Monday, August 30, 2021
By Gary Bauer
The American Spirit
I've been on the road the last few days, and I've seen how many Americans have been gripped by anger, sadness and mourning. I've seen flags on homes lowered to half-staff. I know there were many prayers for the families of our fallen heroes in many churches this Sunday.
But there was something else springing out of Trump's America. It's not clear who started it, but at bars and restaurants all over America, tables were set with 13 empty places. Some included 13 drinks. In some cases, a small American flag was placed at the table. Others included the names of the fallen.
No one dared disturb the tables at whatever establishment they were in. This was an example of what Abraham Lincoln referred to as the "mystic chords of memory" that unite patriot graves everywhere.
There's a song from Les Miserables, "Do You Hear The People Sing," that became an anthem of the MAGA movement. But there's another song from that same play called, "Empty Chairs At Empty Tables." Here are some of the lyrics:
"There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone. . .
"The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
On this lonely barricade
At dawn. . .
"Oh my friends, my friends
Don't ask me what your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will sing no more.
Kudos To Col. Scheller!
Remember this name: Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller. Scheller posted a video last week demanding accountability from the military brass for the fiasco that has taken place in Kabul.
"I want to say this very strongly: I have been fighting for 17 years," Scheller said. "I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders: I demand accountability."
Not surprisingly, he was relieved of command. Scheller posted a second video on Sunday announcing that he was resigning immediately, just three years short of retirement.
I hope Scheller's words trigger a new grassroots movement, just as Rick Santelli's famous rant launched the Tea Party movement. Americans of all backgrounds are beyond frustrated by the lack of accountability in government.
There has been no accountability for the way our intelligence agencies attempted to bring down Trump's presidency. No one went to jail for using a debunked dossier, partisan opposition research, to undermine the duly elected administration. No one who lied to the federal courts to get illegal wire taps went to jail.
They tried to put Michael Flynn in jail. They want to put Trump's lawyers in jail. But any leftist who breaks the law to advance the cause of the left gets a job on CNN and a big book contract.
This Marine speaks truth to power, calling out the chain of command, and he's out of a job. Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman leaked a secret phone call, hoping to take out the commander-in-chief over a policy dispute, and he's celebrated as a hero.
Once again, the double standard of justice is on full display. It's beyond disgusting, and it needs to end!
Kudos to Col. Scheller for speaking out. He speaks for millions of Americans who want accountability for this needless loss of life and the damage done to our national honor.
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