I’d like to discuss something very important,
and while this is addressed to everyone in the country, I want to specifically
address veterans. It's a little bit of a long read, but please bear with it as it's important.
Everyone gets so caught up in the politics of
the impeachment that they lose sight of the big picture. I’d like to put
politics aside and focus on that, so humor me and read until the end. Trump’s
lawyers acknowledged that he did it, and Republican Senators Lamar Alexander
and Marco Rubio both admitted that the Democrats proved their case; Alexander
admitted that it was wrong, and Rubio even admitted it was worthy of
impeachment, but neither would vote to remove. Trump did it, that’s not the
issue, and not what I’m here to discuss, though impeachment is what prompted
it.
For those who don’t know me, I served in the Marine
infantry. I’m proud of my service, and value everything I learned from it. When
I enlisted, I swore an oath, as does everyone who enlists in the US armed
forces. "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same..." That's the core
of the oath I took when I enlisted in the Marine Corps. I take that oath every
bit as seriously today as the day I took it. Once in the Marines, they ingrain
in you the Marine Corps core values of honor, courage, and commitment. They
also teach you fourteen leadership traits: Justice, Judgment, Dependability,
Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Integrity, Endurance, Bearing, Unselfishness, Courage,
Knowledge, Loyalty,& Enthusiasm. You are expected to conduct yourself at
all times according to the core values and leadership traits; it is the code
you live by. I’m going to discuss them below, and while your tendency might be
to skim over it, don’t. Read it and give it thoughtful consideration. The
definitions are copied and pasted from USMC training materials, they are not my
words.
Honor. This is the bedrock of our character. It
is the quality that empowers Marines to exemplify the ultimate in ethical and
moral behavior: to never lie, cheat, or steal; to abide by an uncompromising
code of integrity; to respect human dignity; and to have respect and concern
for each other. It represents the maturity, dedication, trust, and
dependability that commit Marines to act responsibly, be accountable for their
actions, fulfill their obligations, and hold others accountable for their
actions.
Courage. The heart of our Core Values, courage
is the mental, moral, and physical strength ingrained in Marines that sees them
through the challenges of combat and the mastery of fear, and to do what is
right, to adhere to a higher standard of personal conduct, to lead by example,
and to make tough decisions under stress and pressure. It is the inner strength
that enables a Marine to take that extra step.
Commitment. This is the spirit of determination
and dedication within members of a force of arms that leads to professionalism
and mastery of the art of war. It promotes the highest order of discipline for
unit and self and is the ingredient that instills dedication to Corps and
country 24 hours a day, pride, concern for others, and an unrelenting
determination to achieve a standard of excellence in every endeavor. Commitment
is the value that establishes the Marine as the warrior and citizen others
strive to emulate.
I don’t need to go in depth with all of the
leadership traits, but there are a few I need to define (again, taken from USMC
training materials):
Integrity means that you are honest and truthful
in what you say or do. Having integrity means that you put honesty, sense of
duty, and sound moral principles above all else. The quality of truthfulness
and honesty. Unselfishness means avoidance of providing for one’s own comfort
and personal advancement at the expense of others. Courage is a mental quality
that recognizes fear of danger or criticism, but enables a Marine to proceed in
the face of danger with calmness and firmness. Knowing and standing for what is
right, even in the face of popular disfavor. Justice is giving reward and
punishment according to the merits of the case in question. The ability to
administer a system of rewards and punishments impartially and consistently.
The quality of displaying fairness and impartiality is critical in order to gain
the trust and respect of subordinates and maintains discipline and unit
cohesion, particularly in the exercise of responsibility.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s circle
back to the topic. Who are we as a country? Who do we want to be as a country?
I think who we elect to lead us says a lot about that, so their character is
important to discuss, and not just their politics. This is true at every level
of the government, from the town you live in all the way to the president. This
is one of the reasons it’s important that you be an informed, engaged citizen.
WIth the values I listed above in mind, let’s take a look at some of our
elected representatives and how they conduct themselves. I think something we
should all agree upon is that our government should be expected to conduct
itself in accordance with the highest moral and ethical standards.
Let’s look at Trump, since he’s so prominent in
all of this, and is who we are holding up as a representative of who we are as
a country. This is who the world sees when they look at us. He’s a draft dodger
who has made demeaning comments about women, trans people, disabled people,
insulted POWs, said dodging STIs in college was equivalent to military service,
insulted Gold Star families, has made racist attacks against many people
including judges, celebrities, politicians, and even entire countries. He has
bragged about sexual assault, and is on record lying more than 16,000 times
since he became president. He was friends with Jeffrey Epstein, and partied
with him for years. Underage girls were trafficked out of Mar a Lago. He has
been credibly accused of rape or sexual assault by more than 20 women,
including someone who was 13 years old at the time. He’s the billionaire
pedophile that so many people claim are secretly running the world. He has
white supremacists working for him, he knows it, and refuses to fire them. He
wouldn’t be able to maintain a job anywhere I have ever worked, and he
certainly would never have cut it in the military. Being that fundamentally
dishonest is in opposition to every value I hold, and you know that you
wouldn’t allow anyone in your own life to behave that way. He’s been in office
for almost 1200 days and has lied, on average, almost 15 times a day. He has
lied to you almost 15 times a day every single day he’s been in office. You
would not tolerate that from anyone in your own life, not your friends, not
your family, not your coworkers, and not your boss. Why do you accept it from
your president? How does that hold up against the values we’re supposed to live
by? What does that say about us as a country?
Now, let’s look at the people who have been
defending him through this process.
Devin Nunes, who led the House investigation as
the ranking member for the Republicans, has been directly implicated in the
scandal, and he did not recuse himself from the investigation, and there are
definitely others who knew and said nothing.
Rudy Giuliani, a shameless, compulsive liar and
conspiracy theorist, who even has Republicans like Lindsey Graham distancing
themselves. He runs around the world peddling anti-Semitic conspiracy theories
and making anti-Semitic remarks, was married to his cousin, and is the subject
of at least three ongoing investigations, including criminal, counterintelligence,
and financial. He has likely broken many federal laws, including FARA, while
acting as Trump’s personal attorney.
Alan Dershowitz, and accused child rapist who
admitted to getting a massage from an underage sex slave at Jeffrey Epstein’s
mansion, but claims it was okay because he “kept his underwear on.” He made
claims in Trump’s defense that were so outlandish that he even admitted only
one person in history, in 1867, agrees with him. He argued that the
Constitution says presidents are above the law, which is simply a lie, and you
all know it. This country was formed to get away from monarchs who are above
the law; that’s a foundational principle of the Constitution.
Pat Cippolone, the White House counsel, who is
supposed to be representing the best interests of the country, not acting as
Trump’s personal lawyer, blatantly and intentionally lied during the trial,
something that would likely get him disbarred if that had been in any criminal
court in the country. In addition, he’s implicated in the scandal, and still
acting as counsel, which is against every ethical rule lawyers have.
Lindsey Graham, one of the Senators acting as a
juror in the trial, has been implicated in the scandal, and said before the
trial that he would not be impartial. He broke his oath of impartiality. He has
been caught in more lies in defense of Trump than I care to get into here.
During the 2016 election, he called Trump a “nutjob” and a loser,” as well as a
“race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” He predicted that if the GOP
nominated him, “we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.” He sacrificed
his integrity and is now completely subservient to Trump, and has likely
committed crimes in Trump’s defense.
Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader who
predetermined the outcome of the trial, breaking not only his oath of
impartiality, but getting the other Republicans to break theirs. He has been
completely obstructionist for the sake of being obstructionist, even when the
things he was blocking would have benefited the American people. He has been
complicit in covering up Trump’s crimes and defending Trump’s lies more than
anyone else. He is the one responsible for getting the Senate Republicans to
hold the first impeachment trial in history with no witnesses or evidence. He
is the one who is getting the Republicans to refuse to remove Trump, even when
admitting that the Democrats are right. He is getting them to set the precedent
that the president is above the law. It is unconstitutional, and a travesty of
justice. A perfidy, as one person put it.
Jim Jordan, another one of the House Republicans
who ran the opposition to the investigation. It shouldn’t be surprising,
though, seeing as he previously covered for a serial sexual assaulter and
pedophile during his tenure at Ohio State University, where he refused to
cooperate in the investigation, despite multiple students who have said he knew
what was happening, and a referee even came forward about it. He has told more
blatant lies in Trump’s defense than most people.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
Where do we go from here? The Marine Corps also teaches you leadership
principles, and there are a couple that are very relevant. I think they mostly
speak for themselves.
Know yourself and seek self-improvement. Make an
honest evaluation of yourself to determine your strong and weak personal
qualities. Seek the honest opinions of your friends or superiors. Learn by
studying the causes for the success and failures of others. Develop a genuine
interest in people.
Set the example. A leader who shows professional
competence, courage and integrity sets high personal standards for himself
before he can rightfully demand it from others.
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for
your actions. Stand up for what you think is right. Have courage in your
convictions. Own your actions.
Give all of this consideration. Nothing I have
said here is incorrect; I give you my word as a Marine, and if you think I'm
factually wrong about any of it, I'm happy to discuss it with you and provide
proof. Think about the values you hold and how the people I’ve discussed align
with those values. Is this who you want us to be as a country? Are you really
comfortable with that? All political positions aside, I am not okay with it.
They are antithetical to everything I believe about how a person should carry
themselves through life. They lack integrity, they lack any commitment to a
higher ideal, and they are all putting their own personal benefit over that of
the country, and to the direct harm of the country. I’m not asking you to
evaluate your politics, I’m asking you to evaluate your values, morals, and
your integrity. How much of that are you willing to sacrifice just because
someone’s “on your team?” If you know me, I have a very low opinion of most
politicians; Democrats included. I think most people in our government are
corrupt to some extent, whether that’s taking money from lobbyists to influence
policy in ways that are good for the lobby but bad for the American people, or
manipulating political organizations and rules to maintain power, or any number
of other things. Trump is so profoundly morally bankrupt as a person that
there’s still no comparison between the normal corruption in Washington and
what Trump has done.
I swore an oath to support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That is what I am
doing now, and if you swore the oath, I'm asking you to abide by that oath. The
values the Corps instilled are values I still strive to live by. I have spent
most of my life in public service, and it’s likely that I’ll spend most of the
rest of my life doing the same. We don’t have to agree on things politically;
we all want what’s best for the country, we just have different ideas about how
to get there. What we should agree upon is that our leaders be held to the
highest moral and ethical standards, and I want you to examine yourself and see
if that’s really what you’re doing. Are you living by those values by
supporting Trump and the GOP? Are you setting the example that you want others
to follow? Know yourself and seek self-improvement; it is never too late to
grow as a person. It is never too late to decide to take a different path. Make
decisions that you can be proud of. Make decisions your descendants can be
proud of. Make decisions that the country and the world can be proud of.
Thanks for reading,
Semper Fidelis
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