Duty, honor, country: Lessons from Arlington Cemetery are lost on Donald Trump
Duty. Honor. Country.
I’m standing outside Custis-Lee Mansion, soaking in the solemn silence of Arlington National Cemetery.
Once the family home of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, the mansion sits atop a windswept hill overlooking the eternal flame of President John F. Kennedy and beyond.
Kennedy’s tomb rests amid orderly ranks of simple white crosses marking the graves of some 400,000 Americans.
This sacred national shrine has received America’s military fallen since its first burial under President Abraham Lincoln, who commandeered Lee’s plantation and turned it into a Union cemetery.
A cold and misty December wind washes through the graveyard’s bare trees with the pervasive spirit of patriotism and sacrifice.
The vista from this achingly beautiful rise sweeps over the Potomac River to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, White House and the Capitol. The Jefferson Memorial seems to float in the Tidal Basin.
Ruminating on these white-walled temples of American democracy, three words replay while pondering the current crucible of American political history.
Duty. Honor. Country.
The fallen at Arlington gave their last full measure of life understanding and believing in these ideas.
So deeply disturbing this dreary day is the notion that our next president doesn’t.
Duty. Honor. Country.
Let’s hope these words mean something to people in government who now must take orders from Donald Trump.
The words are a firewall, the last remnant of hope for sanity among those who understand the danger of Trump — and the massive popular majority who voted against him.
We must hope those entrusted with the levers of power in our military, justice system and foreign service remember their duty, have the honor to do it and understand their fellow Americans depend on them, now more than ever.
If they don’t, the reign of a corrupt, imperious tyrant might well destroy the multicolored fabric of honest purpose, kinship and faith that binds us as a nation. Or worse.
Like Emperor Caligula, who decreed his horse to be a Roman consul, Trump insists his children be given clearance to the nation’s top secrets, apparently for easier access to state-sponsored profits for their opaque, multifarious business interests.
He recently sent his son — with no experience in global affairs — to Paris to meet with Russian diplomats and businessmen, our new pals.
With his daughter at his side in private meetings, Trump “suggests” foreign diplomats stay at his luxury hotel in downtown Washington while on official business.
Claiming he’s above the law, Trump uses his newly acquired position to influence India, Argentina and Taiwan over his development projects there.
He promises — from the moment he’s sworn in — to continue violating the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause prohibiting the president from accepting money from foreign powers.
He’s already done things Republicans would consider impeachable offenses had Hillary Clinton perpetrated them.
Congress turns a blind eye while Trump readies his kleptocracy for full-time plundering of the nation’s and world’s treasures.
Might Republicans just once try placing country above self by investigating and terminating Trump’s many business conflicts?
Don’t count on it, says Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, which aggressively investigated every whiff of Clinton scandal. No congressional oversight, confirms House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
The “Lock Her Up!” mobs remain silent as Trump and his family maneuver to pillage, enriching themselves while disgracing our nation’s honor and endangering our security in the process.
Republicans in Washington, in statehouses and here in San Luis Obispo County have to decide:
Is their duty to the law or to themselves? Do they heed the call to honor and country or to personal gain and protecting their privilege?
It’s now up to loyal Americans working in all branches of government to stand against Trump’s mendacities and force him to adhere to the laws he’ll be sworn to uphold.
Will our military and those serving in our national security apparatus resign rather than obey directives they know are immoral?
Will our military commanders resist orders they know are illegal?
Will national and local law enforcement obey instructions they know run counter to American justice and constitutional authority?
Will the IRS refuse to go along with Trump’s demands for revenge and advantage?
It’s late autumn at Custis-Lee Mansion, cold and dark. Winter approaches.
Souls stir restless as chill winds blow through this hallowed ground.
The spirit of patriotism and sacrifice has endured here since the Civil War, withstanding the coldest, darkest of seasons.
How long can it go on?
Duty. Honor. Country.
Pray our firewall holds firm through the coming bitter winter.
Liberal columnist Tom Fulks is a former reporter and opinion writer. He has been a political campaign consultant for many local races. His column runs in The Tribune every other Sunday, in rotation with conservative columnist Matthew Hoy.
This story was originally published December 10, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Duty, honor, country: Lessons from Arlington Cemetery are lost on Donald Trump."