword or simply let himself be ***sacked for adhering to admirable principle upon such an all-important matter of moment...
*Much more could be said upon not just this type of political exhibitionism but moreover shameless religious posturing, and doubtless in time to come - as indeed I suspect I have in times past if in somewhat different contexts - I will...
**As in tender 'the Donald' his own resignation, on the obvious grounds that he felt unable to endorse/second/go along with the policy now being pursued/instituted by his ****'superior'...
***Though naturally, if he'd fired Esper, Trump'd simply accuse him of insubordination plus all the other evils and failings which, though Trump would likely 'throw out there', would of course say a whole lot more about this particular President - and, moreover, his own deep-seated insecurities, failings, foibles and follies (especially the latter) - than anything else...
****Meaning of course politically, most assuredly not morally...
Postscript:
And all credit to the only Republican senators thus far prepared to go out upon a limb and stand against what Trump has done - as I and many would see it, politicized and 'weaponized' perfectly legitimate protest: Nebraska's Ben Sasse and (the Party's only black senator) South Carolina's (evangelical) *****Tim Scott...
....and to former President George W Bush, whose critique today about the long-unaddressed legacy of systemic police violence against 'minorities' pretty well says it all...
...so more's the pity he failed to see this whilst president himself, though he at least began the process of distancing his party from the KKK/white supremacist accretions it had accrued ever since the 60s (all of which good work has now of course long since been jettisoned by Donald Trump)...
*****Who has also spoken out in sympathy/condolence with the family of a black policeman killed in the subsequent widespread ******looting that's been taking place around America.
******All of which is not remotely to be construed as meaning I'm naive as to those self-serving and/or fanatical, ideologically-driven individuals and groups who've been using the crisis to push their own nefarious or criminal agendas, much less that I don't believe the full force of the law ought to be exerted against and come down upon all those engaged in this way, who've been taking advantage of the crisis in what has ever and widely been seen as thus representing the lowest form of humanity - if you can consider or deem them such.
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