In his inaugural speech, Donald Trump quoted a military phrase stating that people of all races bleed “the red blood of patriots.” I agree that our new president shares the blood color of all Americans, but I don’t see his as flowing through a patriot.
A message to all Trump supporters right off the bat: Is this sour grapes? Possibly. But there is nothing as sour as seeing our now-president degrade and demean people and ideas that are the essence of patriotism and then pose boldly in his palatial tower in a red tie before a rank of giant flags to represent a new side of the Trump brand: patriotism without sacrifice.
Throughout our history, true patriotism has always required personal sacrifice. From the winter of Valley Forge through the hell of Iwo Jima, from the lynching of uppity blacks and abolitionist leaders across the country through the crushing blows on the Pettus Bridge in Selma, from the forced sacrifice of thousands of draftees in Vietnam through the willing sacrifice of our youngest generation in the Middle East and Asia — all have been united by the desire to establish, protect, and improve our uniquely American dream. This true patriotic sacrifice comes with a price. It may cost a person’s health, wealth or well-being. It requires discomfort and pain. It is not a false Lenten sacrifice of a rarely-eaten food, or a charitable donation designed to reduce tax liabilities. Patriotic sacrifice comes from the heart and demands blood, sweat, and tears.
In July 2015, candidate Trump glibly dismissed the painful, patriotic sacrifices of John McCain and every other prisoner of war in our history when he stated his preference for “people who weren’t captured.” In November 2015, he displayed either an incredible callousness or complete ignorance of the realities faced by our patriotic “boots on the ground” in previous and current wars. “I love war,” he said, “in a certain way, but only when we win.” And the one that brings me to the edge of rage and despair is his July 2016 ridicule and criticism of the Khan family whose son willingly sacrificed his life in Iraq. The father’s transgression, in Trump’s eyes, was questioning Trump’s views and knowledge of the Constitution. Later, Trump defended his conduct by noting his own “sacrifices” in building a titanic personal fortune.
Just a week before the inauguration, Trump trashed another patriotic hero when he pulled out his catch phrase “All talk, and no action” to describe John Lewis who suffered a skull fracture during the Selma voting rights march. It was just one of many physical injuries Lewis suffered in the patriotic sacrifice that was the civil rights movement.
In using Trump’s own standard, these are examples of his “talk” about patriotic sacrifice, but we have some of his own “actions” to judge as well. In one of his few, and generally evasive, comments about paying taxes, he bragged that paying the least he could makes him “smart.” This makes the rest of us, who didn’t employ enough professionals or attorneys to find all the loopholes, “dumb.” I realize that it’s only liars and a few fabulously wealthy people who say they willingly pay taxes at higher rates than legally required, but his attitude shows contempt for our small payments that affect how we manage daily life. His pride in paying the least means that many of our most important workers must sacrifice on pay day. Police, military personnel, child and health care workers, teachers and social workers love their jobs and sacrifice personal wealth and safety every day for a greater good.
My layman’s definition of sacrifice involves taking actions where the returns are not expected to equal the investments of wealth, time, personal safety, or status. One dictionary definition reads “the act of giving up, destroying, permitting injury to . . . something valued for the sake of something having a more pressing claim.” One of the president’s personal lawyers defended his refusal to divest business holdings while president by saying “President-elect Trump should not be expected to destroy the company he built.” If being a public servant involves sacrifice, then giving up the possibility of adding to his personal wealth while in office would be a good start.
In legal terms, I disagree with Congressman Lewis’ recent description of the president as not “legitimate.” His election was legal under the flawed electoral laws still in place. But in moral or ethical terms, I agree completely. President Trump is a public servant who should understand that patriotic sacrifice is what made and continues to make America great. He should exemplify that understanding through words and actions. He should honor and encourage patriotic sacrifice rather than ridicule and degrade it. I only hope that our communal spirit of patriotism and sacrifice can survive a leader who takes without giving, and scorns many who are owed a debt that can never be repaid.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer and author living in Greenfield, MA. Comments are welcome at his book’s web site, www.theswordandscabbard.com or awoods2846@gmail.com.