With race-baiting opportunists like Frederica Wilson, nothing is too sacred.

Frederica

Tell me, what is RACIST about calling an attention-seeking, political opportunist and Trump hater an “empty barrel?” Does the person flinging the racism bomb know what the expression means? Maybe Frederica Wilson does now. Yet she’s sticking to her guns and has picked a fight with the wrong man.

Frederica, Donald Trump is an easy target and not worth your time, but your fight is not with John Kelly either. And if you choose to train your empty barrels on him, you will lose—and not because he’ll return fire, but because you’ll look even more foolish if you tangle with a person of Kelly’s character.

The brouhaha

Back to the original cause of this imbroglio: Trump, against White House Chief of Staff and former Marine Corps General Kelly’s advice, called Gold Star widow Myeshia Johnson, friend of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, to express his condolences for the death of her husband, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, in an October 4th terrorist attack in Niger.

Here’s the portion of the call that inflamed Wilson: while discussing Sgt. La David T. Johnson’s sacrifice, Trump said, “He knew what he signed up for … but when it happens it hurts anyway.” This bothered Wilson and angered Myeshia Johnson. But when taken in context with the rest of the call, it strikes me as much less insensitive than at first blush.

As a veteran, I can tell you that all servicemen and women know what they’re getting into when they sign the contract. It’s not just a job. This is what Frederica Wilson apparently doesn’t understand. And it’s what many media members don’t seem to get. Serving in the military is not like volunteering for the Peace Corps. Again, it’s not just a job.

Because we know what we’re getting into makes the commitment to such dangerous service that much more meaningful and praiseworthy. Trump, in his typically ham-handed way, actually elevated Sgt. La David T. Johnson’s sacrifice; Wilson lowered it to an attention-seeking opportunity to vent her Trump hatred.

Grief is personal

The Gold Star widow says Trump’s words upset her. That’s okay. She has a right to feel any way she wants in her grief. Wilson does not. She’s a United States congresswoman and should know better than to seize on a cheap political opportunity and then double down with absurd racism claims about empty barrels.

Frederica, your hats are goofy enough—you don’t have to act like a doofus.

And now she claims that the Niger attack is Trump’s Benghazi and is demanding an apology from John Kelly for “character assassination.” And this after calling him a “puppet of the president.” Wilson is also questioning whether our forces in Niger had the equipment they needed. No, Frederica, the Niger terrorist attack is no one’s Benghazi. It’s a different animal altogether.

How low can you go, congresswoman?

A better question is this: How in the world were you elected to Congress? You’re a bigmouthed, partisan hack. And worse, you’re playing the race card because a former Marine Corps general with two master’s degrees called you out for what you are—a loud, empty-worded politician who pursues political and ideological gain over respect and propriety.

Frederica

Poor service record, Frederica

Frederica Wilson, for all her concern for Sgt. La David T. Johnson’s grieving family, has a poor record of voting against measures that would help veterans and their families.

In 2013, Wilson voted against a resolution that would ensure benefits to the families of four slain soldiers in Afghanistan would be paid in spite of a government shutdown in October that year. According to the New York Times, the families were denied burial benefits and up to $100,000, among other benefits, because the measure failed.

Wilson has also opposed numerous bills designed to improve the Veterans Administration. Instead of honoring the service of veterans and their families, she spends her time (and your tax dollars) sponsoring bills like the one in 2015 that was introduced on what would have been Trayvon Martin’s 20th birthday to press “any State legislature to reject or repeal Stand Your Ground legislation.”

Apparently Wilson is all about honoring criminal teenagers rather than those who have risked life and limb serving our country. Yet now that there’s political hay to be made against an impulsive president, Wilson is front and center and is suddenly fighting for the families of slain servicemen. She claims she has “mentored” the Gold Star widow, Myeshia Johnson.

Please, Ms. Johnson, don’t emulate the congresswoman. She’s as foolish as the president with whom she’s at war. And she’s as beneath the character and dignity of his chief of staff as an empty barrel can get.

6 Replies to “With race-baiting opportunists like Frederica Wilson, nothing is too sacred.”

  1. Oh sweetie I don’t even know where to start with this one. Your passion is glorious. General Kelly could have taken the high road by sticking to what was the important thing here – the service of those 4 heroes. He could have been the one to stop the wheels from coming completely off the train wreck that Trump started. As soon as Trump opened his mouth those 4 men were thrown under the bus along with General Kelley’s son. If he would have stuck to those 4 serviceman he could have elegantly shamed the congresswoman and everyone else into silence. But as anyone who spends time in that clown car of a white house he had to grab on to something that had absolutely nothing to do with the death of those 4 heroes. Those 4 heroes were nowhere to be seen in his dressing down of all those who have not served. Shame on him. He surrendered his dignity.

    Bless those precious souls and all those who serve this country. If I haven’t thanked you before thank you for your service.

    I would think that General Kelley should have realized that the words spoken from one serviceman to another takes on a whole new meaning uttered from the mouth of a draft dodging, degrader of a prisoner of war and another Gold Star Family, who is missing the empathy gene and is the human embodiment of the 7 Deadly Sins.

    P.S.
    I have lived on this earth 3 months shy of 70 years. I would be interested to know when exactly women were sacred — maybe the same mysterious time that American Was Great. For something that is mentioned a lot no one can name a specific year or years.

    1. Hi, Joanne

      I agree with you—Kelly should have taken the high road. Can we also agree that Trump seldom does? But I cannot agree that Kelly surrendered his dignity. Let’s face it—he was stunned and angered that Wilson invaded into where she and her politics don’t belong.

      Trump is a draft dodger? Like Bill Clinton? I have to say that the Vietnam War was a unique one. I’m not sure if I were of draft age at the time, I wouldn’t have dodged. I’m not sure I can blame either president on that score.

      Missing the empathy gene? Is that your careful opinion as a geneticist? Embodiment of the seven deadly sins? C’mon, Joanne—you’re sounding like JPav ;-).

      I would say American women were most respected between the passing of the 19th Amendment in 1920 and, say, 1969 and the full-blown sexual revolution. Women aren’t sacred, and neither are men.

      And I would also say America was the greatest nation on earth and at its apex during WWII and just prior to that same revolution. So maybe December 1941 to the Summer of ’69.

      How’s that?

  2. As someone who was born in 1948 and graduated in 1966 I can actually speak from being there. Women were often not allowed to own homes or have charge cards in their name. We all knew to lie when asked at a job interview if there was a possibility of becoming pregnant. Woman with children or having no guarantee of childlessness were an “inconvenience” and a legitimate reason for not getting hired. Somehow men with children were never a problem. “Female” jobs/careers were office worker, nurse, or teacher. Nice women would never enjoy sex. If there was sex outside of marriage women were sluts – men were studs. Women killed themselves rather than face the humiliation, shame and ostracization from a pregnancy when not married. Part of it was knowing they wouldn’t be able to provide for that child as there was no recourse when the “invisible man” in the equation simply walked away and most employers steered clear of unwed mothers. Those children were called bastards. Women stayed in abusive marriages. We had to wear dresses that covered our knees to school and work. Not so funny thing, women were still harassed and/or raped. I hated always kicking up mud on the back of my nylon covered legs when walking in the rain. Even after a divorce men were not be forced to pay child support – I know this one because I lived it.

    I will always pray that some day there will be good alternatives to an abortion except in the matter of life and death. There are many reasons that the alternatives available are even worse than abortion. Many good things have happened for women since Roe v Wade that have less to do with abortion and more to do with the awesomeness of owning your own body. Personally I would never think my voice should overrule another’s voice about their own body. I wouldn’t overrule my husband’s voice about his body. – just my personal feelings. It takes two to tango and there has NEVER been parity when it comes to blame or responsibility.

    I have always thought that American was great because “we the people”. Nowadays I am saddened by the vitriol that is a part of daily life. I do not respect our President as a man and I think he is a danger to this country. I am allowed my feelings. I have issues with liars. General Kelley had every right to be upset. When he had access to the bully pulpit he became just one more political hack.

    Peace PJ

  3. We don’t know the truth. We don’t know what was said on the phone call. We have on one hand a President who has made the death of servicemen about himself, on the other hand we have a political hack who has picked a fight with the President. NEITHER deserve our time. The President needs to stop tweeting. He needs to work for the American people. He needs to humble himself before the Lord. He needs to do what is right. The congresswoman and those who oppose Mr. Trump need to stop giving him the “high road”. Playing the victim is his favorite move. Those who support him love when the “establishment” comes after him.

    We do need to make sure that Mr. Kelly acknowledges the factual error related to his statement that Congresswoman Wilson voted for the FBI facility in her district. She wasn’t in office yet. Let’s be factual when you are defending someone who likes to stress the truth. It isn’t honorable when you aren’t careful with the facts.

    1. If we don’t know what was said on the phone call, how do we know that the president has made the death of servicemen about himself? But I’m glad you recognize that Wilson is a political hack. And yes, the president needs to stop tweeting, but the problem is that he thinks Twitter is his way of combating “fake news.” He should stop tweeting and the media should stop their crusade against him. I think Trump AND his attackers are on the low road.

      I agree that Kelly should issue a correction for getting his FBI facility example wrong. And then stand by his claim that Wilson is an empty barrel ;-).

      Thanks for your clear-headed, respectful comment—as always.

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