Don’t Ignore Trump’s Dishonorable Use of Arlington National Cemetery

Living in the Hampton Roads of Virginia one is surrounded by a huge military personnel presence.  Numerous friends and neighbors are either in the military - usually the Navy or Air Force - or are veterans.   Some have loved ones buried at Arlington National Cemetery and we have one late friend who is awaiting burial at Arlington.   Arlington National Cemetery should never be used as a campaign prop and indeed, the cemetery rules and regulations bar political campaign activities.  Yet, Donald Trump did exactly what is prohibited when he made an appearance and filmed and photographed there (purportedly at the invitation of family members of a fallen soldier ) in an attempt to blame the Biden-Harris administration for the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle. Trump, of course, left out the fact that it was he himself who had negotiated with the Taliban, did a large troop withdrawal and left Biden in a mess. Those who invited Trump seemingly were clueless as to Trump's role in setting the stage for what happened three years ago. The whole situation underscores the reality that Trump has no honor and no morals and indeed holds the rights of others in contempt as demonstrated by Trump's unauthorized use of the music of over 30 songwriters and musicians who have demanded he cease and desist (some have sued Trump).   With Trump, the only thing that matters is himself and I remain dumb founded by those who support him and in a display of idiocy believe that Trump gives a damn about them. A column in the Washington Post looks at Trump's dishonorable behavior: 

Donald Trump has shown the nation, once again, that he has no shame.  You knew that, of course. But hauling a camera crew to Arlington National Cemetery and exploiting the fresh graves of heroes — using them as props in his presidential campaign — was more than a violation of the cemetery’s rules; it was more, even, than a violation of federal law. It was a deeply dishonorable act by a shockingly dishonorable man.

Just because we are accustomed to this kind of behavior from Trump does not mean we should accept it. Just because he has no sense of honor or appreciation of sacrifice does not mean we have to pretend honor and sacrifice no longer exist. Just because “Trump is an awful person” is an old story does not mean we should yawn at this latest demonstration and quickly move on.

Section 60 at Arlington Cemetery is the resting place of the men and women who most recently gave what Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion” to their country.

There is everything wrong, though, with that former president using the occasion to generate visual fodder for his bid to return to the White House. Trump brought along a photographer and videographer from his campaign to capture images of the visit — which his campaign team knew, and he surely knew, was forbidden.

And, of course, there is everything wrong with physically shoving aside a worker at the cemetery who was doing her job and trying to enforce the rules.

“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,” Arlington Cemetery officials said this week in a statement. This was made clear to Trump’s team as the visit was being planned, officials said — including the strict enforcement of the rule at Section 60, where grief and loss are still raw.

“What was abundantly clear-cut was: Section 60, no photos and no video,” a defense official told The Post.

Despite that warning, though, the Trump team brought its cameras into Section 60. When a cemetery employee tried to stop them, according to The Post, “a larger male campaign aide insisted the camera was allowed and pushed past the cemetery employee, leaving her shocked.”

No one can dismiss the incident as a misunderstanding by Trump and his aides, since their official position is that Trump is infallible. The campaign’s response, as usual, was a lie — a false and gratuitously cruel statement from spokesman Steven Cheung to NPR, which first reported the cemetery clash . . . .

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), tried to chime in MAGA-style by attacking Vice President Kamala Harris — the surging Democratic Party presidential nominee — for any role she might have played in the Afghanistan withdrawal. . . . . Vance said at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. “She can go to hell.”

For the record, at that point Harris had not yelled, or said anything at all, about the cemetery incident.

Also for the record, it was Trump who negotiated the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and forced the Afghan government to release thousands of jailed Taliban fighters in a prisoner swap. Those decisions helped make possible the Taliban’s swift return to power.

And a point of personal privilege: The ashes of my father-in-law and mother-in-law, Edward Rhodes Collins and Annie Ruth Collins, are interred at Arlington. He was a Navy veteran who came under fire in the South Pacific during World War II and later in Korea.

Arlington National Cemetery is a place of honor. Donald Trump thinks honor is for suckers and losers — and values sacrifice only if it might help him win an election. Do not become numb to his nature.