This is an opinion piece, but it's well-written, and written by someone who isn't very political. It's about what Trump looks like to an ordinary American.
--Kim
Nails it IMNSHO. I'm close to being in his cohort, pushing 70 but Cold War vet, he's Viet Nam.
Recommended reading. Perspective of Mark Hallenbeck, Sioux Falls, S.D.
"TRUMP-VANCE REGIME: Narcissistic scoundrels intent on reshaping the planet in their pitiful image"
"… I'm just a regular guy clinging to the cliff as my beloved country slips over the edge."
By Mark Hallenbeck*
As a retired teacher and military veteran, I think of myself as a "traditional" patriotic American who loves his country and supports the Constitution, the rule of law and the Golden Rule. Throughout my 76 years this has seemed like a solid foundation for civic responsibility. These days, however, I'm feeling like a disheartened throwback -- to borrow a phrase, like a stranger in a strange land.
I haven't always agreed with the direction our country was moving. I was drafted into the military during the Vietnam War. Having grown up in suburban Detroit, I lamented the outsourcing of American industry. For my entire adult life, people have died, and cities have burned in the struggle to become a truly inclusive democratic society. Nevertheless, through it all I felt that our nation -- despite its mistakes and imperfections -- stood for ideals that were worthy of our name: the United States of America. And by and large, most of the rest of the world looked up to us with admiration and envy. Until now.
I am not a person prone to fears, but I am profoundly fearful for the future of our country. With spineless Congressional Republicans paving the way by confirming inexperienced Cabinet nominees whose main qualifications are sycophancy and looking good on TV, Donald Trump has made it official: the United States of America is no longer a dependable partner upon whom other democracies and needier nations can rely. Rather, Trump has made it abundantly clear that he plans to turn his back on our treasured allies and align himself with the "strongmen" of the world on a transparent mission to divide the planet into spheres of influence. He is rapidly turning our friends into enemies, and vice-versa. If Trump has his way, Ronald Reagan's "shining city upon a hill" will become nothing more than a dimly lit bulb in the annals of history.
The dizzying blizzard of bad news rolling out of Washington makes me wonder how so many of our national "leaders" missed the mandate in their oath of office to "support and defend the Constitution … against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Of course, their "oath" may have been little more than hollow words on the road to political power. And the Constitution is being treated like an outdated historical treatise. For his part, Trump is destroying our democracy, at least in part, in retribution for being "unfairly" charged with abuse of power, obstruction of Congress, falsifying business records, sexual abuse, racketeering, stealing classified documents and election interference.
I have watched in sad dismay as Congressional Republicans stand idly by while Elon Musk leads his merry little band of techie turncoats from department to department, busily dismantling the government. They focus not on the promised "efficiencies," but rather on goring those departments that could most likely hamper Musk's insatiable quest for wealth and power. The last straw for me came from their wanton attack of the U.S.A.I.D., whose imperfect but honorable mission has been to bring the best of American generosity and good will to the rest of the world. Under the watchful eye of the president, Musk and his boys deliver termination-notice emails to civil servants who suddenly find themselves unemployed. Maybe a gazillionaire can roll with a punch like that, but somebody trying to feed a family, pay a mortgage and send a kid to college? Not so much.
In celebration of Musk' s staff-reduction achievements, we were treated to the image of him skipping across the stage at a "conservative" gathering while brandishing a chainsaw. (Did Halloween come early this year, and I somehow missed it?) When decapitating agencies was no longer satisfying, Trump/Musk turned to shuttering entire departments; one of their first targets, the Department of Education, was hit especially hard at my house, the home of two retired teachers. But, after all, that's the point, isn't it? Our president's idea of leadership is to sow fear and division in the citizenry through a steady flow of lies, shifting positions and conspiracy theories. As always, the only question remaining is the ALWAYS prescient one: what's in it for him? I never would have thought such a thing were possible, but I am ashamed that our country has elected this man president.
The stage was set for my shame by America's failure to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the United Nations. But February 28, 2025, will go down in history as a pivotal day of darkness in the history of our once-great nation. On that day, the president of a small nation that has struggled mightily for three years to defend itself from a barbarous invasion by its enormous, ravenous neighbor was ambushed in the Oval Office before the eyes of the world by the president and vice president of the United States. A man who has inspired his compatriots to heroically defend themselves in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds came to Washington seeking a reasonable peace. He came after being browbeaten into agreeing to the framework of a profoundly inequitable "peace deal" that would do little more than enable Trump to check off a campaign promise and score points with Vladimir Putin. What President Zelensky got was the United States government's eagerness to throw his country to the dogs while plundering its natural resources.
The opening salvo of the ambush came from a newly welcomed right-wing media prop who greeted President Zelensky with the question: "Do you own a suit?" (Unavoidable aside: What about "Tech Support" Elon?) To his credit, Zelensky suppressed the obvious rejoinder: "Do you own any manners?" With the tone of the gathering thus established, it didn't take Trump and Vance long to tag-team on Zelensky. Here is a man whose nation -- not only its people, but also their hospitals, churches, homes and schools -- is being obliterated by Putin's war machine. The squabble over "disrespect" and the perceived failure to say "thank you" resembled a temper tantrum in an elementary schoolyard. (President Zelensky, of course, has frequently thanked the U.S. for its aid.) Trump and Vance seem to not understand that respect is earned, not bestowed -- in a democracy, that is.
Speaking English as best he could, Zelensky tried patiently to talk sense into his two "hosts." As always, Trump demonstrated his preference for performance over actual governing. And all his performances feature a generous helping of bald-faced lies; he incredulously frames Zelensky as a dictator (spare the irony) and claims that Ukraine (suicidally, to be sure) started the war with Russia. He fabricates numbers about American vs. European military support to Ukraine. Since Trump is unencumbered by objective facts or moral principles, lying is second nature to him. For his part, Vance's lecture on "diplomacy" belies a misunderstanding of the critical importance of trust, which is a rare commodity in the Trump/Vance regime.
In a singularly misguided perception of America's greatness, Trump abandons allies who have helped the U.S. nurture and protect democracy worldwide for the last 80 years. In place of the security these alliances have provided, he plans to solidify some sort of mutually beneficial relationship by cozying up to a blood-thirsty tyrant who awaits prosecution for war crimes. Trump views every interaction as a zero-sum real estate deal in which he inevitably emerges as the victor, apparently thinking his dealmaking prowess will even prevail over a former KGB agent.
I did not serve in the U.S. military only to see my beloved country turned over to a coven of narcissistic scoundrels intent on reshaping the planet in their pitiful image. I lie awake at night fearing that my children and grandchildren will inherit the tattered remains of a once-proud nation that squandered its glory at the altar of unbridled avarice. My wife and I raised our family to respect others and to live a life of service; such values – upon which the United States of America was founded -- could be rendered quaint and outmoded in the wake of Trump's cowardly capitulation.
I am not a journalist, historian, or lawyer. Nor am I some hysterical liberal in need of being "owned"; moreover, I know lifelong conservative Republicans who agree with everything I've said here. I'm just a regular guy clinging to the cliff as my beloved country slips over the edge. I'm sure that plenty of very good people voted for Donald Trump. But if you voted for lower taxes or border security or deregulation or cheaper eggs, what you got in the bargain is chaos, cruelty, kleptocracy and America Alone. The media muse about whether all this is normal or legal, businesses line up to kiss the ring and politicians wring their hands or run for cover. And Trump's buddy Vlad just nods his head and smiles. Welcome to Putinmania, Comrade -- just check your "rights" at the door since you won't be needing them anymore.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Mark Hallenbeck, PhD, of Sioux Falls, S.D., is a retired teacher, associate professor emeritus at Augustana University and an Air Force veteran. He has written academic papers and newspaper features, but the tragedy unfolding in Washington, D.C., has propelled him to write his first opinion piece.
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