The other day I wrote a post regarding the impassioned “speech” given at the “White House” press secretary’s podium by General John Kelly, Trump’s chief of staff.  In the post, I did my best to give Kelly the benefit of the doubt – with the conclusion being he should allow others to do the talking at the podium and just stay in the background (or words to that effect).  Well, after hearing ALL the words of the congress person he was sent out to attack, I’m glad he gave his speech – because, I’ve been listening to people “from both sides of the isle” giving Kelly the highest of praise since he took over as Trump’s chief of staff.  Well, obviously, there’s many in Washington DC who don’t/didn’t know Kelly very well.  We do now – and, personally, I don’t like what I see.

Kelly stood on that podium, which, until Trump came along, was noted for the HONESTY of the person speaking to “we the people.”  Kelly, himself, lamented about things he considered “sacred.”  Well, most of us have considered “sacred” the words coming from the president’s spokesperson – who speaks from the podium to reporters who keep “we the people” informed.  (at least, that’s how it’s supposed to work)  Since Trump became president we’ve seen Sean Spicer violate that “sacred” honor MANY times and, since he was unceremoniously FIRED, Sarah Huckabee Sanders has made one thing perfectly clear – she’s the daughter of Mike Huckabee.  That should tell you all you need to know.  You’d think the daughter of a minister of the faith would TELL THE TRUTH, but, noooooo – the lies keep coming.  (Of course, Huckabee has proven to be another person who deals in “alternative facts” – seemingly, whatever works to extend his “15 minutes of fame”)

Kelly started off his “laments” by saying “at one time, women were sacred.”  Now, I wasn’t sure how to take that one because, well, you know who he’s working for.  (women have NEVER been sacred to his boss – maybe Kelly missed the “Access Hollywood tape”)  I was guessing, he was making a veiled reference to the Weinstein situation that is, finally, causing people to – at least temporarily – take notice to the issue of sexual abuse of women.  You’d think, by the way, Trump would be feeling a bit uneasy as this “story” unfolds.  But, I digress…….  However, later in Kelly’s remarks it became clear what his real purpose was – and, it kind of reminded me of the Weinstein situation.  Kelly went after the Congress person from Florida – I believe her name is Frederica Wilson – with “both barrels.”  In fact, he called her an “empty barrel, whatever that’s supposed to mean (I took it to mean she wasn’t very smart.)

Kelly accused Congress person Wilson of taking the opportunity to dedicate a building in Florida, which was being named for two slain FBI agents, to aggrandize herself – kind of what Kelly’s boss does on a routine basis – when she gave remarks dedicating the building.  Kelly claimed Ms Wilson BRAGGED about gaining “$20 MILLION dollars from Obama” to get the building constructed and, basically he was suggesting her remarks were all about herself and how she was the reason the building was there in the first place (It’s an FBI building).  The two officers the building was named for died in a “shootout” in Miami back in 1986.

Keep in mind, Congress person Wilson is the member of Congress who was riding in the car with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson who was killed in Niger recently – they were on their way to the airport to receive the casket – which couldn’t be opened due to the FACT his body was not found for two days after he was killed.  Trump managed to call the widow as they were driving to the airport and Ms Wilson was in the car along with the widow’s parents – she put the phone on “speakerphone.”  The resulting words of Trump, who was apparently being coached on how to do this by Kelly, himself, were taken as insulting by the family.  Trump consoled the widow by saying, “He knew what he was getting into, but I guess it still hurts.”  Well, those words apparently made it hurt worse.  (I pointed out in my last post that when I joined the Marines in 1967 I, nor my friends, did so with the idea we would be killed – the more I’ve thought about it, we were all so young, we didn’t know what to think)  Ms Wilson couldn’t help but over hear the conversation along with Sgt. Johnson’s widow’s parents.  Suggesting she was “listening in” to the conversation, by Kelly, was a bit bizarre.

So, the Congress person relayed that Trump’s words were not taken well and the family felt insulted by what he said,  True to form, instead of calling them back and apologizing (I don’t think Trump is capable of doing that) and demonstrating some actual heart felt empathy Trump went after Congress person Wilson.  If you’ve watched Trump at all, this is no surprise.  Anyone who does not “bow” to him, gets it with “both barrels.”  Well, Trump’s attack on Ms Wilson wasn’t getting the intended result, so out comes General Kelly – the person EVERYONE admires and a “gold star” father himself – in fact, Trump brought Kelly into this bru ha ha by injecting Kelly’s son who was killed in Afghanistan (“I don’t think Obama called Kelly – you’ll have to ask him” – and, honestly, I believe that’s the last thing General Kelly wanted people asking him about)

Well, now we all know General Kelly much better.  Yesterday, the ENTIRE speech Frederica Wilson gave to dedicate the FBI building in Miami in 2015 was published – likely in many places.  Of course, like what happens to Trump all the time, now Kelly is initiated, there’s TV cameras everywhere when stuff like this happens.  And, those who record stuff like this have archives.  So, it was not hard to get Ms Wilson’s actual words so we could all hear here bragging about getting the money to build this FBI building instead of honoring the two fallen agents and their brethren.  Well, here’s the problem for General Kelly:  Ms Wilson didn’t say one word about the money. She didn’t mention President Obama’s name once as far as I could tell.  After listening to her words I had a much better idea of why Kelly is working for Trump.  (If you read my previous post I had to wonder, after all his reminiscing and lamenting about honor, why would he work for someone who is the opposite of his supposed “ideals?”)

I’ll make this simple.  Kelly was LYING.  There you have it – just like the rest of the people associated with Trump and his administration – he’s a LIAR.  Ms Wilson’s speech was actually a bit inspiring.  It was nice to hear a democrat giving effusive praise to republicans – two I can remember for sure were John Boehner and Marco Rubio – as being instrumental in the efforts to name the building for the two fallen agents.  That’s actually what most of her remarks were about – the process of getting the building named for these two agents in a short period of time.  She gave credit to the republicans for PUSHING it quickly through Congress.  She also gave praise to the FBI agents that was inspiring – at least to me.  It was not AT ALL about herself.  In fact, it was a wonderful speech and she was giving it because the building happened to be in her district.

Furthermore, yesterday I heard more about Ms Wilson’s history.  This is a very honorable woman – NOT an “empty barrel” – again, trying to figure out what that means – Ms Wilson took it as racist – certainly it was the demeaning type of words that characterize what women are fighting about in regards to the Weinstein situation – at a minimum.  And, based on the FACT Kelly is willingly working for Trump, I would be unwilling to suggest it’s NOT racist – Trump’s “White House” is there because of his support from the “White Nationalist” movement in this country.  Ms  Wilson was a teacher, a principal, a state representative, a state senator, and now an honorable representative in the House of Representatives.  She’s spent her live serving others!

Kelly, based on his words, had been carrying these thoughts about Ms Wilson for over two years.  How he interpreted her words in the way he did speaks volumes about his own prejudices – that he needs to revisit.  The bottom line is his speaking about how women, at one time, were “sacred” causes me to wonder how he could be so insensitive as to agree to give this speech – and, how he could have interpreted her words in the way he did.  I’ve heard many commentaries regarding how many “generals” didn’t like having a “Black person” as their commander in chief.  Apparently, Kelly is one of them, because invoking Obama’s name into this controversy as he did was strange.  I didn’t hear President Obama’s name mentioned once in Ms Wilson’s remarks.  Honestly, this leads me to believe Kelly is part of the group of crusty old white men who can’t give up their “white privilege.”  I really don’t know what else to say.

Although, to me, if I was giving his original speech, I would have added that “at one time, TELLING THE TRUTH was ‘sacred.'”  Of course, Kelly was not telling the truth and he works for someone who rarely, if ever, tells the truth and he was at a podium that has been STAINED by Spicer and, now, Sanders being willing to stand before the American people and, obviously, LIE.  Yesterday, Ms Sanders was still standing before “we the people” and answering questions from reporters, one day after Kelly’s remarks, reporters who had actually heard ALL of Ms Wilson’s remarks.  Ms Sanders “doubled down” and, to make matters worse, suggested that disagreeing with a “four star Marine General” is …………………………  I can’t remember the exact word – but almost like she was saying it’s unpatriotic to question someone who’s a general – despite the FACT he’s LYING.  We have to remember the Trump “White House” lives in a world of “alternative facts.”  (and, Trump’s authoritarian personality)

Sanders went even further.  After pointing out “we the people” have an obligation to believe whatever a “Marine four star General” says she was asked if she had seen the entire tape of Ms Wilson’s remarks and she replied she had.  Then, she said, inexplicably (and, I might add, very “Trumpian”)  “she made other remarks off camera that General Kelly heard.”  Of course, then we get into a “he said she said” situation that apparently Ms Sanders felt would get Kelly off the hook.  Well, I don’t think it will work and, what it really does, is further soils Ms Sanders in the eyes of those of us in the group I call “we the people” who don’t like being LIED to and who actually check things out to figure out if someone’s LYING.  Ms Sanders was LYING – trying to make Kelly look better.

I said, yesterday, General Kelly would be better served staying in the background.  However, now that we know more about him, to me, he’s got two HONORABLE options.  He could return to that podium and apologize to representative Wilson and “own” that he remembered things incorrectly.  (of course, as someone associated with Trump, that’s probably impossible)  The other option is to RESIGN.  Let’s assume his original remarks were actually from his heart – then he’s being CORRUPTED by his time in the “White House” and, whatever he’s accomplishing there is not worth that.  If he’s the honorable man he tried to portray himself as, he should RESIGN immediately.  I doubt that he will, I doubt that he’ll apologize, and, my guess is, he’ll continue to delude himself into believing he heard words that were NEVER spoken.

What’s interesting is this building, apparently, was constructed prior to Ms Wilson becoming the representative for that area – at least the funding was approved prior to her service.  That’s why it was so strange that Kelly invoked the money and President Obama into his LIE.  Kind of makes me think he’s got issues with Black people in high places.  Again, that also makes it clearer to me why he’s willing to work in the “White House” for a man who has openly violated the very principles Kelly feels are sacred.  There’s a sad reality for both of these men, Kelly and Trump (and, I should add, Ms Sanders) – they should apologize.  Can you imagine what the public reaction would be if both Kelly and Trump apologized? (Trump should simply apologize to the widow of Sgt. Johnson)  It would be a simple solution to this most recent Trump created scandal (which has successfully taken the public attention away from a budget deal that apparently cuts over a TRILLION dollars from Medicaid and Medicare).  But, Trump NEVER apologizes – for ANYTHING – and, I’m guessing, neither will Kelly.  And, quite possibly, this “scandal” serves their purposes!

Final thought: Again, I’m publishing this piece without re-reading and editing.  Apologies for the “foo pahs.”