Have we no decency anymore?

What was the point? I mean, for the son of the president to post his "meme" the other day? In normal times we would expect a Trump family member to disown what Donald Trump Jr. did. 

And DJT was up on the roof of the White House for what reason? To be cute? Or, because he knew the media would do cartwheels giving attention to this? Don't you know this is a prime instinct of his? You haven't recognized that yet? 

The son of the president went on this platform called Instagram to commit his mischief. If only it had been harmless mischief. It still would not have warranted serious media attention. But we're in the age of being saturated with media. It comes at us from all directions. We can sift through this and find our favorite "podcast" in the middle of the night if we want. 

When I was a kid, KCMT TV of Alexandria would reach the end of its "broadcast day." And we'd see stock footage of Air Force planes on a carrier while the National Anthem played. Yes, always vigilant about supporting a new war. Very strange that it took a disgusting president like DJT to at least open our eyes to how the U.S. needn't commit itself to a foreign military engagement every few years. 

"Everything Trump" has dragged the nation into the gutter. And we hardly seem conscious of it. My attempts at opening people's eyes are met by incredulousness and then insults. "You're a Trump hater." I hardly care about the Trumps on a personal level because I will never have a personal relationship with any of them. The problem with DJT now is that he has the power to affect our lives. He got three million fewer votes than Hillary Clinton in 2016. He ascended to the presidency anyway. 

Oh, the time I spent watching MSNBC news shows about it all. I'd hate to realize the number of hours. Everything was laid out for us to appreciate. But the president had high-powered lawyers at the ready at every juncture. Ready to appeal (endlessly) and obfuscate to stretch things out and eventually prevail, or at least survive. 

So we're in another morning of all this, Monday in August 2025, right after our county fair. I obviously check the news because it's my nature to be aware and educated. I don't need to go to church to be told how to think and how it's essential for Trump to rule. 

I didn't attend church at all yesterday. It's discouraging because even though I attend an ELCA church which tries to be reasonable amid all that's going on, I have to live with the reality that my church of First Lutheran in Morris has fallen into very hard times, precisely because we're in the "liberal" or "progressive" ELCA. 

And I know at least one family in my church that had "Trump" signs on their yard. So the phenomenon is everywhere. This while Trump is quite out in the open wanting to establish an autocracy. He crosses lines that were carefully drawn in the past. Most significantly, the line that calls for the Federal Reserve to be left alone. Violate that dictum and the country could fall apart. And it may well be on the verge of falling apart. 

Fire an agency head who is responsible for collecting accurate data like for jobs and inflation. Make sure agency heads only deliver numbers that the president feels will make him look good. All this is happening right out in the open. 

I try sharing cautionary notes. But even my measured and well-thought-out statements are met with crude and insulting responses. How can I even respect the Christian faith anymore? Can you tell me why I should? 

MAGA supports what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. As a person of conscience I cannot countenance that even for a moment. Many of the Palestinians are Christian, in case anyone cares. 

We may soon be seeing "indictments" for Barack Obama, James Comey and others. MAGA will passively observe, register no objection. These people fill our Stevens County churches. FLC is an outlier and FLC appears to be going extinct along with Federated Church. Yes the two churches can "pair" for a time as they are doing now. It's a prelude to dissolution. Nothing can stop DJT. 

My own personal welfare may start to be affected. Well I'm 70 years old and have had a good life. Michelle Fischbach will not respond to me. Torrey Westrom will not respond to me. I emailed Westrom with my concern about what the total anti-DEI push from the Federal government might mean for UMN-Morris. I told him I was actually a stakeholder in UMM. Then I wondered: Is Westrom even capable of reading emails? It's well-known that his vision is limited. 

Maybe you missed the news about what the son of DJT did the other day. I won't score any points for pointing this out but I'll do it anyway. The son of the president posted a "meme" of his father throwing a green dildo from the White House roof. The photoshopped image merged the roof appearance with the scene of a basketball court with women players on it. So that's where he was tossing the sex toy. 

Can someone explain to me the point of this? There was a time when such behavior would have brought howls of disapproval from all over. But in 2025? Our U.S. environment is so fundamentally different. And "Christians" are the worst offenders. 

Maybe I can privately show homage to the faith in the way that my late mother would approve. But the organized Christian faith appears to be on the verge of destroying America.

 

Addendum: Was the son of the president trying to make a statement about women's basketball as opposed to men's? Was he trying to diss the women, to poke fun at them? To suggest maybe that women should not be playing basketball at a high level? Would we have ever achieved full equality of boys and girls sports if Republicans had been in charge all along? Of course not.

Will Republicans with their considerable power at present try to diminish girls and women's sports? We have a congressperson here in western Minnesota who would not disagree with a single thing that the Trumps put forth. Not a whimper. Is that really who we are? Well I guess "yes."

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com