There is a lot of churn in the media about people who support President Trump and those who do not. Most of the criticism directed at Trump is over his lack of political polish and crass personal behavior, via Twitter and from his past. Questionable business successes. Questionable associations with foreign governments. And yet in more than thirty years in business, when he was not a political threat, his behavior and actions did not bring about judgements or criminal indictments. His behavior distracts and confounds his critics and adversaries. But beyond our borders, where the real conflict exists – cold and hot ( in the cyber world and on battlegrounds), a President that supports his armed forces and stands firm with adversaries economic and militarily, is a leader that some – those who elected him – can support.
I don’t put much stock in foreign approval or disapproval of this Administration. I don’t put much hope in a legislative and a judiciary branch, and an intelligence organization that has political axes to grind. I am not looking for admiration from our friends or adversaries. As the evangelist stated this morning in our service, the reason that many in the world do not respect Christians, is that many have NOT acted in the manner that Christ taught. In his day, a disciple of Jesus was expected to act in accord with Christ’s teachings so as not to bring Christ into disrepute among non-believers.
As for me, I respect the opinions of those who put everything on the line for the nation, our military veterans, and first responders – law enforcement, paramedics and firefighters. I respect members of the faith community who have gone to some pretty abusive places around the world and risked their personal safety and freedom for their faith. They do not have to agree with me, but I still respect those who have seen a lot more of the world than those whose expertise is what is taught in classrooms.
I make no assertions about the President’s character or decorum of the Office. Based solely on my early working life among the construction trade, and then among Sailors for half my working life, Donald Trump seems to have always been a construction worker in temperament. He never was polished and political. He was and is combative – probably too sensitive for the political arena. But he takes the media head on in getting his message across to people. While the traditional sources of public information via major newspaper, television, and cable conglomerates have become disreputable, Trump still gets his unfiltered message out.
In the Spring of this year, a respected political research group identifies those who support the President, and it seems accurate to my understanding. Their findings about the education, life experience and age of Trump support were never heard reported among his most vocal critics. Instead, these political machine operatives questioned legitimacy of the President and continued to print long proven disreputable stories as factual. I would hope that we can someday return to a polite dialogue, and a decorum of the Office of the President. But in the interim, I’m with a lot of veterans who never liked the social experimentation the last President undertook, nor the war we didn’t need to escalate after all the blood spilled, when he pulled the troops out prematurely.
Truths, Half-truths, and Sea Stories 