I’m troubled.
I listen to my friends. Especially, those ‘alt-right’ friends with whom I violently disagree. One of them, a life-long friend asked me, “why can’t you get behind the new President-Elect and come together as one country?”
Like any coward, I didn’t respond. But I thought about it. Why can’t we just come together as one country? If Hillary Clinton had won, I would be out there criticizing and exhorting my friends to join us behind the new Democratic President. Even Hillary Clinton, herself in the first part of her painful concession speech said, “Last night I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country.’
“Offered to work WITH HIM on behalf of our country.” WOW! If she could do this, then what was stopping me? Am I such a hypocrite? Am I one of those ‘do as I say not as I do’ kind of weak person? Am I just a sore loser?
Then one of the spiritual leaders of our country handed me the answer. The dark clouds of doubt parted in the skies and I could hear the faint song of Angels singing holy hymns in Latin or Greek or Angel, Hell, I don’t know, And the sun shone it’s light on to my troubled face and the voice of God, Herself, spoketh unto me in the form of Jerry Falwell, Jr. Yes, you read that right, Jerry Falwell, Jr, the leader of Liberty University in my own state of Virginia handed down to him in the same fashion that North Korea was handed down to the cute little Kim Ju-un (isn’t his little hair cut just dreamy?) from his pappa, Kim Jong-il, who got his ruling bona fides from Lil’ Kim (I know this is right as I got this information from Breitbart News Network.)
So, what words of wisdom did the son of the late-great Jerry Falwell impart unto me? He declared that Donald J. Trump “will become America’s greatest president since Abraham Lincoln.”
Now, we all know what ultimately happened to Lincoln! And I am not advocating that Trump attend ANY performances at Ford’s Theater near the White House, or “Hamilton” at any theater or even go see “Madea: Presidential Aide does Washington” at the AMC Theater at Tyson’s Corner. No, I’m thinking about that little disagreement between the two forces of philosophical opposites in the 1860’s: the anti-slavery north and the ‘alt-right’ I mean the pro-slavery south.
Falwell-Lite made me think of Lincoln, history, the Civil War, and how everything has a nasty habit of repeating itself. So, if Trump is Lincoln then where am I? Well, let’s look at history: the south was actually jubilant that Lincoln won the White House, They believed that secession from the United States would be peaceful. One alt-right, I mean pro-slavery enthusiast said, “You could slap a Yankee and he’ll sue you, but he won’t fight back.” And that was pretty much the attitude of most southerners. It may be hard to believe but on election night when the news finally arrived in Charleston, South Carolina that Abraham Lincoln had won, there was an immediate outbreak of celebrations, bonfires and even fireworks. They celebrated the election.
Lincoln believed that the government under his leadership would have the power to fix America’s problems, change the country for the better and decide policy for the good of all Americans. So far, it all sounds like I should be backing this new ‘Lincoln’ or does it?
Now listen to the next thing that Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech, “…I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.”
Then it hit me! This isn’t about Trump being my President. This is about the hate-filled, xenophobic and racist people and the policies and philosophy that they represent. This is about me standing up for my beliefs of fairness to all races, religions, for providing a safe-haven for those who are ‘tired, poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’
And that’s my View overlooking The Hill of the new civil war battlefield.
View From The Hill 