What Ever Happened to Respect?

I have a neighbor who proudly flies an "F*** Biden" flag in his front yard. Not a “Let’s Go, Brandon” flag, an actual flag with the F word on full display. And we have kids who live in our neighborhood. He has kids. I’m shocked, but I shouldn’t be. I’ve watched this growing over the past few years, this complete and total lack of respect for the office of the Presidency. And I know just who to hold responsible.

I place full blame on the Democratic Party, Liberals, and the Mainstream Media (which on a Venn Diagram would be pretty close to a perfect circle). If you don’t believe me, go back and examine the way these three groups attacked President Donald Trump for the four years he held the office, and compare that to the treatment of previous administrations. Now, I’m not claiming he didn’t say and do plenty that deserved criticism, but never in my lifetime have I ever witnessed the kind of overt disrespect for the occupant of the Oval Office.

And some of those who preceded him clearly did not always deserve our respect. Nixon (likely) committed criminal acts while President. Clinton committed adultery, probably right in the Oval Office! Obama managed to keep a lid on most of his scandals without facing the wrath of the press, but Trump was given zero respect (and tons of disrespect) for four years. And again, I’m talking about the elected leader of our country.

Many of you may still recall when a member of Congress blurted out “you lie” during an Obama joint session address. People were shocked! The House wasted no time in voting to issue a formal rebuke to the offending Representative. House chastises South Carolina representative who called Obama a liar | US news | The Guardian How dare someone treat the President that way!

Until Trump! Democrats and the MSM openly called him a liar on an almost daily basis for his entire term. Read the first paragraph alone of the following article if you want just a sampling of the treatment he received. Why the Media Must Call President Trump a Liar (esquire.com) On one particular occasion, a sitting member of Congress called President Trump a “Motherf***r” in a public statement and was roundly applauded by her colleagues and the media. Seriously? No censure, no rebuke, no action whatsoever? US Congresswoman calls Trump a motherf***** (yahoo.com)

Now, I’m not talking about the tabloids, or social media which often features hilarious memes and sarcastic comments directed toward various celebrities and politicians. I’m talking about the Mainstream Media - respected newspapers and the nightly network news! And of course, the talk shows and reward shows or basically anytime that a Liberal celebrity gets in front of a microphone. But for those closer to my generation, can you imagine Walter Cronkite calling a sitting President a liar? I can’t.

As a public school teacher, I often lectured unruly students on the concept of respect for authority. Despite their personal opinions of me (or other teachers or school personnel), we deserved at least a minimum of respect as the person of authority in the classroom. Even if they did not respect us, they could not openly be disrespectful to us. It was simply not acceptable behavior. The same rules should apply throughout our society.

As Christians, we are instructed by the apostle Paul to submit to governing authorities which are established by God. (Romans 13: 1-7) And submission implies at least civility, if not respect. Do you think God was surprised by the election of Donald Trump? Or Joe Biden? We may have been, but He wasn’t! And if these are authorities that He has established or instituted, shouldn’t we accept and then respect those persons of authority? Of course, we should.

So, I don’t fly vulgar flags. Or proclaim “Let’s Go, Brandon.” (Even though I find the origin of that particular phrase hilarious!) I choose to respect the office. I’m an American, and regardless of who I did or didn’t vote for or support, Joe Biden is my President. And I have enough love for my country to not be disrespectful to our elected leader. Just saying.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read! Have a great week and let me know what you think!