(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
The Blame Game: And The Lack Of Decency [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-31
Within hours of Wednesday night's collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight just outside my hometown of Washington, DC, my phone lit up with alerts. My friends and family live twenty minutes away from Reagan National Airport. I was stunned by the visuals of what looked like bursting stars creating an explosion when the two aircraft impacted. Usually, my thoughts would immediately go to sympathy for the terror of the victims and the families that had to imagine and will forever endure the pain they and their loved ones felt in their final moments. Unfortunately, while speaking with a friend who was nearly in tears, I was concerned and hoped that neither the airliner nor military chopper pilot was a woman or a person of color. A tragic circumstance like last night’s events should bring profound sorrow and national unity. Alas, my sense of embarrassment for thinking about something other than the victims and families was proven correct by the press conference of Donald Trump yesterday.
Much like the bass-ackward daily press conferences we had to endure during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump again turned collective sorrow into bewildering, head-scratching anger. Mr. Trump, much like he did following the assassination attempt on his life, started by touting the need for the country to come together and ended with finger-pointing and vile blame-shifting. Yesterday, despicably, he not only chased the latest GOP stalking horse (DEI) but went into great detail about the disabled community. “We have to have our smartest people,” Trump said. Never satisfied with a vaguely worded insult, Mr. Trump finished that thought by saying, “The FAA is actively recruiting workers who suffer severe intellectual disabilities, psychiatric problems, and other mental and physical conditions under a diversity and inclusion hiring initiative spelled out on the agency's website.”
Of course, when a reporter asked Mr. Trump what proof he had that the crash was somehow related to DEI or other initiatives, he answered, “Because I have common sense.” Later in the Oval Office, when asked if race or gender had anything to do with the crash, he answered, “It may have.” In reality, a statement like that is the epitome of witlessness, bigotry, and sheer ignorance.
President Trump spent most of yesterday's press conference bringing to life a line from one of my favorite movie characters, Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, from the movie Full Metal Jacket. The ‘gunny’ addressed the freshly shorn, scared recruits in their uniforms and boots, standing at attention. As he marched through the barracks, he began his opening tirade. “I am hard, but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here.” A litany of racial epithets followed. He then concluded his opening diatribe with the words, “Here, you are all equally worthless.” Mr. Trump threw down the gauntlet to women, blacks, and people with disabilities that even in the absence of proof, they are all equally worthless in his eyes. I had hoped the President could set aside his prejudice long enough—at least—until the cold bodies pulled from the Potomac River could warm and be claimed. Mr. Trump has permanently stained the public mourning period for the families by feeding the hunger for prejudices, bigotry, and racism of MAGA.
Your Vote is Still Your Voice
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/31/2300319/-The-Blame-Game-And-The-Lack-Of-Decency?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
