Arlington National Cemetery is a gathering place. Foremost for those who have served and offered their country the highest of sacrifice. It is a gathering place for their families and friends to mourn them, to remember them, to walk among the fallen as they find the strength to continue standing. For most of us, we are lucky to only know of Arlington through the media, most notably each year on Memorial Day as there is an official ceremony, and a speech and laying of the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, typically done by the current President.
It is done with the utmost honor, seriousness, and thanks on behalf of a grateful nation.
What Arlington is not, is a photo op for desperate politicians.
Until yesterday.
Cue one D (for desperate) J (for massive jerk) Trump. As his campaign continues to flail and fling all manner of political poo at their opponents, the brain trust that makes up his staff decided to use Arlington National Cemetery for a photo op. I again highlight the word DESPERATE here as they are desperate to drown out the book tour interviews of Trump's former national security advisor, General H.R. McMaster, in which he offers blistering accounts of his time in the center of Trump's sycophancy.
McMaster's comments and book excerpts have also brought back into focus the myriad derisive comments draft dodger Trump has made about our military members. "Losers" and "suckers" - those slurs were uttered during a trip to France in which Cinderfella refused to go to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery to honor American dead for fear the rain would undo his 'do. According to four people on that trip he said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” And as reported in the Atlantic, In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.
His comments deriding John McCain for having been a POW - "I like people who weren’t captured.”
And of course, showing up at Arlington will surely obscure the memory of his five draft deferments - once for imaginary bone spurs, four others because of college. And while it was certainly not uncommon for the sons of wealthy families to find ways to avoid the draft back in the day, you would think someone like Trump would keep his trap shut and simply honor those who have served.
But hey, Trump is Trump. A blowhard, self aggrandizing narcissist who cannot help himself. That is how we have heard him spout gems like comparing his sexual escapades to Vietnam during an interview with Howard Stern. And stating that attending a military school afforded him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.”
Again, STFU.
Yesterday's stunt took his mocking of our troops to a new low. While Memorial Day is obviously the one we are all familiar with in terms of laying the wreath, it can be done throughout the year, daily even.
A group may honor U.S. veterans and members of the armed forces by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Public wreath ceremonies are limited to one per group per day, with a maximum of four participants in the ceremony. The wreath for the ceremony is provided by the participants.
What happened beyond the wreath - supposedly to honor the 13 soldiers whose lives were lost during the Afghanistan withdrawal (and politicize their deaths against the Biden/Harris administration) - is where things took a serious turn for the worst in Trump's behavior towards our fallen and the hallowed ground of Arlington. (Not “hollowed” as Trump lackey and mouthpiece Chris LaCivita wrote. Idiot.)
In a news piece from NPR yesterday afternoon, it was revealed that campaign staffers had actually gotten physical with Arlington staff as they tried to make the Trump people adhere to the rules of the Cemetery regarding Area 60 - one of the most solemn of places, where the most recent of fallen soldiers are buried, and referred to as "the saddest acre in America."
“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign,” the statement said, adding that “a report was filed” over the incident.
“Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants,” the statement said.
His staff were verbally abusive and shoved their way past the staffer who tried in vain to do their job. But let's be honest. What do you expect from the likes of Corey Lewandowski and the boys?
Photos then poured forth from Trump's campaign of him standing AT graves with families, giving his ridiculous and offensive thumbs up. A thumbs up, at a grave site. I just can't...
What is the translation here? "Hey, way to go to this sucker and loser we are standing over!"
By evening the photos and video had been made into a Tik Tok by his campaign staff. I'm not kidding.
The degree to which this campaign is tone deaf and so not self aware is staggering. And that their equally dim cult lap it up? I'm sorry, but if you shit in a bowl and then cover it with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry, IT'S NOT A SUNDAE. It's still a bowl of shit.
Speaking of which...
In addition to Trump's disrespect yesterday, his running mate with the Simple Jack haircut was heard on yet another tape speaking ill about those with no children. This time teachers.
In it he states that teachers without biological children, "disorient and really disturb" him.
Unearthed audio: JD Vance says teachers who do not have biological children “disorient and really disturb” him: “She should have some of her own [children]” pic.twitter.com/Rqx2PLfjT5
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 27, 2024
I'm sorry, WHAT? This fixation on anyone without children, especially biological, is just creepy. He was, not surprisingly, speaking at a Christian conference. “So many of the leaders of the left, and I hate to be so personal about this, but they’re people without kids trying to brainwash the minds of our children. And that really disorients me, and it really disturbs me,” the then-Ohio Senate candidate lamented. “Randi Weingarten, who’s the head of the most powerful teachers’ union in the country, she doesn’t have a single child. If she wants to brainwash and destroy the minds of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.”
For the record, Weingarten is a parent by marriage, as are many in this world. But think about that. Poor Simple Jack is disturbed and disoriented by those teaching who don't have progeny. I thought back over all my years in school and honestly cannot remember any teacher who I knew had children, save one. A high school sub, and even then I only knew because I briefly dated one of her sons.
Given how we pay and treat teachers in this country, we are lucky young people still come out of college ready to take on the job. Should they not be allowed into the ranks until they have married (cis het, obviously) and brought forth life? Just stop. Having a child come out of your body is not some magical qualifier, although Vance seems to think it should be one to vote, to participate in democracy, and now to teach.
Adding to the shit parfait that is the Trump campaign is the newly acquired leech of Robert Kennedy, Jr. Having been spurned by the Harris campaign, he turned his attention to the easier target of Trump, suspending his campaign, and throwing his endorsement behind the tangerine twatwaffle. His aspirations? To be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Yes, this antivaxxing, whale head chopping, bear dumping, brain worm addled, saddlebag looking mfer wants to be in charge of our health. (The worm could not be reached for comment.)
Simple Jack, Trump, and RFK - if ever a picture was more apt...
It's only Wednesday and the cherry is already on top of the mess that is the MAGAsphere. Trump ended the day yesterday with Jack Smith's superceding indictment against him, obtained from yet another grand jury. Which was perfect timing for Trump's latest grift: new NFT trading cards. I'm not kidding. Watch and laugh.
The pretend "cards" are $99 a piece - images of an imaginary buff Trump dancing, holding Bitcoin, etc. But wait! If you order 15 or more ($1485+) you will receive a physical card with - are you ready? - a piece of the clownsuit he wore to his debate with President Biden. NOT KIDDING.
“We’ll cut up the knock-out suit, and you’re going to get a piece of it and we’ll be randomly autographing five of them, a true collector’s item, this is something to give your family, your kids, your grandchildren.”
I can just imagine that thing being removed from a safe deposit box after the reading of a will. The only thing I would want my granddaughter to use it for would be to wipe her ass.
BUT WAIT!
If you buy 75 digital cards, at a cost $7,425, you will get to attend a gala dinner with Trump at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida.
To use one of his favorite words: SAD. Sad that his grift of the rubes is so relentless, but then those legal bills won't pay themselves. Sadder still that his cult will happily pony up that much cash - all the while complaining about the price of eggs - and think they have something special, something to leave the grandkids.
This campaign cannot be over soon enough. 69 days till we send a blue wave so thunderous and sweeping that it washes him and his batshit supporters back into their hidey holes. 69 days until this charlatan, who thought so little of flouting the rules and defiling Arlington while his staffers assaulted a worker, is shown to the dustbin of history. 69 days until JOY kills Trumpism, Project 2025, and the threat of fascism taking over this country.
Take it to the grave, Donold. Just leave our soldiers out of it.
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