Draining the Swamp Again?

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.