Tea at Trianon: The President I Didn’t Want

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, July 16, 2018

The President I Didn’t Want

From USA Today:

First, he picked Mike Pence as his running mate. As I’ve written before, I’ve known Pence for over 20 years and he has the conservative bona fides. So, of course, I supported this decision. Then, after taking office, Trump began to reverse President Barack Obama's executive orders and burdensome regulations on businesses. He approved the Keystone XL pipeline. He cut taxes and the economy picked up steam. Again, I supported these decisions. Sure, he failed to repeal Obamacare, but its individual mandate was repealed in the tax-cut bill.

As a Christian, I have been accused of hypocrisy and my faith has been questioned for not condemning Trump's past extramarital affairs, his language and treatment of women. Look, I know he is a deeply flawed man. So am I. The Bible says we all are. But evangelicals believe in grace and forgiveness and are commanded to pray for our leaders. So I support him in prayer.

Trump has proven to be pro-religious liberty, pro-life and pro-Israel. He moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and began negotiations to denuclearize North Korea. I support all of these policies. There have been a few hiccups. Trump signed a budget bill that increased the national debt, which is now over $21 trillion. The Russia probe is still a cloud over his administration, and I don't like trade wars.

But here’s the dominating reason I’ve changed my mind about Trump's ability to lead: judges. I support his picks of Justice Neil Gorsuch, his new U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and the host of conservative federal judges that Trump has gotten confirmed. I shudder to think of the activist judges that a President Hillary Clinton would have picked.

In my opinion, Trump has had the most successful 18 months as president than any other I've ever drawn. So yes, I support his presidency. I admit that I was wrong about Trump. He's not a clown. He's a businessman, entertainer, and now the president that I didn't want but now think we need. (Read more.)

Pictures of President and Mrs. Trump in the UK, HERE and HERE. Share

2 comments:

julygirl said...: Regarding the trade wars....we must keep in mind Trump's negotiating style and methods. All the hoopla about the trade issue is affecting his negotiating technique which is being undermined. So people need to shut up and trust the President.; July 16, 2018 at 12:17:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I agree.; July 16, 2018 at 10:14:00 PM EDT