Draining the swamp, again?
Has any newly elected president so vehemently repudiated his
predecessor?
Here in Big Horn County we have a deep sense of respect for family,
our nation, and our president. I assumed it was the same in China where Bonnie
and I spent two years teaching English, 2001-2003. But my fellow Chinese
faculty members were critical. They told us, “You Americans have a strange
attitude toward your political leaders. You really expect you can trust your
president. Here in China, even though our government-controlled media never say
anything against our leaders, we know we can’t really trust them.”
Back in 1973, the Nixon impeachment hearings had begun in
public. I was driving my family from Busby to our Iowa roots for Christmas. With
everyone asleep, I listened to radio. The AM fadeouts after the Rapid City led
to channel surfing, and I found BBC London. I stayed with it in fascination for hours. I looked
forward to hearing what my family thought about impeachment.
Next morning, my mother had prepared a late breakfast. My siblings and I jumped right into the latest
developments on Nixon. My mother was quiet. As the conversation drifted, my
mother approached me. She wanted to know what I thought about our president. Wanting to be honest, I told her, “I think he
is a criminal.” I was shocked with how
my words could hurt. Her tearful response was “How can you say that? Against our President Nixon? Have you forgotten your respect?” I
apologized as profusely as I could. Even after he resigned for his misdeeds and
coverup, I never discussed President Nixon with her again.
So here in Montana, how do we show respect for family and
nation with such disrespect flying about? How do we respond to repeating
history of our President facing shameful allegations? Is this a time to apply our Constitution, our
Bible, and our ancient traditions and values of this place in Montana?
Yes, we have resources here in Big Horn County. “Respect
for Life: The Traditional Upbringing of American Indian Children” is the
title of an old book, with the late Henry Old Coyote a prominent contributor. It
points to how children used to learn the respect we often miss these days.
We have the Biblical story of King David (2
Samuel 12:7-14), God-chosen King of Israel, who abused his power.
To cover his sin of adultery, David ordered each soldier back from the front
lines except for the woman’s husband, so he was killed in battle. The truth-telling prophet Nathan condemned
David’s acts, adultery and a coverup. Were
David and Nathan both ordained by God to the benefit of Israel? Could our
nation be blessed by both President Trump and the truth tellers today? Can we
hear a real prophet again?
We have our Constitution, especially the provisions for
impeachment when the ballot over the bullet is not enough to quell false speech
and lawless, dangerous behaviors. Nixon’s resignation following his abuse of
power restored our nation’s trust in the Presidency, trust that doesn’t exist
in places like China. And though Clinton’s impeachment did not result in
removal from office, it drew a line on his inappropriate behavior. This impeachment inquiry, though immersed in
outrage and hateful language, will, God-willing, quell threatening violence and
respect for truth back to our nation. We can and must agree to hold all our
leaders to our best American standards—truth and respect.
