Burke: A bolt worked for Saul, Sgt. York; why not Trump?
Published 1:30 am Monday, June 8, 2020
By Tom Burke / Herald columnist
Alvin York was a sergeant in World War I; a pacifist who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for saving his mates in a no-name fire-fight during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. And in 1941 they made a movie about him. (“Sergeant York” starred Gary Cooper and was 1941’s biggest-grossing hit.)
The film was typical of its time: basic truth with Hollywood embellishments to improve the narrative.
Now, there’s a scene in the movie that’s probably an embellishment but rings true to York’s life; and I have been waiting three years to see it replayed.
York was depicted as a wild ‘un; living a dissolute life in Pall Mall, the Valley of the Three Forks of the Wolf, in Fentress County, Tenn. But on Jan. 1, 1915 he had a religious conversion, dedicated his life to Christianity, and became a pacifist.
In the movie, on his way to commit a murder, York and his mule were struck by lightning on a lonely mountain road. Both survived but his rifle was split asunder and the shoes knocked off the mule. He then walks, dazed, into his rural church and Pastor Pyle (Walter Brennan, in an iconic role) leads him to God as the rustic congregation sings “Give Me That Old Time Religion.” Anyone not moved by that scene is a slug.
Well, for three-plus years I’ve been waiting for a national bolt of lightning or a repeat of Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus when, according to Acts 9:3-9, he was shown the light, literally, by Jesus and became Paul, a disciple of Christ.
I’ve been waiting for that instant in time when one thunderous event shows the MAGA multitude Donald Trump is a fraud, huckster and incompetent. A failure as a man and as a president.
And I’m still waiting.
Nothing Donald Trump has done or said seems to be the flash, showing truth to the devoted in his cult:
• Not when he praised China for handling the coronavirus; then accused it of perfidy; “I spoke with President Xi, and they’re working very, very hard. And I think it’s all going to work out fine.”
And “This is really the worst attack we’ve ever had. … There’s never been an attack like this, it should’ve never happened. It could’ve been stopped at the source. It could’ve been stopped in China.”
• Not when he said COVID-19 would miraculously go away; and more than 100,000 are dead; “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine. … Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away.”
• Not when drugs he vigorously touted were shown ineffective (and potentially deadly); Dr. Anthony Fauci said, “The scientific data is really quite evident now about (hydroxychloroquine’s) lack of efficacy.”
• Not when claiming North Korea’s nukes were done and he was in love with Kim; and now Kim is announcing more nukes; “Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office. There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.” And The official (North) Korean Central News Agency reported on May 24, “Set forth at the meeting (where Kim presided) were new policies for further increasing the nuclear war deterrence of the country.”
• Not when he said Mexico would pay; “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.” Not when he said, “Only I can fix it.”
Trump is showing, daily, not only hasn’t he fixed it, he’s made everything incalculably worse: deaths from COVID-19; the economy; and the injustice of institutional racism.
I though Trump’s gassing peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square for a phony photo-op would be the moment. It wasn’t.
But maybe, just maybe, his dividing the American people and threat to use active U.S. military units (including the same 82nd Division in which Sgt. York served) to “dominate” lawful American-citizen protesters, would be enough.
It’s clearly enough for former Secretary of Defense James Mattis and current Secretary of Defense Mark Esper; former Joint Chiefs head Adm. Mike Mullen and current Joint Chiefs commander Mark Milley. Retired Marine Gen. John Allen; Air Force Chief of Staff Goldfein; the Superintendent of the Air Force Academy Jay Silveria; James Miller, a Defense Department adviser; and former White House chief of staff John Kelly have also repudiated Trump’s actions. Plus President George W. Bush and Sens. Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney – all of whom should be enough solid “R” heroes to convince the staunchest red-meat MAGAs to dump Trump.
So what more could it take to break through to Trump’s base?
Whatever it is that brings us to a MAGA’s “Road to Damascus” moment, I fear the consequences we suffer from it may be too terrible to be healed.
Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.
