Tonight
President Trump said, “ You think this country is so innocent?”
I'm glad to hear that challenging statement for it is true. Many
Americans would usually be strongly provoked by such a statement. But
it is true and history abounds in reminding us how we, along with our
moral accomplishments, have terrorized both our own citizens
beginning with slavery and denying others civil rights, and other
countries in some of our warring efforts. To own
this difficult reality is to come to a higher consciousness and able
to be more ethical in the future. To make ethical
progress.
Sadly
Mr. Trump did not make his statement in the context of grieving our
national shadow and expressing a kind of true repentance for wrongs
done. But in the context of condoning the war crimes against Crimea
and others by present Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The
president made his statement as a rebuff to any who are expressing
concern that while he is wanting to generally ban Muslim countries
and refugees, he also said tonight in this same context, “It is a
good thing that we get along with Russia.”
These
seemingly thoughtless inconsistencies I think expose the President as
frequently failing to give serious thought to ethics and
'right' and 'just' behavior from ones self toward others. Our
Christian heritage could still provide our Christian citizens with
the reasons and courage to own our own shadow ( “First, clean the
inside of your own cup”, for example ), to recognize unethical
attitudes and behaviors in our own story. And to also not rush
to approve, for our own convenience, unethical behavior in others (“
Unethical companionship corrupts good morals.”). This seems to me
what Mr. Trump has consistently been doing with respect to Mr. Putin,
his apparent most admired foreign leader. Do Americans want to
condone this kind of unethical imbalance our President is displaying?
Or do we let him know we expect a change from him?
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