By P.S. White
Donald Trump has taken a very strong stance against the destruction/removal of statues that people find offensive--particularly those venerating confederate officers--as well as the renaming of military bases. Trump and others claim that these actions are an attempt by the radical left to rewrite history. Meanwhile, he tries to erase present history right before our eyes by denying that the Coronavirus pandemic is on an upswing, claiming there is no truth to the reports that Russians paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers, and ignoring the message that the Black Lives Matters protestors are trying to convey as he labels BLM a “symbol of hate”.
The removal of statues of confederate and/or racist leaders, as well as the renaming of institutions, has nothing to do with erasing history and everything to do with taking those people off of the pedestal where they have stood for so long. The confederate leaders fought against the country and for the continuation of slavery while other figures in question promoted a racist agenda in the years that followed the Civil War. There are no credible claims to rewrite the history books associated with these actions, only attempts to remove controversial figures from a place of veneration. Perhaps in some cases this is being taken too far with wonton destruction of statues as well as the removal of less controversial historical figures who are just not in line with the current socio-political environment. These passions will die down and more level heads will rule the day at some point. But the purge of monuments that celebrate rebel and racist figures is not such a high price to pay.
As Trump puts a considerable amount of energy into saving statues of questionable historical figures, this country faces much greater challenges that the president is not just turning a blind eye to, but is actively trying to erase from the public eye.
Back in February when the first Coronavirus cases hit in the United States, Trump said that the virus would disappear like a “miracle” within a relatively short time. Since then, reported cases have surpassed 2.8 million and deaths have risen above 130K, the highest of any nation in the world. And the virus is surging again now that states are reopening. However, Trump said on Thursday in an interview with Fox Business Network:
He has also actively called for the slowdown of testing so that the number of reported cases would go down. And when the White House tried to play that off as a jest, Trump responded “I don’t kid”. So as the virus rages in our country, the president tells us to just stop recording the spreading cases and move on.
Another controversy that has just reared its head is the allegation that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. Under any other president, this would be a major international crisis demanding immediate attention. But Trump once again comes to the defense of Russia as he has variously tried to play it off as a non-issue, something he was not briefed on, and ultimately as a hoax. Strong evidence points to Russia targeting United States military personnel in Afghanistan, and the president does not even want to address the issue or recognize it as a real threat. To whom do his loyalties lie?
Amidst all of this, the Black Lives Matter protests continue and Trump has failed to demonstrate an understanding of what this movement is trying to accomplish. He focuses on the protests that have gotten out of control (which represent only a small portion of the overall movement) and the destruction of property but ignores the calls for justice in a country that has systematically persecuted blacks and other minorities. He has tried to dismiss BLM as the radical left and has called the painting of the “Black Lives Matter” slogan on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower a “Symbol of Hate” (while refusing to apply the same label to confederate monuments and emblems).
Trump’s attention is in the wrong direction and he is not aligned with the needs, attitudes, and security of the country. His denying that the Coronavirus remains a concern for this country and further inaction will lead to a continued rise in deaths. His failure to address the Russia situation or even acknowledge the threat leaves members of our armed services in harm’s way and allows a foreign country to get away with murder. And the blind eye that he turns to the Black Lives Matter movement will not make it go away but could intensify the protests and/or turn it into an anti-Trump movement (which would not be a bad thing).
Removing confederate monuments will not erase history, it will just take them off a pedestal that they do not deserve. But trying to ignore, and actually coverup very real issues that face the country right now and that are leading to the deaths of American people is not only inexcusable and unacceptable but borderline treasonous. Trump must be held accountable, and We the People must do that at the polls in November.
Donald Trump has taken a very strong stance against the destruction/removal of statues that people find offensive--particularly those venerating confederate officers--as well as the renaming of military bases. Trump and others claim that these actions are an attempt by the radical left to rewrite history. Meanwhile, he tries to erase present history right before our eyes by denying that the Coronavirus pandemic is on an upswing, claiming there is no truth to the reports that Russians paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers, and ignoring the message that the Black Lives Matters protestors are trying to convey as he labels BLM a “symbol of hate”.
The removal of statues of confederate and/or racist leaders, as well as the renaming of institutions, has nothing to do with erasing history and everything to do with taking those people off of the pedestal where they have stood for so long. The confederate leaders fought against the country and for the continuation of slavery while other figures in question promoted a racist agenda in the years that followed the Civil War. There are no credible claims to rewrite the history books associated with these actions, only attempts to remove controversial figures from a place of veneration. Perhaps in some cases this is being taken too far with wonton destruction of statues as well as the removal of less controversial historical figures who are just not in line with the current socio-political environment. These passions will die down and more level heads will rule the day at some point. But the purge of monuments that celebrate rebel and racist figures is not such a high price to pay.
As Trump puts a considerable amount of energy into saving statues of questionable historical figures, this country faces much greater challenges that the president is not just turning a blind eye to, but is actively trying to erase from the public eye.
Back in February when the first Coronavirus cases hit in the United States, Trump said that the virus would disappear like a “miracle” within a relatively short time. Since then, reported cases have surpassed 2.8 million and deaths have risen above 130K, the highest of any nation in the world. And the virus is surging again now that states are reopening. However, Trump said on Thursday in an interview with Fox Business Network:
I think we’re going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going sort of disappear, I hope.
He has also actively called for the slowdown of testing so that the number of reported cases would go down. And when the White House tried to play that off as a jest, Trump responded “I don’t kid”. So as the virus rages in our country, the president tells us to just stop recording the spreading cases and move on.
Another controversy that has just reared its head is the allegation that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. Under any other president, this would be a major international crisis demanding immediate attention. But Trump once again comes to the defense of Russia as he has variously tried to play it off as a non-issue, something he was not briefed on, and ultimately as a hoax. Strong evidence points to Russia targeting United States military personnel in Afghanistan, and the president does not even want to address the issue or recognize it as a real threat. To whom do his loyalties lie?
Amidst all of this, the Black Lives Matter protests continue and Trump has failed to demonstrate an understanding of what this movement is trying to accomplish. He focuses on the protests that have gotten out of control (which represent only a small portion of the overall movement) and the destruction of property but ignores the calls for justice in a country that has systematically persecuted blacks and other minorities. He has tried to dismiss BLM as the radical left and has called the painting of the “Black Lives Matter” slogan on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower a “Symbol of Hate” (while refusing to apply the same label to confederate monuments and emblems).
Trump’s attention is in the wrong direction and he is not aligned with the needs, attitudes, and security of the country. His denying that the Coronavirus remains a concern for this country and further inaction will lead to a continued rise in deaths. His failure to address the Russia situation or even acknowledge the threat leaves members of our armed services in harm’s way and allows a foreign country to get away with murder. And the blind eye that he turns to the Black Lives Matter movement will not make it go away but could intensify the protests and/or turn it into an anti-Trump movement (which would not be a bad thing).
Removing confederate monuments will not erase history, it will just take them off a pedestal that they do not deserve. But trying to ignore, and actually coverup very real issues that face the country right now and that are leading to the deaths of American people is not only inexcusable and unacceptable but borderline treasonous. Trump must be held accountable, and We the People must do that at the polls in November.
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