I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God. — Military Oath of Enlistment
The recent passing of former President George HW Bush is certainly the end of an era. Not only was he the last presidential representative of the Greatest Generation, but the forty-first President was most definitely a man of uncommon integrity in an age when most public servants are often self-indulgent. The Founding Fathers believed public service was an obligation not to be taken lightly. Bush’s record of public service speaks for itself and I imagine will be publicly discussed and securitized in the coming weeks.
One of the saddest parts of today’s politics is in the inability to see beyond one’s own political ideology. Surely the policies of the Reagan and Bush years where not always conducive to the black community, particularly a black community trying to recover from the racist policies of Jim Crow. But conservatism emphasizes personal initiative and ingenuity, qualities that are supposedly color-blind. But it wasn’t Bush’s policies that I admire. It was his character.
In 1995, home-grown terrorist Timothy McVeigh bombed the Federal building in Oklahoma City. Shortly thereafter the usual debate over guns ensured. The National Rifle Association, the self-professed defenders of the Second Amendment, referred to federal agents as “armed terrorists” who kill law abiding citizens. Like McVeigh, the NRA referenced incidents in Waco and Ruby Ridge where federal agents engaged fellow Americans who believed our government’s laws didn’t apply to them.
Because of the NRA’s over-the-top condemnation of federal agents and implicit support for home-grown terrorists, George H.W. Bush penned a letter to the NRA resigning his life membership in the organization. That was 1995.
The NRA was/is a significant contributor to Republican candidates. Granted, it was 1995 and Bush was no longer President. But he did have two sons with their own political careers that might need the kind of financial support only the NRA can provide. This is where that unique character trait showed up. I feel sure Bush considered the consequences of publicly rebuking the NRA. But he did it anyway.
The NRA was wrong in criticizing federal agents who were doing their jobs. By the way, that job is to protect American citizens by defending the Constitution from all enemies, domestic and foreign. McVeigh was domestic enemy. The Branch Davidians fired upon ATF agents executing legal arrest warrants. That makes them domestic enemies as well. With the Ruby Ridge incident in 1992, federal agents were again executing legal warrants when they were assaulted. Again, domestic enemies.
I understand the history of this country. The idea of living free from tyranny fueled the Revolutionary War. But this isn’t 1775.
But what has always intrigued me is the fact that the domestic terrorists the NRA defended were white. What if it were Los Angeles’ Compton or Houston’s Fifth Ward instead of Ruby Ridge and Waco? Would the NRA have referred to federal agents as “jack-booted thugs” then? I doubt it. But I digress.
Bush publicly rebuked the NRA because they were wrong to support those who attack federal agents (which is the same as attacking this country). By definition, that’s treason, and the penalty for treason is death. Timothy McVeigh was put to death on June 11, 2001. Sadly, none of Bush’s ilk followed his lead.
Nonetheless, he made a profound statement in 1995. A statement that I can’t help but respect, regardless of his conservative politics. Yes, he was a Republican, but he was a Republican with a special kind of uncommon integrity. How many of today’s politicians, Republican or Democrat, have that kind of integrity?
See you soon.
PS. Still waiting on those promised tax returns.