With All Due Solemnity

Watch live! Vets stand up to Trump and U.S. empire @Nigrotime reportshttps://t.co/TqwdXK4mwe

— Truthdig (@Truthdig) November 11, 2019

There's a part of me (even me!) that is taken aback by the protests that greeted President Trump as he became the first sitting president to attend New York City's Veteran's Day parade. One of the reasons why is that Trump surely could have anticipated, in the midst of his impeachment proceedings, that there would be protestors (his presidency always has protestors) and security provisions made to shield Trump including a beautiful wall....of trash trucks. There were other ways to mark the day. In a sense, he would have honored it more "in the breach than in the observance." After all, it is not like there has been a long tradition of presidents attending this particular event, or that Trump even remains a resident of New York City.

I'm not taken aback by his being protested at all, however, even on this day. Veterans were among those protesting him today, and they have ample reasons. Just recently, he was fined $2 million for misuse of funds raised for veterans for the benefit of his 2016 campaign. Military service on behalf of this nation has not prevented Trump's ICE from deporting non-citizen veterans. Trump's cronyism and carelessness have done nothing to correct corruption at the VA. And Trump's foreign policy, in word and deed, leads some people to wonder just what country he's working for.

Trump reportedly called Bolton at home to complain about a CNN story that said the Navy was pushing back against Russian aggression in the Black Sea. When CNN portrayed the move as a response to Russia, the White House told the Navy to cancel the maneuver.https://t.co/5CVLTWqK8M

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) November 12, 2019

With all due solemnity for those who have served, looking honestly at what Trump is really doing is a form of honor to those who have served, and to the veterans of current and future wars who will be impacted by decisions the man is making right now.